The Chase (Fast Track #4)(50)
Author: Erin McCarthy

Evan got over letting Eve gloat. “Hey, do you think anyone would care if Kendall stopped over?” The thought of spending any time with her worked for him, even if he had to share her with his family. Hell, he wanted to show his family how great she was, how happy she made him.

Eve pursed her lips, like she was trying to prevent a laugh from spilling out. But then she just shook her head. “No, I don’t think anyone will mind at all, but you should run it by Tamara just to be courteous.”

“Good call.”

“And I want to say that while I don’t think it’s all that smart to be dating another driver, especially one who shares a sponsor, even I can’t argue with the shit-eating grin she puts on your face.”

Approval from Eve was no small feat, and Evan, despite their differences, did respect her intelligence and savvy. So he gave her a light punch on the arm and said, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Then he abandoned his coffee and went to his sister-in-law, who was loading dirty dishes into the dishwasher. “Hey, Tammy, would you mind if Kendall stopped by for a half an hour or so?”

She smiled at him. “We’d love to have her. We’re just about to cut dessert.”

Impulsively, he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you.”

“Are you kissing my wife?” Elec asked, strolling into the room with Hunter on his back. “Hey, Pete Junior, hands out of the sugar bowl.”

Their oldest child stopped, caught eating a heaping teaspoon of pure sugar straight out of the bowl.

Evan laughed and went to text Kendall in private.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“WHAT’S with him?” Elec asked his wife, watching his brother head outside onto the patio to fiddle with his phone. “It’s not like him to be that affectionate. To anyone.”

“I think your brother is contemplating marriage.” Tamara removed the sugar bowl from her son’s hands and put it in the cupboard.

“Marriage?” Elec stared at her, dumbfounded, grabbing Hunter’s legs when she started to slide down his back. “To who?”

“Kendall, of course.”

“Marriage?” he asked again. His brother never had serious relationships. Never mentioned marriage or kids. Hell, his brother didn’t even seem to be dating Kendall in any real sort of way from what he could tell. Where the hell did Tamara get marriage from that? “Why would he marry Kendall?”

“Is she pregnant?” Hunter asked over his shoulder. Elec fought a grin, knowing that would not be well received by his wife. But damn, the kid was funny.

Tamara’s mouth dropped open. “Good Lord! I swear, Elec, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong with this child. The things she says.”

“What? Suzanne’s pregnant,” Hunter pointed out. “And she and Ryder just got married.”

“That is true,” Tamara conceded. “But most people aren’t pregnant when they get married.”

“Seems like the best reason to get married to me” was Hunter’s opinion on the subject.

“Love is the best and, really, the only reason to get married,” Tamara said firmly to her daughter. Then she glanced out the window at Evan. “I suspect Evan is very much in love with Kendall. She’s coming over here in a bit.”

“Really? In love?” Huh. That might explain the brooding Evan had been doing lately. He wasn’t much of a deep thinker or a melancholy guy, but lately he’d been moody. Elec had chalked it up to losing his sponsor.

“What were they like as a couple when they were together before?”

Elec shrugged, bouncing Hunter a little in the process. “I was like sixteen at the time. I didn’t pay attention. There was a lot of moony looks at each other, kissing, hours on the phone.” As Hunter continued to wiggle, Elec bent over and set her down. “You’re getting heavy, girl.”

“Then you should work out more” was her response before she scampered off into the dining room.

Elec looked at his wife. “You’re right. The things she says sometimes are appalling.”

Tamara grinned. “Told you. Well, I definitely think there’s some unfinished business there with Evan. You can see it on his face.”

Not entirely convinced, Elec watched his brother tuck his phone in his pocket, a hint of a smile on Evan’s lips. Elec thought back to the conversation they’d just had an hour ago on the patio where Evan had gone sarcastic on him as usual when Elec tried to talk about his career.

If that was love, he wasn’t sure it looked a whole lot different on Evan than not being in love did.

“I just think he’s had a few too many beers.”

Tamara snapped his stomach with the kitchen hand towel. “You’ll see. Trust my woman’s intuition on this.”

“I’d rather touch your woman’s intuition than trust it.”

“Don’t be dirty.” But she was already smiling and sidling up to him.

Elec kissed his wife. “Mmm. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

If his brother found something half as wonderful as what he had, Evan would be one lucky guy.

KENDALL made it over to Tamara and Elec’s house in record time. She wasn’t sure what the urgency was, but she just needed to see Evan. She needed to see his smile and casual confidence. The comfortable way he reached for her.

Sitting at dinner with her family had made her realize that while they loved her and she loved them, she was the odd man out. They didn’t understand her dreams, her desire, her passion. They didn’t understand her.

Kendall was used to straddling two worlds, being forced to decide at parties like Suzanne and Ryder’s if she should align herself with the women, who were wives and mothers, or with the men, who were her coworkers. But she was tired of it. She wanted to belong somewhere, and her gut, her heart, kept telling her that place was with Evan.

Evan came out the front door and down the porch steps, smiling at her as she beeped her car locked. He was wearing khakis and a blue blazer and looking really damn sexy.

“Hey, I’m glad you texted me.” Evan leaned down and gave her a kiss that was so sweet, so perfect, it was like coming home.

Kendall suddenly realized what it was she wanted. What she had always wanted. “Evan.”

“Yeah?” He cocked his head a little. “Are you okay? You look beautiful, by the way.”

Instead of responding to any of his questions, Kendall just held his hands and looked into his eyes and blurted out what was swirling around in her head and heart. “Will you marry me?”