Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

KYLEN

Days when Kylen didn't want to be in the sky were incredibly rare, but today was definitely one of them. Leaving Dallas that morning had been the hardest thing he'd done in a while. He'd been dead asleep when Kylen had kissed his forehead goodbye. It had taken all of his willpower to leave the room, and he didn't let himself stop to chat with Adele because he knew he would have cracked and called off his flights for the day.

But he couldn't afford it. Not now that he was paying for his grandmother's care. And he didn't want to lose what little trust he was rebuilding with his team. They were understanding, but he knew there was going to be a breaking point, and Kylen couldn't lose his job.

He knew Dani made enough to ensure that Flora would never go without, but he didn't want to put that strain on her. He'd wanted this life. He had to deal with it, no matter what the universe was throwing at him.

So, he left. And he spent the entirety of his day staring at the console of the plane, fighting the urge to check his phone and call Dallas at every stop.

His co-pilot noticed, but luckily, she was a mind-your-own-business kind of person, so the most she did was get him tea and remind him he needed to eat.

He stopped by the Big Bowl in Denver for some teriyaki chicken because he needed that sweet, sweet tangy comfort, and then he scrolled through his messages. Dallas hadn't texted, but Kylen figured he wouldn't unless it was an emergency. He was taking no news as good news.

But he still felt sick to his stomach and eventually caved, calling Dani because she would at least tell him to get his head out of his ass.

"I hate this," he said as soon as she picked up.

"I hate that I don't even have to ask what you're panicking about," she fired back.

That was…fair. He had been a little dramatic lately. And most of his problems were his own fault. He was supposed to follow the "don't fuck with straight guys" rule and had failed terribly. Granted, it had worked out in ways Kylen never could have anticipated, but the fact remained, it was still a mess.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

Kylen sighed. "More court shit, I think. Can I just take a minute to tell you how much I love you?"

Dani laughed. "Because I don't drag your ass in front of a judge?"

"Because you're kind and lovely," Kylen fired back. "You gave me the most amazing child that has ever walked the planet, and you always meet me in the middle."

"Not always," she said quietly. Which was true, but she hadn't been stubborn in years. And neither had he. Their growing pains were long gone.

"None of that matters now, honey," he told her. He leaned his elbow on the counter and glanced toward the hallway that led to his gate. DIA was always crowded, so he'd have to head back to the plane soon. "We have a great life."

"I do. Yours is still kind of a shitshow," Dani lamented. "Maybe we should have just gotten married."

"I'm in love with Dallas, so honestly, I'm glad we didn't. He pointed something out last night that made me think." He'd pointed out a lot of things that had made him think, but talking about his family had been almost like a kick in the junk.

"That they suck?"

Kylen barked a laugh. "Well, yeah. But also that—God help me—I want to keep fighting for them to see me as I am."

"I can get on board with that," she said.

He grinned, wishing she was there so he could wrap his arms around her. He really needed a hug from his best friend right then. "I think I'm going to talk to my mom and sister when I get back. And go to the reunion."

"With Dallas?"

Kylen closed his eyes. "Yeah. With Dallas. As my boyfriend."

"Real or fake?"

"Does somewhere in the middle count?"

She laughed softly. "I have no idea. But maybe for the two of you, it's not in the middle. Maybe it's what's right for you both. And fuck anyone else who doesn't understand it."

"Again, I love you so much."

"I love you too. Now, get home so I can snuggle with you before my flight."

Kylen pulled the phone from his ear and checked the time. Shit. He was going to be late. "Running now," he said. "See you in a couple hours."

His feet hit the ground, and he only got a couple of annoyed side-eyes from the flight attendants as he rushed the doors, gasping for breath. It felt like a metaphor for his life though, and that almost felt like motivation enough to get his shit together.

He shot a text to Dallas as soon as he was in his car, then headed for home. As much as he wanted to go back to Adele's, Dani deserved his attention more. He wouldn't see her for the next few months, and it was getting harder and harder to say goodbye. He wouldn't begrudge her the life she'd made for herself, but he loved her and missed her.

Flora was asleep face down on the couch when he walked in, and he found Dani in her bedroom, zipping up her suitcase. She shot him a watery smile, and he opened his arms for her, letting her wrap around him.

"Tell me I have to go."

He laughed softly. "Honey, I'm not the man for that job. I want you to stay."

She squeezed him tight, then pulled back and let out a soft sigh. "I think I'm going to look into something else. For work," she added.

His heart skipped a beat. "Yeah?"

"I just…I thought this was ideal. And it is. I mean…" She bit her lip and glanced away. "I feel like I'm betraying the woman who worked her ass off to get to where she is now. Like, what does it say about me that I was ready to march in a one-woman parade about not tying yourself down to marriage and kids, but now I just want to be here? "

"I think it means that you are a human being allowed to change her mind about what she wants," he told her, brushing a curl away from her forehead. "It doesn't mean you're someone else, my darling. You've always loved our daughter."

"I love her so fucking much. And this isn't really about her. I mean, it is. But it's about me. And it's about you."

Kylen's brows shot up. "Me?"

"You've been working so hard, and I know it's because this is the life you wanted," Dani added before he could defend his choices. "But I miss you when I'm gone. You're one of my favorite people in the entire world. And I just…I think maybe a little bit of this could make me happy too."

His heart didn't know what to do. He wanted to beg her to stay. He wanted to tell her to go because he was afraid if he didn't, she'd choose this and then resent him for it.

"I need time to think," she said before he could fully panic. "But I do want to be here more. I want to watch Flora grow up. And I want to be here when your shit is falling apart because you don't deserve to go through it alone."

He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Let's go order those sushi burritos you like for delivery. With massive boba teas. We can curl up under the blankets, and then I'll drive you to the airport."

She scoffed. "You just got home from there."

"Yeah, and Flora loves watching the planes take off," Kylen said. "It's not a hardship. I'll even go meet your pilot and make sure they're not some fresh from flight school jackass."

She lifted a brow at him. "You were a fresh from flight school jackass once."

"I was," he said with a sniff. "And I wish someone had grabbed me by the collar and told me that safety is better than arrogance."

She laughed and shoved him away, but she caught his hand at the last second and squeezed his fingers. For the moment, he allowed himself to think about his little family and not Dallas. But between one breath and the next, he saw Dallas behind his eyelids and realized there was a space for him here too.

It could be something. Really. But Dallas would have to let him in.

"…so I haven't checked my phone because I'm afraid he's ghosting me," Kylen said, his mouth full of sushi rice and salmon.

Dani looked over at him and rolled her eyes. "He probably already texted you, and he's waiting like some lovesick fool for you to reply."

Kylen had considered that scenario when he put his phone in the bedroom and closed the door behind him. And it made him feel like an asshole because Dallas was going through it. But he also needed space for himself too.

"I'll check it in a few," Kylen said.

Dani scoffed, then used her toe to tap Flora's thigh. "Princesa, go get Daddy's phone from the bedroom and see if Mr. Reed sent him a text."

Flora's eyes lit up, and before Kylen could stop her, she took off like a shot. He glowered at Dani. "Using our daughter against me?"

"Saving your love life, so you can thank me later," she said. She held out her hand when Flora appeared and snatched it before Kylen could get his hands on it. With a sharp grin, she swiped her finger over the screen in the pattern to unlock it. "He texted," she said after a moment of silence.

Kylen groaned and threw his hands over his face, tipping his head back. He let out a soft grunt when Flora climbed into his lap and kneed him in the balls. "What did he say?"

"You want me to read it?"

He looked over at Dani. "Yeah. Please? It's been hours, and I really do feel like a dick now."

She smirked, and he watched as her eyes moved back and forth over the text. "Dearest sweet butt…"

"Stop," he moaned as Flora slapped her hand over her mouth and giggled.

"Fine, fine." Dani cleared her throat. "He said he spoke with Monty—that's the hot lawyer, right?"

"Right," Kylen said, though Monty could have been Idris fucking Elba and it wouldn't have mattered. He was in love with Dallas.

"He has an emergency custody hearing tomorrow morning, and he'll know the rest after that. He said he'd like to take you up on your offer, which…" He watched her scroll up. "Oh. To come here?"

Flora bounced on him, shaking all the air out of his lungs. "Yeah," he wheezed as he set her aside. "Is that weird? He'll have his baby."

"I love babies," Flora breathed.

"I know. But this is a real baby, so we have to be careful with her," Kylen said, tugging gently at the end of her braid. "Promise?"

She held her hand to her heart, then shot up from the couch. "Gonna clean my room so the baby doesn't choke and die! "

Dani laughed softly and set his phone in his hand. "Text him back. Tell him you can pick him up after you drop me off at the airport. What time do you fly tomorrow?"

"I'm not on Mondays," Kylen said.

Dani's eyes shone. "So you can go with him. Or you can watch the baby so he can focus on what he needs to do."

Kylen swallowed heavily and took her hand in his. "This is very complicated. Why did I have to fall for him?"

"Because you've never taken the easy path, mi amor. And you never will. But I like him, okay? He has my blessing. Maybe one day, we'll all live on some big commune together with us and the kids and my lovers, Henry Cavill and Eva Longoria."

He rolled his eyes but yanked her close and wrapped his arm around her. "It's a deal." Closing his eyes, Kylen took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He could actually picture it. Maybe not with Henry Cavill or Eva Longoria, but some equally gorgeous human that made Dani feel like she was the only woman in the world. And with Dallas in his arms and the kids playing in the yard.

And a feeling of peace lodged deep in his chest.

He still didn't trust he'd actually find his happily ever after, but he was starting to feel like maybe it wasn't entirely out of his reach.

Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, Kylen stared at Adele's front window. It was hard to see anything with the shadows from the covered porch, but he could see movement. Flora was dozing in the back seat, and Kylen was still smarting from seeing Dani off, but his heart was beating fast with anticipation .

He half expected Dallas to cancel on him, but when he made the offer to spend his day off supporting him however he needed, Dallas had just gotten a little quiet and then whispered thank you before hanging up. Now, Kylen was waiting for him and Audra.

The door opened, and Kylen sucked in a breath. He couldn't remember feeling like this for anyone before. His skin got warm, and his nerves started firing off at just the sight of him. Dallas looked so fucking good with his muscles bulging under the weight of Audra in her little car seat. He looked like a natural. And his smile was something Kylen wanted to see every day.

"Hey," Dallas said, lowering his voice when he realized that Flora was out. "Will she be okay with the baby?"

"She's more than excited," Kylen told him. "She even cleaned her room."

Dallas snorted a laugh. "She's always my best cleaning helper in class. That doesn't surprise me." He went quiet as he got Audra's car seat situated, but instead of turning back to the house for the rest of his stuff, he walked over to Kylen's window and tapped on it.

He pushed the button and rolled it down, grinning up at the man he loved. "Hi."

Dallas's eyes went soft and warm. "Hi." His voice rumbled across Kylen's skin, and then Dallas leaned over and kissed him. It was chaste—a slow, careful press of lips—but it was exactly what Kylen needed to feel settled. "Give me two minutes? I have a shitload of stuff."

"Take all the time you need."

It was more than two minutes but less than five before Dallas had his baby's things packed up in the trunk and he was sliding into the passenger seat. He offered Kylen a sort of sheepish smile and ducked his head down as he buckled up.

"Thank you for this."

"Don't thank me. I'm being ridiculously selfish and taking advantage of you," Kylen fired back.

Dallas cracked a laugh and grabbed his hand, kissing his knuckles. "If I get to benefit from it, you won't hear me complain."

They sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the drive, and Flora started to stir just as they turned onto their street. She yawned, then looked over and gasped, pressing her little fingers to her lips.

"Baby."

"Her name's Audra," Dallas said, twisting in his seat.

Her eyes went wider. "Mr. Reed. This is your baby?"

"Yep."

Flora bit her lip, then stretched out a finger before pulling it back. Kylen had to quickly force his eyes back on the road, watching Dallas out of his periphery instead. "I could take good care of her."

"I know you will," Dallas told her.

They pulled into the driveway, and Kylen parked the car, hopping out while Flora undid her own straps, and he began to pull Audra's things out of the trunk. When Dallas attempted to help, Kylen shooed him off.

"Take her inside and get settled. Feel free to set up wherever you want."

"She could…she could have a sleepover in my room," Flora was babbling as she dragged Dallas toward the front door. Kylen didn't bother stopping her. Yet. He figured Dallas was probably old hat at managing the expectations of five- and six-ye ar-olds.

Instead, he hefted everything inside and tried not to let himself think about what life would be like if this was theirs. If Dallas lived with him. If there was space for Audra of her own, and it wasn't all temporary. He wanted this badly—it was a new, fragile thing he never expected to feel, and he was terrified with one wrong move, it would all shatter.

"You okay?"

Kylen looked up and realized he'd been standing in the living room with the sleeper cot hanging over his shoulder for far too long. He cleared his throat and let it slide down to the floor. "I'm good."

Dallas walked up to him and put his hands on Kylen's shoulders. "You're not."

"I actually am. This is just…"

"Too much?"

Not enough. But that was one more thing he couldn't say yet. He shook his head and leaned in to steal a kiss from Dallas's waiting lips. "I like you in my space."

Dallas closed his eyes and took in a long, slow breath. "I like it too."

Well. That was something, wasn't it? A small step. Kylen cleared his throat and shifted backward a little to give Dallas space to gather his things. "The guest room is all yours. Or you can set her up in my room with us. Wherever you want to be."

"She sleeps in her own room at my place. Maybe we can try that?"

"With you in my bed?" Kylen chanced.

Dallas bit his lip and nodded. "Too much?"

"Just enough. Are you hungry?"

Dallas snorted as he grabbed the sleeper cot and the bag Kylen had dropped. "No. Adele kept feeding me like he was an Italian grandmother. I think I just want to relax for a bit. Audra's going to be up a little while longer, then she should be down for the night."

Kylen swallowed back just a hint of bitterness in the back of his throat because it was only now that he was getting most of a night's sleep. "Don't be surprised if Flora doesn't go down so easily. She was never the best sleeper, and she's probably going to crawl in bed with us at some point. She's really excited you're here."

Dallas laughed and shook his head. "Trust me, I won't mind. I don't have plans for us right now. I'm too high-strung."

So was Kylen. He took another quick kiss, then went to check on Flora, who was hovering over Audra in her chair. The baby was wide-awake, staring with wide, dark eyes. She had a small, fuzzy patch of hair and peach-pink-tinged cheeks. She was all round and quiet and looked so much like Dallas.

"Pick her up if you want," Dallas called from the guest room.

Kylen was terrified to touch her. What if she hated him? What if she wailed every time he so much as looked at her? Would that change things?

"Daddy," Flora whined.

Kylen undid Audra's straps, then eased her out of the chair. She stretched, then laid her head on his shoulder for a long moment. God, it had been too long since he'd had this. He hadn't realized how much he missed it.

"Can I hold her?" Flora asked, yanking hard on his arm.

"No, pumpkin. But we can sit on the floor with her. Go get her bag, okay?"

Flora was a girl on a mission, and by the time Kylen dropped to his ass, she had a blanket and half the toys spilling out in front of him. Audra looked happy about her situation. She babbled quietly, grinning when Flora pulled faces, and seemed thrilled when his daughter began a sort of half game of toss.

"Okay, that's cute," Dallas said as he walked in. He had one hand in the pocket of his sinfully tight jeans, the other ruffling his hair.

Kylen couldn't help a grin. "She's been asking for a sister forever."

"Daddy can't have babies in his tummy. He's gots a penis."

Dallas's lip quirked to the side. "Yep. But even people who can't carry babies in their tummies can have babies in other ways."

"I know," Flora said sagely. "Maybe she could be my sister. We could have her here, and you could come visit."

"And we're done with that," Kylen said. "You get five minutes, and then it's time for shower."

Flora looked like she wanted to pitch a fit, then decided against it because her favorite teacher and the baby were there. "Fine."

Kylen could have cried in relief. He shifted closer to Dallas, and as they watched Audra crawl around her toys and Flora follow her around, happier than she'd been in forever, Kylen felt bittersweet. It was everything he wanted without the promise he could keep it.

Dallas turned his head and took a deep breath against his temple. "I feel it too," he murmured.

Kylen couldn't ignore the small spark of hope flaring to life in his gut.