Chapter Nine

Thanksgiving Day with the Chase family was quite an experience. There were the normal players, Matt, Marc, Shane, Kyle, Polly and Edward. But they were also joined by Polly’s sister, Georgette and her husband Paul. Kyle’s maternal grandparents Ellen and Andrew were also there. Maggie was overwhelmed as she came through the door holding three pies, a platter of lemon tartlets and a container of brownies.

“Good lord, honey! You must have been baking all day yesterday!” Matt kissed her cheek as he took some of the goodies from her arms. She followed him into the dining room and put the food down.

“No big deal, I had yesterday off.”

He hugged her and grabbed her arm. “You ready? Come on through, the family’s in the living room and they’re all dying to meet you.”

Taking a fortifying breath she nodded and let him lead her through the door. Immediately, she was greeted by the din of a family at holiday. There was a football game on and plenty of arguing about politics and sports. The noise stopped totally as they noticed she’d walked in.

Kyle jumped up and came over and kissed her cheeks and put his arm around her and introduced her to his grandparents who took to her right away.

“Is that Maggie?” Polly called from the kitchen.

“Yeah, Momma!” Shane called back.

Maggie stood up. “Oh for goodness sake, Shane, don’t bellow at your mother.” She looked down at their grandparents. “I’ll just go in and say hello to Polly. I’ll be back in a few minutes, I’m enjoying getting to know you.”

Kyle walked with her down the hall to the kitchen. Polly was inside with her sister Georgette and lit up when she saw her. “Hi, honey! I’m glad you’re here. This is my sister, Georgette.”

A tall woman in purple stretch pants and a gold metallic sweater stepped from around the refrigerator and enfolded her into a bear hug. Maggie tried not to panic as her face got trapped between two enormous breasts.

“My goodness but you’re a bitty thing! Just adorable. I’m glad to meet a woman who can take another Chase man off the bachelor market. You should have seen Edward when he first met Polly. He was the stuff around these parts, he and his brother. All the women of Petal wanted Edward Chase and he had his share of most of them. Until Polly let her hair grow and she suddenly got breasts.”

Kyle looked as if he wanted the earth to swallow him whole but his aunt kept on with the story and Maggie struggled not to laugh.

“Oh my goodness, when we walked into the grange for a dance, lordy he fell apart. Tripped over his feet to get to her. From that night there was no other woman in Petal that could get his eye again.”

Maggie smiled, thinking about what a looker Polly must have been at twenty years old. Polly smiled back at her. “Oh, honey, they may take forever to fall, but when they do, it’s hard and it’s forever.”

Kyle rolled his eyes discreetly and Maggie pinched him. “Okay, Momma, I’m in the room.”

Polly reached up and patted his cheek. “I know, darlin’. Honey, your uncle and your daddy are out back, chipping balls. Get them in here please. It’s time to eat.”

Kyle nodded and went out the door looking relieved to escape.

“He’s so cute when you’re around.” Polly’s smile was bright.

“He’s always cute, Polly. You and Edward sure do make gorgeous boys.”

“Yes, we did, didn’t we? Now, let’s get this food out there!”

Maggie sat in between Marc and Kyle and the constant carping between the two of them made her laugh. Marc was a shameless, but totally harmless, flirt and he did it partly just to needle Kyle. Finally, Polly leaned over and rapped Marc across the knuckles with her fork and told him to stop harassing his brother and Maggie laughed even harder.

The family was so wonderful and welcoming, she felt like she’d never truly even had a holiday dinner before. She helped clear up the dishes but then the men took over, sending the women out to sit and drink coffee and brandy.

“Ah…this is the life,” Polly said, kicking off her spike heeled shoes and wriggling her toes. “Too bad they don’t do this more often. Maggie, darlin’, you must raise my grandsons to do the dishes. I came from a different generation, it wasn’t done very often. I admit I spoiled them a bit.”

“Just a bit,” Maggie said dryly. “It is mighty difficult to not want to take care of Kyle. Luckily, he can cook and his condo is quite clean. As for grandchildren, well, let’s just take this one step at a time.”

Georgette laughed. “You’re the sacrificial lamb, sugar. The first real woman who’s caught a Chase boy this generation. Just think about how much easier it will be for the next three after she’s broken you in.”

Polly threw her sister a dirty look. “Don’t you go scaring this little peach away! She’s the best thing that ever happened to Kyle. Have you ever seen him so, I don’t know, happy? Calm, satisfied looking? No, this little girl, she’s so wonderful that Kyle’s brothers can now see just how worthwhile love truly is. Not a sacrificial anything, an angel.”

Maggie snorted. She wouldn’t think Maggie was so angelic if she knew why her son looked so satisfied lately.

The doorbell rang and Polly started to put her shoes back on and groaned. Maggie put a staying hand on her knee and stood up. “I’ll get it, just put those feet up.”

She walked into the foyer and opened the door, only to come face to face with none other than Lyndsay Cole and her bimbo partner in crime, Stefanie Peterson. Maggie stared at them. “Yes?”

“We brought some pie by.”

“That so?”

“We did it to be neighborly of course. We’re very close to the Chase family, you know,” Stefanie snapped.

“Oh really? Funny, no one’s ever mentioned you.”

“Lyndsay is close to the Chase family, or at least one of them in particular.”

Maggie snorted and nearly jumped out of her skin when Polly came into the hallway, in her bare stocking feet. She turned and gestured to Lyndsay and Stefanie. “Apparently, they wanted to be neighborly and bring over a pie.”

“Why would we want their pie when yours were so good?” Polly said with a smile that slid into a glare when she turned her gaze at Stefanie and Lyndsay. “Cut the crap, girls. What are you really doing here?”

“Hello, Mrs. Chase. How are you today? Momma just had an extra pie and wanted me to bring it over,” Lyndsay cooed. Maggie had to admire the girl’s steel for not quailing in the face of Polly’s scorn.

Polly took the pie, looked at it and handed it back. She just stared at Lyndsay for some moments before speaking. “You say your momma made that pie?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“She working over at Kroger’s bakery these days?” Polly jerked her head, indicating the Kroger’s stamp on the bottom of the pie tin.

Lyndsay’s face colored and then she brightened. Kyle walked into the hall and approached, putting an arm around his mother and Maggie. “What’s going on here?”

“Apparently, Kyle, Lyndsay’s momma is working at Kroger’s bakery now and wanted her to bring over a pie. Also, Stefanie thought she’d come by as well, to be neighborly and all,” Maggie said sounding quite dangerous.

Polly, hearing a tone similar to her own in Maggie smiled in her own dangerous way. “Apparently, honey, she forgot to wear a bra, too.”

Maggie burst out laughing and Kyle smiled down at his mother and then looked at Lyndsay—from the neck up, he wasn’t a fool. “You two need to go on home. My family is having a nice day and I don’t want you to ruin it.”

“She’s not your family,” Lyndsay said.

“Of course she is. You see, family is about more than genetics. It’s about love,” Polly said, taking Maggie’s hand.

“And I love Maggie very much, as does the rest of my family,” Kyle added.

“Yeah, well she’s a home wrecker! You’ll see! She doesn’t deserve you!” Lyndsay spat out venomously.

“Go home, Lyndsay. You’re embarrassing yourself. Kyle. Isn’t. Interested.” Maggie sounded bored but still looked dangerous.

“How do you know that? If he’s not interested, where was he last night?” Lyndsay tossed that out with a smirk.

Maggie met that with a smug smirk of her own and leaned in close to the other woman. “With me. All night. Where he is every night. Believe me when I tell you he’d have been too tired to go anywhere else.”

Kyle chuckled. “Very true, sugar.”

“You broke up your own parents’ marriage!” She looked around Maggie to Polly, who’d moved back a bit to lean against the doorjamb. “On top of that, do you know, Mrs. Chase, that she went out with Shane and dumped him to go out with Kyle? Kyle and I were in a relationship before she came along and wrecked it.”

Kyle burst out laughing. “A what? I shared an ice cream cone with you. I kissed you a few times. That’s not a relationship. As for the Wrights’ marriage, the blame for that mess of a family lies at the feet of Cecelia and Tom. Lastly, I’d be pretty flattered if Maggie here dumped Shane for me but that’s not what happened, not that it’s any of your business. Now, Maggie is right, you’re embarrassing yourself, go home and leave us alone.”

Maggie waggled her fingers at them and Kyle slammed the door in their faces.

“You’re perfect for this family, Maggie.” Polly chuckled and walked into the living room.

“I’m really sorry about Lyndsay, sugar. Honestly, I never even took the girl out. I don’t know what her deal is.”

Maggie pulled him to her by the waist of his chinos. “Her deal is that you’re the sexiest, most handsome man around and she lost her chance and can’t deal. Too bad, ‘cause I’m not letting you get away.”

“Good.” He kissed her quickly before anyone could come out.

 

 

By the time Christmas approached, Maggie had pretty much moved into Kyle’s condo. Her house meant a lot to her but also held a lot of ugly childhood memories. The less time there, the easier it was to deal with the fact that her mother had pretty much never wanted her. She’d bought the place, thinking if she’d made it hers, she could finally put the memories in perspective. But she realized now she had to jettison that house and move forward, making new memories and accepting her childhood for what it was.

Thankfully, she slowly built a relationship with her father. They had dinner every once in a while and spoke on the phone often.

She’d become a regular in the Chase household. They treated her like one of their own and she truly felt like it. Winter had brought a bit of a lull in Kyle’s business and Maggie was off school for winter break so they had a lot time to spend together.

Kyle woke up one morning about two weeks before Christmas in a hyper mood. “Let’s go and get a tree today,” he begged. Maggie had decorated the condo but they’d held back on a tree until they both had the time off.

She stretched and pulled him back down to her. “Convince me.”

“Gladly,” he murmured and with a grin, disappeared beneath the covers.

“Oh, yes, that’s the way to convince a girl of just about anything.”

He chuckled as his mouth descended and sent shivers over her flesh.

 

 

They went to the Christmas tree farm and chose a nice noble fir for the living room. She made mulled cider while he put the tree up and got it watered. Afterward, they decorated it with ornaments of their own and a few they’d bought together.

When they finished, they sat on the couch together and watched the lights on the tree, drinking the cider. “This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” Maggie said with a satisfied sigh.

“Me too, Red.” He loved the way they were building a life together. Loved to watch her in his kitchen—their kitchen. Loved to see her shampoo in the bathroom. Loved the way that her side of the bed smelled of oranges. He’d always thought having a relationship would be another person taking up his life, taking away space from him. Instead she added to his life, made it bigger, brighter.

“I need to finish my shopping. I’m not quite done. I’m going to meet Dee at three and we’re actually going to brave the mall in Crawford. I’ll meet you at your parents’ for dinner tonight.”

He nodded and kissed her as she got up to leave. “I told Daddy that I’d help with the tree in the side yard. Not that he’s old or anything but I don’t want him up in a ladder with a saw. Shall I take the presents in the hall closet over with me?”

They were going to have Christmas at the Chase household. They’d spend Christmas Eve there with the rest of the family and then open presents the next day. Her father was even going to come over for the gift exchange. He and Edward had become fast friends since Tom was using Edward’s firm to represent him in the divorce with Cecelia.

She hugged him and bit his ear gently. “Thanks, hon, I’d appreciate that.”

 

 

Kyle and Matt worked in the yard, dealing with the tree together and laughing. Kyle felt so relaxed. More than he’d ever felt. He’d always had a good relationship with his family but having Maggie in his life made him feel settled in a way he’d never imagined.

“You pick up the ring yet?” Matt asked as they put away the tools in the shed out back.

Kyle had decided to ask Maggie to marry him on Christmas Day. He’d have the ring wrapped up and waiting for her under the tree. “Yep. It’s in Mom’s jewelry box. She’s going to wrap it and put it in a larger box. I wrote out the card for the inside already.”

“I can’t believe you’re going to ask someone to marry you. Not that Maggie isn’t great—she really is and the two of you give me hope that someday I’ll meet someone who I fall that hard for. But still, this is big, Kyle. Forever and ever big.”

“She’s my whole life, Matt,” Kyle answered simply.

From his spot across the road and behind a hedge, Alex ground his teeth. Of course the bastard was laughing, he’d stolen Maggie right from under Alex’s nose. This should have been his Christmas with Maggie. It was their tree that should have been decorated and presents piled beneath.

Instead, all he had was an empty house and his memories of their time together. But that was about to change.

 

 

Dee and Maggie had a great time shopping despite the horrible crowds at the mall just two weeks before Christmas. Maggie bought a beautiful watch for Kyle and the engraving was finished so she picked that up first. Dee bought some sexy silk boxers for Arthur and Maggie got the last item on her list for Kyle, the new golf club he’d been drooling over. She had everything wrapped and drove over to the Chase’s for dinner.

“Hello all!” she called out as she let herself in with the packages she’d purchased that day. She put them under the gigantic tree in the formal living room and saw that the mound of presents had mutated and wondered what it would look like by Christmas day when everyone in the family had added theirs. She smiled when she saw that Polly had knitted her a stocking and it was hanging next to Kyle’s over the fireplace. A rush of warmth stole over her, she felt like she truly belonged. She had a place for the first time in her life.

“Hi, baby,” Kyle said as he came into the room.

“Mmmm. What did I do to deserve that?” she asked dreamily after he’d kissed her thoroughly.

“You simply exist, Red. There’s plenty more where that came from after we get home.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Did you buy me lots and lots of presents?” He grinned, looking around her at the boxes she’d just put under the tree.

“You’re bad, Kyle Chase. Spoiled rotten bad.” She laughed. “By the way, speaking of always getting what you want—I must have bumped into a dozen women who all pretended to care about me in order to ask about you. Checking on your availability.” She snorted.

“I’m taken. Too bad for them. They’ll have to deal with it.”

She sure did. Kyle knew it’d been a hard thing to deal with how women looked at him every time they were out but she’d done it. He showed her every day how much he loved her and wanted her and her only. She was finally in a place where she felt secure. That made him proud. And glad she knew she could always trust his commitment to her.

“Maggie, honey? Did I hear you come in?” Polly called out as she came around the corner.

“Hey, Mom, what’s happening?” Maggie asked, getting up to hug her.

Polly shot her son a huge grin. Kyle knew it tickled her to no end that Maggie had started calling her mom. She was also over the moon about Kyle’s plans to ask Maggie to marry him. Edward had asked Polly to marry him on Christmas Day. In fact, several Chase and Landry marriages started with a Christmas Day proposal.

Polly told them of the complicated chess game of organization of who slept where on Christmas Eve and Maggie volunteered her air mattress and trundle bed to help. She also offered to sleep in separate rooms from Kyle but he vetoed it and Polly refused, saying she was just fine with them in together. Polly wanted them both there together to celebrate her first Christmas with them.

It would be a stretch, but everyone would fit somehow and it would be lovely to share the morning together.

 

 

On Christmas Eve morning, Maggie woke up and stretched. Taking her time, she looked at the long naked lines of Kyle’s body with a lazy smile. He was all hers. She got up quietly to run down and turn on the coffee maker before coming back up to shower.

“Hey, I think you missed a spot,” Kyle said, stepping into the shower stall behind her. He took the sponge from her and soaped her back and down over the curves of her ass. He licked the cinnamon freckles of her shoulders and up her neck to her ear. He brought the sponge around and abraded her nipples with it, while tonguing her ear. Her eyes closed and she leaned back into him.

In her life she’d never felt so cherished and loved. His hands on her, his words in her ear wrapped around her heart. To belong to someone like Kyle had just never entered her imagination. Being loved like that was the finest gift life had ever granted her.

Rinsing herself off, she moved him around into the spray so she could do a bit of pampering herself. Stepping on the edge of the tub so she could reach him well, she washed his hair, gently massaging his scalp as she did. He held an arm wrapped around her waist to keep her steady. Afterwards she scrubbed his back and legs and everything in between. And the in between seemed quite pleased with the attention.

Her soap slicked hands wrapped around his cock. Gaze locked with his, she watched his lips part and his pupils dilate as he thrust, unashamedly into her grip. His free and easy acceptance of his sexuality turned her on immensely. He never hesitated to voice what he wanted or take what he needed.

Hot water rushed over them both, over her hands and arms and his cock until suddenly he picked her up and plunged inside of her. She cried out at the slice of sensation as he filled her up. He placed a foot on the edge of the tub to support her ass. Needing more of him, Maggie wrapped her thighs around his waist, opening herself up for him.

He slid in and out of her and she lost words for long moments. Her body arched, hands clutched his shoulders.

“I. Love. You.” He spoke each word succinctly with his thrusts.

“Ohmigod. Iloveyoutoo,” she rushed out in a gust of breath.

She looked into the sea green depths of his eyes and he felt like he was falling into her whiskey colored ones. She opened herself to him, made herself vulnerable. It was raw then, tender and ferocious and what she was to him clutched his insides. He snaked a hand between them to find her clit, pressing a thumb over it in the way he knew she liked so much.

“Oh yes,” she moaned out, her hips arching, moving on him. While he watched her face, he saw her eyes glass over. Her pussy rippled then, clutched him in that slick-hot embrace and climax hit, quicksilver from the base of his spine. He thrust and thrust and thrust as he poured into her, his forehead resting against her collarbone.

He stood there, muscles twitching, breathing hard and not noticing the passage of time until he felt the water run cold. Reluctantly, he pulled out and put her down.

“Oh God.” He realized why she’d felt so good, so hot and tight.

“What?” she asked, turning off the water and grabbing a towel and drying his skin.

“I didn’t put a condom on. I forgot. I brought one in here. It’s on the counter. It’s just when you ran your slick, soapy hands over me, I just lost it. I’m so sorry.” He searched her face expecting her to be upset.

She sighed and smiled at him, slapping his ass. “It’s all right. I wanted to make it a Christmas present but I went on the pill three weeks ago. It takes two weeks to work so I didn’t want to say anything until the time was up. We both got tested for STDs, it’s okay.”

He exhaled in relief. “Oh God, you feel so good without a condom. I’m so glad we won’t have to use them anymore. I wasn’t sure how I could bear to go back to being covered while inside of you once I’d been there bare.”

She kissed his chest and quickly dried herself off. “You do say the most unique but wonderful stuff, baby.”

Laughing, he took the lotion bottle from her hands and applied it to her skin himself. “I won’t be able to share a shower with you until we come back home so let me do this to tide myself over.”

“It’s just one night, Kyle. Sheesh.”

He backed her into their bedroom. “But not being able to hear you scream out my name is going to be hard to live without. Even for just one night.” His eyebrow went up and a frisson of lust twisted through her.

They ended up back in their bed for another forty-five minutes before stumbling up to get dressed.

The crowd at Polly and Edward’s was insane. Kyle took their bag upstairs to their room while she headed into the family room where people covered every possible surface. They were all going to a Christmas Eve service at church and then coming back for dinner.

Nan and Pop were gushing over their new great grandbaby and looking at Maggie and Kyle with sly smiles of expectation. Nan and Pop were Edward’s parents. Pop was something of a local legend. A war hero in the Pacific who lost an eye, there were no less than three buildings and a street named after him. They took to Maggie right away. Pop was a terrible flirt and Nan just grinned at her and made unsubtle hints about great grandchildren until Kyle just burst out laughing.

After the service, they laid out a huge buffet dinner of cold cuts and salads and then got down to the very serious business of game playing.

They cleared the dining room and set up some card tables in the family room. Two fast and furious games of canasta started. Kyle and Maggie were partners and their unspoken communication enabled them to kick butt. She saw that the Chase boys were as competitive at cards as they were in billiards.

In the end, after Kyle and Maggie won every round, Shane and Matt made a rule that they weren’t ever to be on the same team at cards again.

 

 

Christmas morning was total chaos. Despite the fact that everyone there was in their mid-twenties or older, the rush to the tree was reminiscent of a bunch of seven year olds. Maggie’s dad came over and settled in on the couch while Pop played Santa and handed out presents. The process took well over three hours as they waited while each person opened their present until the next one got distributed.

“This one is for Maggie, from Kyle.” He bought a large box and sat it before her.

She ripped it open only to find another, slightly smaller box inside. Unwrapping that one, she saw yet another smaller box inside that one. She did it five more times until a small box remained. She looked down at it and saw the card tied to it. “Open Me First.” She read it to herself.

Maggie, my heart never truly beat until the first time I touched your lips with my own. You are my everything. The air I breathe, the blood in my veins. You are my heart and my soul and I love you.

With tears welling up in her eyes she unwrapped the final package and saw the black velvet ring box. Stilling for a moment, she cracked it open with trembling hands, exposing a pear cut solitaire diamond that was at least a carat. Her eyes widened and the room remained totally silent.

Kyle, who was already sitting at her feet came up on one knee and took her ring from the box and then her left hand. “Margaret Elizabeth Wright, my sweet Red, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Her hands shook as she looked into his face and saw everything she’d ever wanted and dreamed of, sitting right there.

She nodded, tears running down her face. “Yes. Oh definitely,” she said and he slid the ring on her left ring finger and a whoop of joy sprang up from several people around the room. Kyle hugged her to him tight and she saw he was crying, too.

“I love you so much, Kyle,” she said into his ear.

“Ditto, sugar,” he answered with a grin.

“Hot damn!” Matt exclaimed, a goofy smile on his face. “I’ve got the loveliest sister-in-law to be in the entire state of Georgia.”

“Polly and I couldn’t ask for a better daughter-in-law. You make our boy the happiest we’ve ever seen him. Thank you, sugar.” Edward kissed her cheek and Polly, who stood at his side, weepy, nodded mutely.

She was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. Kyle loved the watch as well as his new golf club and the clothes and music she’d gotten him. She couldn’t stop looking at how her ring sparkled on her hand as she sat outside on the porch after dinner watching the guys play a very rough game of football in the yard.

Shane came and sat beside her on the glider swing. The game had gentled a bit as they all had a few aches and pains. Many of the others had gone for an after dinner walk.

Shane reached out and squeezed her hand. “Hey, Maggie, congratulations. I hope you and Kyle will be very happy together. He’s a very lucky man to have a woman like you. I’m jealous.”

“I think she’s out there. The one for you. Waiting for you. When you find her, I hope you can open your heart enough to let her in.”

“You think?”

“I really do.”

He smiled and kissed her cheek and then yelped when the football Kyle had been throwing hit him in the head. “HEY!” He came up off the glider and headed down the steps.

“Hey yourself, loverboy. Keep your lips off my woman,” Kyle taunted and then got tackled.

“Excuse me! What am I? A chew toy or something? Shane get up off of him. Kyle…oh never mind!” she snapped and turned and stomped back into the house.

“You’re in trouble,” Marc taunted and got tackled in turn.

She was shoving her clothes into the overnight bag when he came upstairs. “Hey, are you really mad at me?”

“Last night you made that crack to Shane when we were playing cards. And I know you and your brothers joke a lot but the whole history between Shane and me is uncomfortable enough. When you make comments like, ‘you had your chance’ or you tell him to keep his lips off me—when, by the way, he was congratulating me on our engagement—it just makes me feel like a thing instead of a person. You guys are competitive enough. I don’t want to feel like I’m something to be fought over. And I don’t want you disregarding what I have to say because you feel like you need to get even. It’s not fair and it’s not respectful.”

He was quiet for a few moments, thinking over what she’d said. “I’m sorry, Red, I hadn’t thought of it that way. I don’t mean it like that. Although I do suppose I like to rub his nose in the fact that I could see you for the fabulous woman you are when he acted like a dick. I’ll try hard not to do it any more.”

She looked at him and let go of the smile she’s been holding back. It was nearly impossible to stay mad at him. “Fine. See that you don’t. Now, I was thinking that I’d go and swing by my house. I haven’t been there in a week or so and I want to make sure everything is all right. We’ve had such cold temperatures that I want to be sure the pipes are okay.”

“Maggie, you and I need to have a discussion about the house and our living situation. I’d like to set a date for the wedding, too.”

“Okay. But not here.” She held up her hands to quiet him. “No, it’s not negotiable. I love your family but this is something I want to talk with you about alone. Why don’t we talk about it tonight at your place.”

“Our place. Move in with me, Maggie. You’re practically living with me now. Sell your house and we can buy a place together. It’s silly to have that great big house just sitting there empty and my place is going to be too small for us in the long run. We could live in your house but you seem to be a lot happier when you don’t live there.”

“It’s true. I suppose that house has a lot of bad memories lurking around inside of it. Let’s talk about this later all right? Honestly, you know someone is bound to come in here within the next three minutes and I don’t want this to be a discussion by committee.”

“Okay, sugar. Take my car over to your place and come back by to get me when you’re done. I’ve got a game to finish with my brothers. Unless you want me to come to your place with you?”

“No, it’s no big deal. I’m three minutes away, for goodness sake. I need to grab some more clothes and check the pipes. I’ll be there and back in less than an hour.”

“Okay, Red.” He kissed her and they walked out to the car.