“So, you two have never . . .”
“Aside from a few dances on my twenty-first birthday, no, nothing has happened between us. Not that it’s any of your business.”
I hold my hands up in surrender. “Noted. I’ll stay in my lane.”
“Mhmm, I’m sure.” She clears her throat. “So, I forgot to ask earlier, where are you staying while you’re in town?”
“I just extended my reservation at the same hotel the team stayed at.”
“Griff, that’s almost a half hour away with traffic. Why don’t you stay here? Carson has two spare bedrooms. There’s only a bed in one of them right now, but it beats staying in a hotel. He has an away game tomorrow, but he will be back for Halloween.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I am. This way, you can see Cadence more while you’re in town for the next few days.”
“I don’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting this. Thank you. This means a lot to me, Kenna.”
A few hours later, I tiptoe out of Cadence’s nursery and pull the door closed. I have the absolute biggest smile on my face right now just thinking of how amazing it was to be a part of her day.
I walk down the hallway. Seeing Kenna’s bedroom door cracked, I pop my head in to let her know I was able to get Cadence down. I realize my mistake instantly. The sight in front of me nearly kills me—Kenna is in nothing but a lacy bralette and a tiny pair of sleep shorts. She’s just about to pull on a T-shirt when I see something that has my blood pumping even harder than seeing her like this does.
“What does that say?” My voice is raspier than it’s ever been, dripping with desire.
She gasps, clearly caught off-guard. “Griff, what are you doing in here? You can’t just barge in my room.”
“The door was cracked. I came in to tell you I got Cadence to sleep.” Taking a step into her room, I close the door behind me.
Her answering intake of breath might’ve made me realize I shouldn’t close the space between us, but the curious desire in her eyes tells me otherwise.
“What does it say, Kenna?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The tattoo on your ribcage. What does it say?”
“Griffin, you’re crossing a line we shouldn’t cross again. Thank you for getting Cadence to bed. Please go to sleep in the guest room.”
“What does it say, McKenna?”
“Griff,” she whispers. We’re so close, her breath fans across my chin, and I want more, but I know we shouldn’t.
“Tell me, please.”
“Take a look for yourself.”
Right below her bralette, on the left side of her ribcage, written in script, is the wordSunshine.
I have the strongest desire to scrape my teeth over her tattoo before leaving open-mouth kisses along each letter.
Instead, I ask, “You permanently marked me on your skin?”
“I didn’t mark you on my skin. I marked a word from a song that our daughter loves.”
“I don’t believe you. You’ll always bemy sunshine, McKenna,” I whisper, staring into her blue eyes. I’m transfixed.
“We can’t do this, Griff,” she breathes.
“Why not?”
