“Pretty much.”
“Good. I like you the way you are.” His thumb grazes over my bottom lip. “I wish I could kiss you right now,” he breathes out, his lips just barely out of reach.
I want to tell him to do it, but I don’t.
He lets out a heavy breath, leaning back a little. “I just can’t. Oliver…” He trails off, but I don’t need him to say any more.
“I get it.” And I really, really do. I bring my hand up to the side of his face. “But know that I want that, too.”
He leans into my touch. “I won’t be able to forget it, sweetheart.”
He presses a gentle kiss on my palm. It’s not really where I would choose to have him kiss me, but I’ll take it.
We move back to the sidewalk in silence, resuming our walk around the loop. The boys are now sitting on the top of one of the play structures.
They’re sitting side by side, looking at a book. I’m sure it’s Mav’s. I have no idea where he got it from, but he always seems to have a book with him.
Some kids have a comfort blankie or stuffed animal. My kid has comfort books.
When we get back to where we started, we settle on one of the benches. I can tell Kane wants to sit closer, but at the last second, he sits a little farther away.
“We can be friends,” I say.
“Yeah, friends,” he says, nodding. I think we both know that will be challenging, but for the boys, we will make it work.
I should have known he was the one I’d been texting. I’ve never met anyone I get along with this easily—someone I can talk to about anything.
We spend the next hour catching up on the last few years of our lives. A part of my soul feels alive again after being dormant for too long. It’s just conversation, but it’s a damn good one.
Finally, we call the boys over. Clearly, neither of them wants to leave, but Kane has to get to the bar, and Mav and I need to get to my parents’ house for dinner.
We promise them we will get them together soon. They give each other fist bumps, then climb into their own cars.
I take a step toward my car, then freeze. I whip around to face Kane again, who is standing there, staring at me. “Did you know it was me?”
He shakes his head. “Not until last night.”
“That’s why you didn’t text back.”
“Yeah. I figured this would be better done in person.”
I nod, letting that sink in. “Bye, Kane.”
“Bye, s… Abby.”
CHAPTER TEN
Wyatt
I stare downat the two different kinds of pasta in my hands. Twisty ones or black-tie affair ones?
I feel someone step in beside me, but I don’t turn to look. A finger taps against the box of bowtie noodles. “I would go with these ones. They seem fancier.”
I turn, locking eyes with a smiling Abby. “And who says I need fancy noodles?”
“I assume you’re cooking dinner for a queen or at least a duchess.”
“Sad to disappoint you, but there’s no dignitary in my life… or any leading lady, for that matter.”
