Needing You Close - Kennedy Fox Page 0,106
were up to Katie.
“Babe, just let him,” I try to calm her. “What’s the worst that can happen? She slams the door in his face?”
“Exactly!” Gemma shouts. “And never talks to me again.”
“Maybe she won’t,” Noah counters. “I just want to see her. Please. It’s been so long,” Noah pleads, and Gemma instantly melts.
“Alright, fine. But if she pushes you off the patio or slaps you, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
Knowing Katie, she’ll probably do one of those, but I won’t deny Noah the chance to at least try.
Less than an hour later, I’m turning into Katie’s driveway, then park. “Well, this is it.”
Noah crouches down and looks out the front window. “This is where she lives?”
“It needs a little TLC.” I chuckle. “She’s planning to fix it up.”
“She hasn’t moved in yet, but she comes here every evening and weekend to work on it.”
Noah inhales a sharp breath. “Okay, wish me luck. Here goes nothin’.” He pulls the door handle, then steps out.
“You gotta give him credit,” Belinda says. “He wants to mend their relationship.”
“It’s gonna take a lot more than just showing up ten years later with an apology,” Gemma mutters.
We watch intently as he climbs the steps and nervously knocks on the cracked wood.
“Fifty bucks she slams the door in his face before he gets a word out,” I say with amusement. Katie isn’t gonna take his shit, and if I’ve learned anything about her since I’ve been here, she’s fiercely independent and literally depends on no one.
“I’ll take that bet,” Jerry chimes in. “Fifty bucks she tells him off.”
“Fifty bucks she slaps him,” Belinda adds.
“You guys!” Gemma scolds. “Fine. Fifty bucks she lets him inside!”
We wait in anticipation until she finally opens the door.
As soon as Katie sees Noah, she immediately steps back and slams the door in his face.
“Told ya.” I smirk, holding out my hand.
Noah’s head drops, and I feel bad for the guy. He looks so defeated.
“Dammit, Katie,” Gemma mutters. “I was hoping she’d change her mind when she actually saw him.”
“She’s too stubborn,” I remind her. “Y’all are.”
“That’s true,” Gemma agrees. “But still.”
Noah hangs his head as he walks back and slides inside. “Yeah, she hates me.”
I turn and face him. “Give her time.”
He scrunches his nose. “More time? How much more time should I give her?”
“Give her space,” Gemma clarifies as we leave. “She’ll come around.”
“Or here’s an idea…” I arch a brow as I pull onto the street. “She needs help on the new house, and Noah just so happens to be pretty good at fixing shit.”
“Katie will never hire me,” he retorts.
“She works during the day. She can’t say no if she doesn’t know…”
“Noooo….” Gemma shakes her head. “She’ll kill you for sure.”
“Actually, that’s not a horrible idea,” Jerry blurts out.
“She might think it’s romantic,” Belinda adds.
“Absolutely not. She wants to do it all herself.” Gemma shakes her head, crossing her arms.
“Well, if she won’t give me a chance to talk, then I’ll show her how sorry I am instead,” Noah decides. “Start fixin’ things little by little until she notices. She won’t be able to slam the door when I’m already inside the house.”
“This is seriously a bad idea. How are you guys agreeing with this?” Gemma glances over her shoulder, furrowing her brows.
“I’ve pushed her away long enough, Gem. Let me do this,” Noah begs. “I have to win her friendship back.”
Gemma’s shoulders slump as she blows out a breath. “Alright, but on one condition…” she pauses. “She must never know I knew about this plan. Got it?”
Noah smiles victoriously. “Deal.”
I can’t help but grin because it’s about to get a lot more interesting in Lawton Ridge.
Thank you for reading Needing You Close! We hope you enjoyed the Tyler & Gemma duet and their journey back to each other, and if you did, please considering recommending it to your friends and family here! We also super appreciate reviews.
There will be plenty of more drama coming to Lawton Ridge in the Noah & Katie duet. Make sure to grab their story next and see more of the whole Ex-Con crew, starting with Pushing You Away.
If you’re interested in Liam and Maddie’s story that takes place before Keeping You Away, you can start their duet here.
Tyler & Gemma duet
A best friend’s brother,
second chance romance
Keeping You Away
Needing You Close
Noah & Katie duet
A best friend’s brother,
single parent romance
Pushing You Away
Holding You Close
Archer & Everleigh duet
A brother’s best friend,
small-town romance
Forcing You Away
Wanting You Close
Each duet in the Ex-Con Duet Series can standalone, but suggested to read in order for the best reading experience.
Next in the Ex-Con Duet Series is Pushing You Away—book 1 in the Noah & Katie duet
ONE-CLICK HERE
I’ve been in love with Katie Walker for as long as I can remember. She was my childhood best friend, and I was addicted to her contagious laugh, fearless attitude, and messy blonde hair that smelled like wild strawberries. We experienced many firsts together, but I hid my true feelings for years—scared I’d lose her forever if things didn’t work out.
After my cousin Gabe moved to our small, southern town, we lost our alone time and became a party of three. Before I could confess how I felt, he swept Katie off her feet and asked her out. Their high school romance led to marriage, and after I learned they were expecting their first child, I drank myself stupid for a week straight.
I pretended to be happy for them, but was dying inside. Gabe was all wrong for her, though I only had myself to blame. So when I caught him cheating on the only woman I’ve ever loved, I snapped and a deadly fight erupted. Before I could comprehend what happened, I was charged with his murder.
Ten years later, I’m released from prison and head straight to Katie’s house.
I want to beg for a second chance to be in her life. But after I’ve ignored her letters, denied her requests to visit me behind bars, and pushed her away—she slams the door in my face.
I’ve only ever wanted to protect her, even if she wasn’t mine.
The pain of missing her is nothing compared to losing her for good.
But this time, I’m not holding back.
ONE-CLICK HERE
* * *
Here are some songs from our Needing You Close playlist, but if you’d like to listen to the whole thing on Spotify, you can find it here!
One | Lewis Capaldi
Superficial Love | Ruth B.
Life of the Party | Shawn Mendes
Dancing On My Own | Calum Scott
Propose | Justin Bieber
Little Do You Know | Alex & Sierra
This Town | Niall Horan
What Have I Done | Dermot Kennedy
Brooke Cumberland and Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today pseudonym, Kennedy Fox. They share a love of Hallmark movies & overpriced coffee. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like to brainstorm new book ideas. One day, they decided to collaborate under a pseudonym and have some fun creating new characters that’ll make you blush and your heart melt. If you enjoy romance stories with sexy, tattooed alpha males and smart, quirky, independent women, then a Kennedy Fox book is for you!
Find us on our website:
kennedyfoxbooks.com
Subscribe to our newsletter here
Subscribe to our blog here
Join our reader group here
CHECKMATE DUET SERIES
BISHOP BROTHERS SERIES
BEDTIME READS SERIES
ROOMMATE DUET SERIES
CIRCLE B RANCH SERIES
EX-CON DUET SERIES
LOVE IN ISOLATION SERIES
Click here for the full Kennedy Fox reading order
We LOVE giving away free books!
* * *
Sign up HERE to get all of our current freebies or go to kennedyfoxbooks.com/freeromance
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER TO STAY UPDATED ON ALL THINGS KENNEDY FOX! SALES, PREORDERS, NEW RELEASES, GIVEAWAYS, & MORE!
Subscribe here or go to kennedyfoxbooks.com/newsletter