Page 68 of Shattered

Neilix opens the door wearing cargo shorts and another form-fitting T-shirt. He never puts much effort into looking good, yet he manages to pull it off each time.

“Hey.” A full smile, including the dimple on his left cheek, appears, and I melt a little inside.

“Hi.”

A second later, I hear little footsteps running toward the door, and Adi’s head pokes out beside Neilix’s leg.

“Senna!” he exclaims, his whole face lighting up when he sees me, and my heart just about triples. I just saw Adi yesterday, but seeing him so excited to see me brings me so much joy.

“Hey, little man.”

Adi pushes past Neilix to get to me, and I crouch down to catch him, hugging him close.

“He calls you Senna?” I look up at Neilix, noting a curious expression on his face.

“Yeah, he’s never quite been able to pull off saying Sienna, so it’s always been that.”

Another expression crosses his face, but when I raise my eyebrow in question, he just shakes his head and continues watching our interaction with a soft look in his eyes.

Done with the hug, Adi pulls away but grabs my hand to take me inside. Neilix steps out of the way, but as we pass him, he reaches out and loosely takes hold of my free hand, sending tingles through my body from the contact. Once I’m out of reach, he lets me go.

Adi leads me into his bedroom and spends the next twenty minutes showing me his toys and some other things in his room, like the Cars lamp. I catch Neilix watching from the doorway a few times, but otherwise, I think he uses the free moment to finish getting things ready for our picnic.

Adi has just pulled out another car to join the rest on his road mat when Neilix steps in. “Come on. It’s time to go.”

Adi’s brows immediately bunch together, and the resemblance to his father almost makes me laugh. “No. Senna.” He points his little finger at me.

“Sienna is coming with us.” This time, I do laugh when Adi’s eyes widen and he grins. “Put your cars away, and we’ll go.”

He looks back at me as if I’m going to tell him something else, but I just shake my head. “Listen to Daddy, okay?”

Pushing to my feet, I approach Neilix, standing by the doorway, intending to ask if he wants me to take anything out to the car, but he takes my hand and pulls me through the door, then presses me to the wall with his body on the other side. My eyes lift to his while my heart picks up speed.

“It looks like I have some competition.”

I'm not even able to reply before his mouth captures mine in a kiss. My whole body breaks out in goosebumps while a spark of heat sets it on fire. His tongue dips into my mouth, tangling with mine right before he takes my lip between his teeth, making moisture gather between my legs. I slide my hands up to rest on his chest, feeling his beats almost match mine.

“Daddy.” Adi’s voice has us pulling apart in the next second, a little breathless. It’s probably a good thing we were interrupted sooner rather than later. Neilix’s heated gaze meets mine, and one side of his mouth tips up, possibly aware of his effect on me.

“You look nice. I didn’t get to tell you earlier.”

My chin dips while a blush hits my cheeks. “I’m just going to use the bathroom,” I murmur. “But I’m ready to go when you are.” After I walk away, it occurs to me that I’m not just talking about being ready for the picnic.

After piling into Neilix’s car, we head to the park, navigating through Saturday traffic while Yellow by Coldplay drifts through the speakers. Halfway through the drive, Neilix takes hold of my hand and rests on his thigh, causing my pulse to quicken once more.

Once we arrive, it takes us a few minutes to find the perfect place to set up. I relax back on the blanket, nibbling on some strawberries while watching Adi and Neilix take a ball a short distance away and kick it back and forth. They both look over occasionally, smiling and waving, and my heart feels so full it could burst.

I realize Neilix is letting me into his private life with Adi with this picnic, and I don’t take that privilege lightly.

My phone dings from inside the little backpack I brought, so I pull it out and see a text from Jason.

Jason: Hey, I’m in Plainfield today. Was wondering if you’re around?

A rush of guilt floods my body, making my stomach squeeze. I don’t want to lie to him, and I hate that I can’t be one hundred percent truthful with him.

Sienna: Hey, sorry, I’m busy with friends today. Are you around tomorrow?

Jason: No worries. Not sure about tomorrow yet. I’ll text you later.

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