“Yes, we need to go see Liam’s mom, too,” Blakely says while scooting out of her chair.
We all start standing up, clearing off the tables, and picking up. Once everything is orderly, we all say our goodbyes.
Blakely comes toward me, places her hand on my arm, and pulls me aside. "Kai, this is too much,” she whispers, touching the necklace that’s around her neck.
“What do you mean?” I ask, playing dumb.
She squints her eyes at me, her head tilting slightly. “This necklace is a lot of money.”
“So?” I say, casually shrugging my shoulders as if this were something I bought at our local Wal-Mart.
She looks at me like she’s baffled at the fact that I can now afford stuff like this.
“Can you afford it?” she whispers.
“What are you talking about?” I narrow my eyes. “Amari bought it.”
She softly shoves my shoulder. “I’m being serious.”
I move a step closer, tilting my head slightly toward her. “Don’t you think it’s a little rude to ask someone if they can afford a gift they bought you?”
Her eyes go wide, as if she truly insulted me. “I don’t mean it that way. It’s just…I know you’ve been building this business of yours, so I…”
She’s pauses, clearly at a loss for words.
“Trust me, it’s fine. I’m doing good. The business is doing good. That’s why I’m able to afford something like this,” I say, softly touching her chest where the necklace lays. No one knows this, but my business has been picking up for the last couple of years. It’s been doing great, and it’s allowed me to make some purchases that no one knows about. The two most important people to me will find out soon. I just have to wait a little longer.
“Are you ready?” Liam asks, wrapping his arm around Blakely’s waist.
I drop my hand from her chest in annoyance.
“Yes.” She looks at Liam and then back to me. “I was thanking Kai for the gift.”
Liam looks from me to the necklace. “It’s a nice gift.”
“It was all Amari,” I say. “She picked it out herself.”
“She did?” B questions.
“Yes. Obviously, she didn’t know the price, but once I saw it, I couldn’t say no,” I admit with a tight smile.
“Our daughter has good taste.”
“That she does.” I was going to sayshe gets it from her mom, but I stopped myself, not wanting Liam to think I meant B has good taste because she’s dating him.
“We gotta get going. It was nice seeing you, Kai,” Liam says.
“Always a pleasure.” I shake his hand and then lean in and give B a hug. “Happy Mother’s Day.” They head toward their car, hands intertwined.
I linger for a moment, my gaze fixed on the way he holds her hand, and an ache settles in my chest. Shaking it off, I turn and head toward my own car, where Kevin is already waiting, his arms crossed and a knowing look on his face.
I’m trying to ignore his glare as I start the engine. “What are you doing?” he asks.
I keep my eyes on the road and a light grip on the wheel. “Driving. What does it look like?”
“No. With Blakely,” he says, shifting in his seat and narrowing his eyes at me.
I glance over at him. “What do you mean?”
