“Oh, is that how this is going to be?” He sidled up to her, pulling her close again.

“They’re private people, which is why you aren’t giving me all the details, either. They’re both clearly going through some stuff. But she cares for him, deeply.” Kelly hesitated and licked her lips. “Second chances are important. Tuesday and I share that in common.”

Humility rushed through Vaughan’s system. Standing in a house he considered home, not just because of the people in it, but because he liked it, too. He felt truly welcome each time he came in.

He wanted her. Wanted to lay her back and love every inch of her. But two human birth control pills stomped around upstairs, already bickering about something that would no doubt spill down to them soon enough.

And like a weirdo, he loved it. He loved how it made him feel. Full. Satisfied. He’d had a good life before he moved into Kelly’s guest room nearly two months before.

But this? This was everything. He understood the way Damien always got drawn back to Mary whenever they were apart.

“I don’t want to go back tonight. I’ll sleep here and then go over first thing. I haven’t slept next to you in forever.”

* * *

SHE MADE A FACE. “Four days isn’t forever. Jeremy is in town and staying in your house. You want to hang out with him. You’re the one who gave that little push to see if you could help Ezra and Jeremy get their friendship back! Of course you want to see that happening. Plus, you just finished your harvest so you and the rest of your brothers are going to want to celebrate. Have dinner with us and then go to the ranch. I figured it would be just the girls so they’re having chicken, mac and cheese and broccoli.” She winked.

“The holy kid trinity. In my house it was fish sticks, mac and cheese and broccoli.”

“We like to switch it up. Sometimes we have rice pilaf instead or corn on the cob when it’s fresh. We’re zany that way.”

“I missed this. My house with my family, with my singing, dancing, bickering children. My woman being the heart of it all.”

When he talked like that, all her doubts fell away. All her loneliness from his being gone seemed silly.

“I missed you, too. I’ve gotten used to you being around.” She pulled a few things from the fridge. “We’ll be here tomorrow. And the day after.”

Kelly said the words, but she had to admit when he was gone she wondered if he realized his life was way more fun without a woman and two kids in it. But that seemed stupid, like all her other doubts when he stood there so open and loving. So genuine.

“Speaking of the day after tomorrow. Don’t forget we’re having dinner with my parents before the gallery opening on Wednesday.”

Sharon was trying with this dinner invitation. Kelly had plenty of misgivings about dinner with her former in-laws. In Sharon’s lair. But she’d agreed and tried to give the situation the benefit of the doubt. Having them know the truth was a relief. But it wasn’t as if after all the time and things had been done and said between them it’d be effortless. But if they both thought Vaughan was worth it, Kelly figured at the very least they could reach a place where they could all be around one another without any tension.

Kelly already worried they’d blame her for Vaughan’s doing a solo project. He assured her otherwise, but she worried about it coming back to bite her.

But she was thrilled he was doing this solo project because Kelly had watched him gain confidence in himself as he began to work on the songs in earnest. He had a confidence in the work that seemed to grow daily. They could blame her if they chose, but she hoped they’d see this growth and artistic expression as an amazing thing.

“I was just thinking about the song you sang for me on the phone last night.” Kelly shook herself free of the memory.

“You were? It looked like panic at having ham with Sharon and Michael Hurley.”

Kelly held up a hand, went over to the stairs and called up to tell the girls to wash up for dinner.

“I remember dinner. Everything is fine. I really was thinking about that song.” She didn’t want to talk any more about the dinner or to make him feel bad or anxious.

He was only going to be there for a little while and she wanted to enjoy it.

Ten minutes later she was buttering bread and passing the salt and pepper as the girls told her all about their own special boots to wear out in the fields.

“I had a pair when I was your age, too,” Vaughan said. “Not purple ones, though. They only had green ones.”

“Purple boots? That’s so cool,” Kelly said.

“Uncle Damien got them for us. He got a tiny pair with caterpillars on them for the baby to wear when he comes out,” Maddie said.

“Babies can’t even stand. What’s that baby gonna do with boots?” Kensey was clearly dubious of the whole situation and Kelly tried not to laugh.

“It’ll look cute.” Maddie’s voice had that pretending-to-be-patient tone. “People just dress babies like dolls.”

Kensey gave a long-suffering sigh. “Baby toes are cute. You don’t need to cover them up with boots. But they might fit my American Girl doll so I asked if I could have them once the baby was done and Aunt Mary said sure. And then I explained to her all about American Girl dolls. She told me she had a few friends with little babies who’d be growing up to want dolls so she was excited to know about them so she could make sure them other kids get some dolls and stuff. I told her she could call Mommy to get the address of the store we went to.”