Giving In(73)

She blushed, uncomfortable with the sincere praise. But extremely pleased as well.

“Those were Jensen’s ideas as well. I can’t take the full credit.”

“But that’s Jensen’s job,” Dash said dryly. “I’d expect as much from him. I’m only sorry it took his prodding to wake me up to the fact that you would be an invaluable asset as a partner.”

She smiled. “It’s okay, Dash. I wouldn’t have been ready before. I didn’t have enough confidence in myself. But I will. I’m working on it. I certainly won’t turn down such an opportunity or challenge. But I don’t want anything given to me that I haven’t earned. And I want to earn your and Jensen’s approval and eventually perhaps a partnership as well.”

“You have my approval, Kylie. You always have. You have my confidence as well and certainly Jensen’s. He recognized your abilities right away, something I’m ashamed to say I didn’t.”

“He’s good like that,” she said with a soft smile, warmth flooding into her mind at the thought of Jensen and how much he believed in her when she wouldn’t believe in herself.

“I’m very happy for you,” Dash said, his voice going quieter. “I know it hasn’t been easy for you since Carson died. I miss him too. He was my best friend. He—and you—are family.”

She swallowed the knot in her throat, proud of the way she maintained her composure when her brother was mentioned. She truly was making progress. She’d come so far in just a few weeks. Thanks to Jensen.

She knew she couldn’t fully credit him with her progress. She’d done a lot on her own. She had to. No one could make her do so but herself. She had to be willing to move forward, and until recently she hadn’t been. But Jensen had definitely kick-started her way down the path. Without him she’d still be hiding from the world, going through the motions of each day and not living. Truly living.

“I do miss him,” she said, a small ache in her chest. “But just like Joss did, I have to let him go. I can’t stop living my life just because he lost his.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, honey. Carson would have wanted you to be happy first and foremost.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “And I’m trying. I’ll get there eventually.”

Jensen stuck his head in the door, a slight frown on his face as his gaze swept over Dash.

“Am I missing something? What are you doing in Kylie’s office?”

Dash rolled his eyes. “We were talking. You know, having a conversation? Something coworkers frequently do on the job.”

Jensen looked suspiciously at him and Kylie grinned, thrilled with the possessiveness that shone in Jensen’s eyes. It was absurd for him to get touchy over Dash being in her office. The man was very happily married to her best friend. But still, she didn’t mind that Jensen had obviously staked his claim.

“I was telling Kylie that Joss wants you both to come over this Friday night,” Dash said as Jensen ambled farther into her office.

Jensen leaned against Kylie’s desk, slipping his hand over hers. Instant warmth invaded her skin where his fingers rested. She really had come a long way. If Jensen had ever come into her office and breached the professional relationship before as he was doing now, she would have kicked him in the balls.

God, she was turning into a total girl. Like she couldn’t exist without some man to save her. She inwardly winced at the thought. Just because Jensen was being so supportive didn’t mean she wanted to turn into a helpless nitwit who couldn’t do things for herself or exist without him.

But she didn’t want to exist without him and therein lay the truth. Loving him, leaning on him, didn’t mean she was helpless or hopelessly dependent on him. It just meant she was better with him.

Weren’t all couples better because of their partner or spouse? If one was good, then two united against the world had to be even better. Or at least that’s the way she viewed it, but she was hardly an expert on relationships given the extremes she’d always gone to in order to avoid one.

“Chessy and Tate will be there,” Dash continued. “Joss wants to entertain y’all at the house. Good food, good wine and good friends.”

Jensen smiled in pleasure over Dash’s invitation, but what he did next endeared him to Kylie all the more. He didn’t blindly accept Dash’s invitation. Instead he turned to her, question in his eyes.

“What do you think? You up for something like that?”

She took the initiative and laced her fingers more tightly around his. She loved him for curbing his dominant tendencies around her. For not jumping in, taking charge and making her decisions for her. And that, more than anything, told her how much he genuinely cared for her. To deny an intrinsic part of himself, a part that made him who he was, for her. Wow. She still couldn’t fully comprehend the magnitude of loving someone enough to compromise to that degree.