“I can’t believe you’re here,” I mumble against his chest.
His large palm runs over my back. “Honestly, I can’t either.”
I sink into the hug for a few more moments, letting myself enjoy just being here with him.
A thought pops into my head. “Wait… do you live here now?” That’s the only thing that makes sense, since his son goes to school here.
Our arms fall away from one another as I take a few small steps backward.
He points to the sidewalk. “Want to walk? We have a lot to talk about.”
I nod, then turn to look at the boys. “Mav,” I shout. I wait for his eyes to connect with mine before continuing. “We’re going to walk the loop around the park.”
He gives me a thumbs up and goes right back to playing.
Kane and I fall into step with one another. He starts talking, and I just listen quietly. Tears well in my eyes as he talks about losing Oliver’s mom and almost losing Oliver on the same day.
I let my hand graze against his. “I’m so sorry for your loss and everything you had to go through.”
He nods, dragging in a deep breath. “It was really rough.” He lets out a sad laugh. “It still is. It always will be, especially for Oliver.”
I can’t even imagine what that’s been like for him. It’s too much to even put into words.
“That’s why we moved here, though. We needed a change, all four of us.”
“Four of you?”
“Oh, yeah. My two best friends, Linc and Wyatt. They moved here with us, and we all bought the bar together.”
I stop walking, turning to face him. He stutters to a stop, mirroring my position. “You own Benny’s Tavern now with Wyatt and Linc?”
“I do,” he says with a nod. “Have you met them?”
Memories from that night hit me all at once. I would be a bold-faced liar if I said I hadn’t thought about both of them many times this week, maybe even a few times when I was tucked into bed for the night and slid my hand between my legs.
“I was at the bar last week, and I met both of them.”
He blinks a few times, then understanding seems to settle in. “It was you,” he whispers, like he only intended the words for himself.
I don’t know what he means, but this doesn’t seem like something I want to press him on.
He grabs my hand and pulls me into an alcove in the brick building across the path from the park. His hands move to my hips, pressing me back against the hard wall.
He steps closer, leaving only a sliver of space between us. I want him to close it so badly.
I can still hear Mav yapping away, so I know the boys are okay, but they can’t see us.
“Kane,” I breathe out as he rests his forehead against mine.
“Don’t,” he whispers, silencing anything else I might have said. “Just give me a minute. Okay?”
“Okay.” My hands slide up his chest, gently gripping the fabric of his shirt.
“I’ve thought of you a lot over the years,” he says after a minute.
“I have, too… well, you. I’ve thought about you.”
His breath tickles my skin as he laughs quietly. “You’re still the same, I see.”
