“I can barely speak, but hearing her sing ‘Red’ as her secret acoustic song had me deceased,” Kenna croaks.
I giggle at her. “Girl, same. And watching Griff twirl you around in your sparkly red dress was unforgettable.”
She does a little shimmy-twirl combination that is something I never would’ve pictured her doing when I met her a year ago. It’s not that she wasn’t the fun and sassy woman I’ve come to adore, it’s just she wasn’t as dauntlessly in love then.
“What about when I thought for sure Carson was going to finally kiss you?” she asks.
“Which time are you talking about? When you interrupted us back at the hotel, or when you pulled me from his arms so I could dance with you during ‘Shake It Off’?”
“Wait, he almost kissed you at the hotel? When? Last night?”
My cheeks heat thinking about what I wish would’ve happened last night. “N-no. Right before we came here,” I stammer.
Kenna’s eyes flare in delight. “Oh. My. God. You blushed and stuttered when I mentioned last night. Did something happen?”
“What? No I didn’t. Absolutely nothing happened last night,” I say in a steadier voice than I feel. “We did, however, admit our feelings for each other. I hope that this isn’t weird for you, what with me being Cadence’s nanny and, I don’t know . . . seeing Carson?” It comes out as more of a question because I don’t know what we’re doing, I just know I want to pursue him.
“Well, no offense, I don’t want to know if anything did happen between you and my brother. Regardless, I’m happy for you both. I’m sure Cades will love having you become Auntie Kota.” My eyes widen at her words, but the look on my face does nothing to stop her from continuing, “Oh, or maybe she should call you Auntie KoKo since she calls Carse Uncle Car Car.”
Placing my hands on her shoulders, I tell her, “Slow your roll, Kenna. I think you’ve jumped ahead about forty chapters in the book to get to the spicy stuff.”
“Forty chapters? What kind of slow burns are you reading? I’m more of a wham, bam, thank you ma’am in the first ten chapters kind of gal.”
I’d never admit this to her, but I’m living in the quintessential slow burn at the moment, and I wouldn’t mind one bit for more of that whamming and bamming she was just talking about.
“Wait, are you writing a slow burn? What are the tropes of your novel?” Kenna presses.
I smile at her excitement, because I’m genuinely so happy to have someone who loves books as much as I do to chat about my work in progress with. “For sure there will be an age gap, rival’s daughter, pro football player, workplace romance, and I’m not sure if this is considered a trope, but vacation love.”
“If it’s not a trope, you’re about to make it one. Ah! Dakota, that sounds so good. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.”
“They fall in love in Italy, that’s why Carson insisted I come with. I hope you don’t mind that I’m interrupting the first part of y’all’s honeymoon. And I know my ticket for tonight was supposed to be for Katie, I told Carson I’d buy my own but he said he talked to Griff.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re absolutely not interrupting our honeymoon. If anything, having you and Carson join us has been an added bonus that we get to explore a new country with our friends. As for tonight’s ticket, you actually didn’t use Katie’s—Carson purchased a fifth one when he was planning out the trip.”
Learning that tidbit has me feeling relieved to hear that Griff’s sweet gesture to include and memorialize his sister wasn’t wasted on me.
Kenna pivots the conversation. “Have you started writing any scenes yet?”
“Yeah, I’ve been trying to write a few hundred words per night. It’s kind of fun chapter mapping places my characters go and things they’ll do as I get to experience them myself.”
She tries and fails miserably to fight back a laugh. “I wonder if any other parts of your story will be inspired by what you experience on this trip.”
Rolling my eyes, I give her a gentle shove, my petite frame doing nothing to her six-foot stature.
As her laughter fades, she grows more serious, biting her lip in hesitation. “How are you doing? Like, really doing? I feel like with all of the wedding planning that came together at the last minute, we haven’t had as much time to talk. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually excited for hockey season to start back up again so we can have more sleepovers when the boys are traveling.”
“I’m doing really well. I feel inspired to start this next chapter of my life by discovering what brings me joy—what I’m passionate about.”
“And everything with your ex and the divorce? It’s all settled and you haven’t heard from him? Has he been convicted and sentenced yet?”
“Your dad is one badass lawyer. And as you know, I was able to get an order of protection. Once that was in place, the only communication I’ve received from Aaron has been through our lawyers as everything was finalized. I didn’t want anything from him, I just wanted to be sure I never saw him again. The last update I got was that his court date for the assault continues to get pushed back.”
“I’m really proud of you, and in awe of your strength, Dakota. You got out, and you’re making yourself and your happiness a priority.”
I grab Kenna’s hand, squeeze it three times, and thank her. When I do, her eyes widen in disbelief. “Does your family do that too?” she asks.
“Do what?” I reply, confused by her question.
