“It’s no big deal. We’ll do the test,” Maddie told her gently, starting down the stairs with her arm around Asha’s shoulders. “Have Kade bring you to the clinic and we’ll take care of it.”
“I know it’s stupid to ask for it—”
“No, it’s not,” Maddie scolded. “Never feel stupid for asking for something you want. You have the right to your own feelings. And don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Asha smiled at Maddie’s maternal tone, knowing immediately that her sister was going to make a great mom. Her kids would be strong, brave…and secure. “I’ll try to remember that,” she answered, her lips curving upward.
“Make sure you do,” Maddie replied, hugging Asha tightly when they got to the bottom of the stairs. “We’ll do the test, but you are my sister, so you better get used to my unsolicited sisterly advice.”
The two women smiled at each other, the bond between them growing even stronger, clicking securely in place.
“It’s about damn time,” Max grumbled as he came out of the dining room and wrapped an arm around both of his sisters. “I was about to waste away from starvation,” he continued melodramatically.
“I see you managed to stay alive,” Maddie said drily as she wrapped her arm around Max’s waist. “You could have gone ahead without us.”
“No appreciation for the way Kade and I slaved away in the kitchen,” he grumbled goodheartedly.
Asha’s heart was light as she continued to watch the sibling banter between Max and Maddie. Her arm slowly crept around Max’s waist silently, starting to feel like she was part of the family bond.
“Are you going to be unappreciative, too, Asha?” Max questioned, smiling down at Asha as all three of them walked toward the dining room.
Asha relished his teasing. It was something she’d never had or done before. “It depends on how good the dinner is,” she answered cheekily, trying out her bantering skills for the first time.
“Great. Now I’m really screwed. Two female siblings against me,” Max bemoaned, but his buoyant tone belied his words.
Asha grinned as they arrived in the dining room, the fragrant smell of grilled chicken and the sight of the table full of food making her stomach growl.
Meeting Kade’s pensive gaze, she smiled at him, trying to let him know silently that everything was okay.
He grinned back at her, his gorgeous blue eyes lighting up as he winked at her.
God, he was handsome. And she sat directly across from him at the table. She’d never had a better dinner with such a colorful and glorious view. He flirted with her outrageously, making her cheeks flush and causing the others to shoot her questioning looks. But the meal was boisterous and full of laughter, so unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
For Asha, it was her first real family dinner, and she tried to commit every detail to her memory for the future. She knew that moments like this, feeling this way, didn’t last forever, right?
Her eyes met and held with Kade’s, and he slowly nodded, as though he’d read her thoughts and was reassuring her that things could last for a lifetime. She sighed and lived for the moment, enjoyed the intimacy, and tried not to think about what the future might hold.
Because at the moment…everything was perfect.
Several nights later, Kade lay in his enormous bed, sore, sleepless, and frustrated. Unfortunately, someone had leaked the news story that the long-lost sister of Max Hamilton and Maddie Hudson had been found. He and Asha had been hounded by reporters all day and he hadn’t left the house. Instead, he had watched Asha create her designs on the wall of his home gym, his cock hard as granite, as he punished himself on the equipment. He’d tried like hell not to watch her, but he knew he’d been deluding himself, thinking he was only there to work out. Watching her had become a fascination he couldn’t stop, didn’t want to stop. Her whole body moved and swayed as she painted, every part of her involved in what she was creating. It was almost like watching her doing an exotic dance. The only thing hotter would have been if she’d taken her clothes off while she was doing it. But he had a vivid imagination, and damned if he couldn’t conjure up the images of her doing just that as he ogled her while pretending he was there to just do his daily workout, a workout that had taken all damn day. No wonder his whole body ached. Yeah, he was used to brutal workouts, but they usually didn’t last for eight damn hours.
Surprisingly, he was beginning to like the images she was creating on that wall. At first, he’d balked when she’d suggested painting a collection of his pictures from his football days in the gym. But Asha was passionate about her work, and she’d argued that he should celebrate his success as a football player and all he’d accomplished, remember all the things he’d done well when he was playing. She’d reminded him that football had been a big part of his life, and it was better to remember the pleasant things instead of dwelling on the negative. He’d relented, letting her have free rein to do whatever she wanted.