Keeping my promise to Huntley, I managed to keep my car at the speed limit but between that and the traffic, my ride home took forever. I was about to come out of my skin with worry and the need to set my eyes on my kids.
As I pulled up to the house, I noticed Lake’s car coming in behind mine. She’d called me back on my way home, utterly apologetic that she missed my call and wasn’t there to help. Even though I told her things were under control, she insisted on coming to check.
I wasn’t used to everyone wanting to help, their worries, and their kindness. But deep down even if it made me feel a bit uncomfortable still, a warm feeling heated my insides too.
We made it out of the cars at the same time but I didn’t wait to chat. I made a beeline for the front door, not stopping to collect two hundred dollars. The board game, Monopoly, popped into my head and I shook it thinking how silly my thoughts were. I’d never played it as a kid, but I had played it with my kids recently during our game night the three of us liked to have.
A weekly tradition of our own.
After crashing through the front door, I stopped dead in my tracks causing Lake to run right into the back of me.
“Oof,” she muttered. “What are you doing?”
When I didn’t respond, she peeked over my shoulder and said, “Oh, umm, wow.”
Wow wasn’t the right word for what I was seeing. To me it was amuchbigger picture.
Something along the lines of,holy shit.
Huntley, Lennon, and Breland all stood in the kitchen together making what I assumed was dinner.
And they were laughing.
Laughing, my kids were honest to God laughing with this man they hardly knew. I took in the scene and could see something had changed. He’d gained their trust and respect.
It was both astonishing and heart-melting.
Huntley’s head whipped in my direction and we just stared at one another for a beat before Lake was pushing on my back to get me moving.
“We are going to talk about this onceyourfireman leaves.”
Flipping back in her direction, she plowed into me again. “Your?” I repeated, half confused. “He’s not mine, are you crazy?”
Lake gave me an uh-huh look. “The expression on his face when he saw you says he could be if you wanted him to. You just have to say the word.”
My stomach twisted in knots. A part of me had a sudden urge of longing at her words and the other part of me felt like I might be sick. I might have felt like I could trust Huntley to help me with the kids as a friend but trusting him with my heart or body was different.
A man like Huntley deserved someone who could give him everything.
It just couldn’t be me.
That thought made me feel even more nauseated.
“Hey, hey, I’m sorry,” Lake stammered. “I didn’t mean to upset you. You deserve everything you want but don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
I felt his eyes on me. Without answering my sister, I turned back around to find the man himself standing with his hands shoved into his jean pockets watching me.
He looked good in my kitchen.
My cheeks warmed as I took in the denim that hugged his muscled thighs, along with the rest of him. The day we moved in, I’d thought I hated the way he made me think of things I never had felt before. Was that still true?
It was puzzling and I didn’t have the foggiest clue if the pieces could ever fit together.
I’d just said there was no way, but when he looked at me like he was right then, like he cared, I couldn’t be so sure I knew anything anymore.
Breland raced around him and headed toward me, breaking our eye contact. I held out my arms and she walked right into them. My girl didn’t always get touchy feely, she was so very much like me, and I knew that whatever had happened at school had rattled her.
Lake walked around us and talked with the guys as I murmured in my daughter’s ear. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get there.”
