Stolen Kisses

  “Are you ready?” Dax asked as he straightened his tie. Perfectly groomed and dressed in his dark suit, he looked like he could hold his own with anyone’s family. She wanted to believe the strength she sensed in him, but he’d told her on several occasions he didn’t like complicated and that’s what her family was. “Dax, I need to tell you something. I should have told you earlier.”

  He paused while putting his watch on. “I’m listening.”

  Here goes. “My brothers heard you’ll be at my parents’ house, so they’re going to be there as well.”

  He finished securing his watch.

  “All of them,” she stressed.

  He picked his phone off the table and put it into the breast pocket of his suit then held her gaze with a carefully blank expression that was often his first response. The man she wanted to talk to was the one he hid behind that wall. Kenzi waved a hand in the air for emphasis. “Imagine my father, but a hundred times worse. I don’t know what they’ll say to you, but some of it might not be very nice. You don’t have to put yourself through this if you don’t want to. It’s one thing to meet my mother, but you don’t know how bad my brothers can be.” When he still didn’t look impressed, she added, “Meeting them tends to end any relationship I’m in. I don’t want to lose you because they—”

  Dax closed the distance between them and cupped her chin with one of his hands. “So tell them to shut the fuck up.”

  The blunt way he said it had Kenzi choking on a shocked laugh. “I couldn’t.”

  A smile curled Dax’s lips. “You’d say it nicer than I would, but I saw you with your father. You’re stronger than you think you are. You told him exactly what you needed from him. It sounds like your brothers need the same talk.”

  “They’d never—” Kenzi stopped herself there. Dax was right. She had been focused on his reaction to her brothers’ behavior, but taking charge of her life wasn’t just about talking about the past. She needed to stand up to her brothers, not just for Dax, but for herself. “You’re right. I won’t let them drive you away.”

  Dax ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s be clear about something: there is nothing they could say to me that would end our—” He stopped as if the correct word eluded him. “I won’t go if you don’t want me to, but if you do, remember that they don’t matter to me. What they say doesn’t matter. I’ll tell them all where to shove it if that’s what you need me to do, but I have a feeling that’s not what you’d want to see today.”

  “I do want you to go, and no, I wouldn’t want that.” Kenzi wanted to throw her arms around Dax. He was walking into an emotional battlefield, and his concern was how it would affect her. The words “I love you” would have been easy to say in that moment, but Kenzi held them back. He wasn’t ready to hear them, and what they had was too new. Once said, those three words were impossible to take back. Kenzi looked down at Taffy who was giving her the saddest look from her dog bed. “Would you mind if I took Taffy in your town car?”

  His answer was a snap of his fingers similar to how she’d called Taffy to her side so often. Taffy rushed to his side, favoring her still bandaged foot, but she was wagging her tail. He frowned down at her. “Do not make a mess in my car, do you understand?”

  Taffy whined and wagged her tail harder. She could see past his tough exterior as easily as Kenzi could.

  “I’ll bring a towel,” Kenzi said quickly. “Or we could call a different car service.”

  He continued to look down at little dog. “No, Taffy and I have an understanding.”

  “If you’re sure,” Kenzi said with a smile. She left the two of them briefly to put some treats, Taffy’s leash, and a towel in a bag just to be safe. When she returned Taffy was still looking up at Dax with open adoration. It was remarkable that Taffy trusted anyone, considering what she’d been through, but Dax had strength that was easy to trust. I like him, too, Taffy.

  A few minutes later, Kenzi and Dax were settled into the backseat of his town car. Taffy was on a towel on Kenzi’s lap. Although she was headed off into what looked like it would be an emotionally charged family gathering, Kenzi wasn’t scared. Dax was checking his email on his phone, but he was at her side. Taffy still looked like she’d survived a war, but she trusted Kenzi and Dax enough to be excited about going somewhere with them. Kenzi laid her hand on the dog’s back and found strength in her visible injuries. You’re so brave, Taffy. I haven’t always been, but I’m working on it.

  Kenzi looked at Dax and said, “You’ll like my mother. I’ve never heard her say an unkind word to anyone.”

  Dax pocketed his phone and took her hand in one of his. “She passed that trait down to you.”

  Kenzi shrugged. “Yes and no. I think nice comes naturally to her. I didn’t have much of a choice.”

  Dax arched an eyebrow. “Is she mentally unstable?”

  It was a harsh question to ask, but Kenzi had gotten used to Dax speaking his mind with her. His honesty was one of the many things she loved about him. “I don’t think so. She might have been right after my twin died, but that was a long time ago. Every year she falls into a kind of a depression during the month we were born, but I don’t know what I’d be like if I ever lost a child. Every year my brothers and I would spend a week at my parents’ house and wait it out. This past year, my brother Asher brought Emily home. My mother adores her, so it was a better year than most.”

  “Do you like her?”

  “My mother?”

  “Emily.”

  “I did when I first met her. Truth? My parents listen to her in a way they’ve never listened to me. If she says she thinks something is a good idea, we end up doing it. Asher has always been a bit overbearing, and I can almost handle that, but it’s hard to stomach being forced to jump every time his fiancée thinks we should.”

  “Who is forcing you?”

  “In our family we tend to do whatever makes my mother happy.”

  “Or?”

  Kenzi shrugged. “Or we’d shoulder the guilt of having disappointed our father and hurt our mother.”

  Dax nodded. “My uncle who took me in after my father died was a very controlling man. It was his fist, not guilt, that he used to keep me in line. I wasn’t sad when he died.”

  Kenzi laced her fingers with his and kept her silence. This was the Dax she knew he kept hidden from the world.

  “I didn’t miss my father after he died, either. He was never there for me. The only time he spent with me was when he wanted a woman to believe he was a good father, and afterward he’d drop me back off at school. I wouldn’t hear from him until he wanted to put on a show again.” He looked out the window as he spoke. “I don’t know your parents, but your father seemed to care about you. I imagine he’d want a daughter who would miss him. Your mother sounds the same way. If you let them control you, you’ll rob them of that.”

  Kenzi’s took a long, shaky breath. Whenever she thought she couldn’t be more grateful to Dax, he said or did something that revealed how much he cared. He wasn’t sharing his pain to make himself feel better, he was opening himself to her because he wanted her to have something he’d never had. Tears filled Kenzi’s eyes. Love may not be in your vocabulary, Dax, but it’s in your heart.

  When they pulled up to her parents’ home, Kenzi handed Taffy and the towel to Dax. “Do you mind if I go in first? I need a few minutes alone with my family.”

  Dax was probably the only man who could still look drop-dead sexy and perfectly in command while holding a half bald dog. “Take your time.”

  Feeling spontaneous and more than a little grateful, Kenzi gave Dax a long deep kiss before moving toward the door his driver held open.

  Dax smiled. “Or hurry. I told the office I wasn’t coming in today.”

  And I’m dragging him to meet my family? Am I crazy? Kenzi flushed as her body hummed with anticipation of being in his arms again. She shook her head and reminded herself that all of this was part of her journey. If she ran and hid with h
im she would never become the woman she wanted to be.

  “We don’t have to stay long.”

  Dax didn’t say anything, but she knew he’d stay as long as she needed him to. Having him in her life not only gave her confidence, but it also changed her perspective about some things. She did resent the way her family overrode her plans. She resented how effectively they’d silenced her, how not wanting to disappoint them had guided so many of her decisions. No, she didn’t want to hurt them, but she didn’t want to hate them, either. She wasn’t a child anymore. But I’m letting them treat me like one. Dax is right, I’m resenting them for something that I do have control over.

  She squared her shoulders as she opened the door of her parents’ home. Her father met her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  Dale looked past her at the car in the driveway. “Your friend isn’t coming in?”

  Kenzi met her father’s eyes with a boldness that was new to her. “I asked him to give me a few minutes to speak with everyone first.”

  Dale closed the door. When he opened his mouth to say something, Kenzi cut him off. “Before you say anything, Dad, I want you to know that everything I need to say will be said respectfully. I love you and Mom, but some things need to change for me. I need to trust that everyone will show Dax the respect he has earned by being a good friend to me. I won’t bring him in here if anyone is going to threaten him or throw little jabs at him. He’s important to me.” Kenzi took a deep breath. “And before you warn me not to upset Mom, I need you to know that I would never do anything to hurt her, but when I don’t feel like I can be myself around her, it hurts both of us. She’s your wife, but she’s my mother, and I deserve the right to work out issues with her—not through you.”

  Dale studied Kenzi’s face for a moment. “Grant and Lance are here. Asher, Emily, and Ian are on their way. Dax shouldn’t be left in the car like that. I’ll talk to him while you talk to everyone else.”

  Kenzi halted him with a hand on his arm. “Dad, don’t—”

  Dale placed his hand over hers. “Kenzi, I heard what you said last night and right now. I trust you to work things out with your mother in a way that she can handle it. Trust me with the man you love.”

  “I don’t—” Kenzi didn’t finish the lie. She did. She may not want to say the words out loud yet, but she took a page out of Dax’s honesty book. “Dad, what Dax says when he’s cornered doesn’t represent how he has been with me. He could have come in here and been offended by what you know my brothers will say to him. He could have come looking for a fight or not come at all. He’s sitting in the car because he didn’t have a good relationship with his family, and he wants me to have one with mine. That’s love, Dad. I don’t care what he calls it.”

  Dale leaned forward and gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead. “No man is ever good enough for a father to imagine with his little girl, but Dax is close. I’d say he loves you as much as he can love anyone. I hope it’s enough.”

  Kenzi clung to her father’s arm a moment longer. “I’m willing to take that chance.”

  “Go see your mother, Kenzi. I’ll be outside.”

  Kenzi watched her father close the door behind him as he left, and she prayed she’d made the right decision. Her father didn’t have a cruel or vindictive bone in his body. Their past problems had stemmed from how protective he was with her mother, not because he’d ever wanted to hurt his children. He’d asked Kenzi to trust him with Dax, and Kenzi wanted to give him a chance to show he’d heard her. Really heard her.

  She walked into the sitting room where her mother and two of her brothers were sitting. They all stood when she walked in.

  Sophie said, “Kenzi, did you come alone? What happened? Boys, could you give me a moment alone with Kenzi?”

  Kenzi raised a hand to stop them from leaving. “Wait. I need to say something first. Dax Marshall is here, but he’s outside. Before you say anything to him I want you to know that I’ve never been happier than I am with him. I know you want to protect me, and that’s why you test the men I date, but that will not happen this time. He is important to me. You don’t need to know more than that about him.” It was hard to decide which of the three looked more surprised by her strong words. “Any lack of respect you show him is a lack of respect you show me. Please keep that in mind when you speak to him.” Kenzi lowered her hand and let out a shaky breath. “That’s it. I just had to get that out.”

  Sophie looked on with her hands clasped in front of her.

  Lance walked over and gave her a brief hug. “Dax may have a reputation for being an—” he stopped speaking abruptly, “but it’s obvious that he has been good for you.”

  “Lance, your language,” Sophie reprimanded.

  “I didn’t actually say it,” Lance said, looking like a boy caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

  Behind him, Grant shook his head. “I’ll keep Lance in check.”

  Kenzi stepped toward her older brother and put her hands on her hips. The conversation had gone so much better than she’d hoped. She felt good enough to tease, “Him? Do you know how many men you’ve scared off by grilling them about how diversified their investment portfolios were? You’re just as bad.”

  Lance chuckled. “See, Grant, it’s not just me. He thinks he’s perfect. I’ve tried to break it to him for years that I’m your favorite brother.”

  Kenzi shook her head in reluctant amusement. “I love you both the same, but I will kick your asses if you scare this one off.”

  “Kenzi,” Sophie said automatically, but then smiled. “I can’t wait to meet this Dax of yours. He sounds incredible.”

  “He is,” Kenzi said. Originally she’d thought she needed to speak to her mother alone, but they could all benefit from what she wanted to say. “Dax told me a story about his family, and it really touched me. It made me not only appreciate all of you more, but it also showed me how I needed to change.”

  They all sat down and Kenzi told them about how Dax had been raised. She told them about his father and then his uncle. Although it wasn’t really her story to tell, she felt it was important for them to hear because it would help them understand what she wanted and why Dax was so important to her. “Mom, I felt awful about what I said to you a few weeks ago. It was the truth, but it came out all wrong. I was dealing with things that had happened in my past.”

  Sophie moved to sit beside her daughter. Her expression was tormented. “You don’t have to apologize, honey. I understand now. I feel so guilty that I didn’t know. None of us knew.”

  There was so much that Kenzi could have said at that moment, but much of it wasn’t important any longer. This wasn’t about who had been right or wrong. This was about finding a way to move on together and do it in a healthier way. “I didn’t know how to tell you, Mom.” She looked around at her brothers. “I didn’t know how to tell anyone. Dax helped me find my voice, and it’s because of him that I found the courage to talk about what had happened to me. I’m making some big changes in my life, good changes, that I want all of you to be a part of. At first you might see me doing something and think that it’s out of character for me, but it isn’t. I’ve simply found the courage to be myself. I’ll still come to you for advice, but when it comes to how I live my life, I’ll be making those decisions now. So, like it or not, this is me.”

  Her mother gave her lap a pat. “If you’re happy, we’re happy, Kenzi.”

  Kenzi smiled because she knew her mother meant it. She looked from one brother to the other and waited. They both nodded. The sound of the door opening was followed by Ian walking into the sitting room. He took in the mood and grimaced. “What did I miss?”

  Lance stood and stretched. “Kenzi was warning us all to be on our best behavior with her boyfriend.”

  Sophie stood and crossed the room to give Ian a kiss. “He sounds lovely, so I’m sure we won’t have a problem with that.”

  Ian frowned. “Are we talking about Dax Marshall? The same man who—”
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br />   Grant stepped closer to Ian. “We’ll catch you up later. It’s important to Kenzi that we’re all nice to him.”

  Ian turned to Kenzi. They hadn’t seen each other since she’d spoken at the high school. Due to how public opinion affected votes, Ian was the first to resent Barrington dirty laundry hitting the papers. Kenzi stood and faced him. She hoped telling her story hadn’t affected him, but even if it had, she was speaking out about it. Even if he couldn’t understand that at first, she had to trust that he soon would.

  Ian walked over and pulled her unexpectedly into a tight hug. He didn’t say anything, just kept hugging her. When he released her, he said, “Where’s Asher?”

  Sophie said, “He and Emily were running late. They had an appointment. My guess is Emily is pregnant. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they’re moving their wedding date up.”

  Jaws dropped open and all eyes in the room flew to her. Sophie adjusted her hair. “Don’t look so shocked. Do I need to explain the birds and bees to you again?”

  “God, no.” Lance shuddered.

  “Please don’t,” Grant said quickly.

  Ian turned to Kenzi. “So, Kenzi, what do you want me to know about Dax?”

  Even though she doubted Ian actually wanted the answer, she took her seat again and embraced her vow to be honest with her family. “I love him.”

  Just then Dale walked back into the room with Dax. Taffy was tucked beneath one of Dax’s arms, her bandaged paw resting on his forearm. Dale said, “Asher called and said they’re running late.”

  Kenzi jumped to her feet and searched Dax’s face for any reaction to what she’d said. He might not have heard her. His protective wall was firmly in place, but Kenzi didn’t know if that was in response to what she’d said or to the situation he was walking into.

  Kenzi went to stand beside him. He handed Taffy to her. She hugged the dog gently and looked up into his eyes. He stared back at her, giving nothing away, but his expression was tense and cold. She wanted to shake him, ask him if he’d heard, but they weren’t alone.