from the box in his center console. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to make light of your situation. Trust me when I tell you I do understand. Your life right now is in turmoil and you’re not sure if it’s ever going to be okay again. But I promise you, if it takes everything I have to make things right for you, I will.”
Vanessa stared at him. She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, her head nodding slightly. Kendrick exited out of the driver’s side and opened the back door. He reached to unleash Gabi from her seat, cooing gently to ease the little girl’s cries. Gabi’s screams softened to a low hiccup. Her chubby cheeks damp with tears, the little girl laid her head on Kendrick’s chest, snuggling easily against him as she pulled a thumb into her mouth.
Kendrick introduced them. “Vanessa, this is my sister Maitlyn. And this is Zak. They just got married this morning. Maitlyn, this is Vanessa. She’s the woman I called you about. And the little munchkin here is Gabrielle. They’re hanging out with me for a few days.”
Maitlyn smiled. “Come on in. No one else is back from the reception yet so you’re good for at least another hour.”
Kendrick laughed. “We’ll take an hour. That’ll give us all some time to get our story straight.”
Maitlyn moved to where Vanessa stood staring at them. “It’s nice to meet you, Vanessa. You look like you could use some food and rest, too,” Maitlyn said as she extended her hand in greeting.
Vanessa nodded. “Thank you. I need to feed the baby first.”
“Don’t worry. There’s plenty of food inside and we stopped by the market and picked up diapers, bottles and a few things we thought you might need.”
Moving into the house ahead of them Gabrielle was giggling, a cookie gripped tightly in each hand as Kendrick made faces at her.
* * *
Maitlyn and Vanessa were chatting comfortably as Gabi raced around the backyard, screaming excitedly as she played with a large ball. Kendrick stood watching them all from the kitchen window when Zak moved to his side.
“You were right,” the man said, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I usually am,” Kendrick replied.
“There’s a car outside that Alabama motel with four very unsavory-looking guys inside. They seem to be waiting for instructions.”
Kendrick nodded. “I’ve bought us a few hours of time but not many.”
“Why’d you bring her here?”
“Because no one will connect her to me. It doesn’t make sense. Bringing her here would be the last place they’d think of, so they won’t look here. For all anyone knows she’s still at the hangar at the airport. By the time anyone realizes differently we’ll be long gone.”
“So where are you going next?” Maitlyn asked, moving into the room behind them.
Kendrick tossed her a look but didn’t bother to answer. His sister rolled her eyes.
Zak wrapped his arms around Maitlyn. “You know he can’t say, Maitlyn.”
“I can’t say because right now I don’t know,” Kendrick said, his gaze flitting from one to the other. He shrugged his broad shoulders as his brow creased in thought.
“I have an idea,” Maitlyn said. The two men eyed her curiously as she explained her plan.
Minutes later Kendrick said thoughtfully, “It’s just crazy enough that it might work.”
“I’m very good at what I do, little brother, and there haven’t been too many problems that I’ve not been able to resolve.”
Zak leaned back against the counter. “Honey, are you sure...” he started.
She leaned to kiss his cheek. “I’m positive. I think it’s one of the best ideas I’ve had in a while.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Zak wrapped her in a warm embrace as he rested his lips against her forehead. “Then let’s do it,” he said as he shot Kendrick a quick look.
Kendrick nodded. “I owe you,” he said. “I owe you both.”
Maitlyn eased out of her husband’s arms. “You can trust I’ll send you my bill,” she said as she strolled out the door.
Kendrick laughed. “You can still get out of this,” he teased. “It’s not too late. Five more minutes though and I’m sure the fine print on that prenup she made you sign will kick in.”
Zak laughed with him. “I’d be too scared,” he teased back.
“So what do you know about her?” Tarah Boudreaux asked her sister. She lifted her legs onto the mattress top, tucking them beneath her bottom.
Maitlyn shrugged her shoulders as their sister Kamaya pulled a brush through the length of her hair. “All I know is what Kendrick told me. She’s a friend and she just stopped by to say hello to him. He’s going to drop her off at the airport when he takes me and Zak to our plane.”
“Since when does my twin bring a friend home?” Kamaya questioned, her eyebrows raised. She twisted a strand of Maitlyn’s hair around a large-barreled curling iron.
“A friend with a baby,” Tarah added.
Maitlyn shook her head. “It’s not Kendrick’s baby, so does it matter?”
Tarah pursed her lips in annoyance. “Are we sure about that?”
Maitlyn blew a deep sigh. “Tarah, you know good and well Kendrick is not that baby’s father. Vanessa’s not her mother. It’s her cousin’s baby or something. I don’t know why you even want to go there.”
“I’m just saying,” Tarah intoned. “They both look a little too comfortable together if you ask me.”
“Actually I think they’re kind of cute together,” Maitlyn mused. “I like her.”
“I just find it strange that the first time he brings a friend home for us to meet it’s at your wedding. This can’t be casual,” Kamaya said before standing back to stare at Maitlyn’s head.
The three were interrupted by their mother, who peeked her head into the bedroom. “You girls need to stop gossiping about our company. Your daddy and I taught you better than that.”
“We weren’t gossiping,” Tarah replied. “We just had some questions.”
Katherine changed the subject. “Don’t do her curls too tight, Kamaya. Maitlyn doesn’t look right with tight curls.”
“I know, Mama. They’re going to fall some.”
Katherine smiled. She moved to Maitlyn’s side and leaned to kiss her daughter’s cheek. “You were a beautiful bride today. Zakaria is a very lucky man.”
Maitlyn nodded. “I think I might keep him,” she said, joy glowing across her face.
“Mama, you don’t think it’s odd that Kendrick suddenly shows up with a woman and a baby we don’t know anything about?”
“Tarah, you’re about to work my last nerve,” Katherine admonished. “Leave them two alone. If there was something Kendrick wanted us to know he would have told us.”
Tarah crossed her arms over her chest. “You sure about that? ’Cause Kendrick is always keeping secrets!”
“Yes, I am.” Katherine gave Tarah a light smack against her right thigh. “Now, mind your own business. If you spent as much time sweeping off your own porch you wouldn’t have time to be sweeping off anyone else’s.”
“Ouch!” Taryn muttered, rubbing at the offending