Page 78 of Shattered

“They aren’t my family,” I find myself saying.

He scoffs. “They were more like a family to you than your own were. Has anything changed with you guys?”

“No.”

“See? It’s just shitty . . . and I’m sorry.”

I shift in my seat, looking back at Adi. What am I supposed to say? Nothing can change the past now, and the only thing we can do is move on.

“Imagine if none of that shit with Jacob happened.”

My gaze swings to him again, noting the distant look in his eyes and drawn face, like he’s lost somewhere in those memories. It’s often hard to see behind his smiles and teasing, but I’ve noticed this ever-present dark cloud lingering there the more time we’ve spent together.

Seeming to snap out of it, he grins. “He loves that pool, huh?” Jason lifts his chin to Adi. “Do you have one at home?”

I shake my head, clearing my mind of any negative thoughts. “No. But I’m sure Adi will want one now. Sienna said your mom will keep this one here to try to lure us back.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Jason chuckles easily, and my shoulders loosen a little more. “I’ll get him one. My uncle status will be coming along very nicely.” He rubs his palms together as if scheming, and I can’t help but snicker and shake my head. He was always good for a laugh in the past.

A few hours later, I’m helping Sienna stack the dishwasher while everyone sits outside, chatting and drinking. Jason had a fully clothed Adi on his lap when I came inside, and they were playing around with some filters on his phone, making funny faces.

My heart has been so damn full all afternoon watching him interact with everyone here. Sarah came, but left a little earlier since she had to get to work, and even though it was a little weird seeing her again, it was nice.

Every weekend before Sienna turned up, it was always just me and Adi. We didn’t have family or close friends nearby who wanted us to come over and hang out. I had isolated myself and, along with that, isolated Adi. That thought makes my chest feel tight.

“Done.” Sienna closes the dishwasher and turns to me. Her skin is bronzed by the sun, and the sudden need to touch her overwhelms me. There’s nothing sexual about this particular feeling, I just want to be close to her.

I quickly glance around to make sure no one can see us, then I step closer and lift my hands to her cheeks, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth. A happy sigh leaves her chest, and she tugs me closer by my shirt, slipping her tongue out to glide over my lips. With slow movements, I open my mouth and swirl my tongue with hers, loving everything about her mouth, loving everything about her.

I get caught up in the moment, lost in the kiss, while everything around us fades away. That is, until the sound of someone walking directly behind me causes me to tear away from Sienna at lightning speed. But even that wasn’t fast enough because Kate’s standing right there, which means she must have seen everything.

“It’s just me grabbing something.” She holds her hands up, palms out, and slips past us.

“Uh.” I adjust my glasses and run a hand through my hair, my heart ricocheting in my chest.

“She knows. It’s okay.” Sienna places a hand on my arm, obviously noticing my internal freak-out. My widened gaze swings to her, brows drawn. “She knows,” she repeats.

Kate grabs a roll of paper towels and turns to us again, her gaze flicking back and forth between the two of us.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt, not knowing what else to say.

She laughs lightly. “For what? Loving my daughter?” Turning to Sienna, she says, “Take this outside, will you? Jill spilled her wine.”

Sienna takes the paper towels from her mom, slowly stepping away while looking between us. I try to loosen my shoulders, but I have no idea what Kate will say to me.

Once Sienna is gone, Kate turns to me. “Look, I don’t know everything that happened back then, but I know enough. I learned to read my children a long time ago.” She releases a sigh. “I love my son, but I’m not happy with some of the poor decisions he’s made in the past, and one of them is cutting you out of his life. You’re a good one, Neil. And I couldn’t be happier that you and Sienna reconnected.” Lifting a hand, she squeezes my bicep. “Oh, and I hope you don’t mind, but Sienna filled me in a little about things with your parents since the last time I saw you. I’m here if you ever need anyone to talk to or need some advice. Or if you need someone to watch Adi, I’d be more than happy to do that.”

I would never want to give up any of my time with him, but just the fact that she’s offering and wants to be with him and wants to help me has me blinking several times and nodding through a thick swallow. Shit. I feel like a pussy. Soft, just like the guys used to say.

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” With a warm smile, she turns and goes back outside, leaving me in the kitchen with her kind words floating in the air.

When I finally emerge, Adi is now hanging with Keith, while Sienna and Jason are sitting on the opposite side of the patio, chatting. After giving Adi’s hair a ruffle, I drag a chair across the patio to join Jason and Sienna.

Jason slaps the back of his hand on my chest just as I sit down. “Yo, is your real name really Neilix?” I glance at Sienna, but she’s looking at me like she’s just as surprised as I am that he knows it. Not that it was a secret or anything anymore. “When your neighbor came to borrow some jumper cables, she called you Neilix. I was too distracted by her body to ask about it then, and just remembered now.”

My gaze cuts back to Sienna, because what he just said about my neighbor could be taken the wrong way by her, and the last time he blurted out something in front of her, it cost us four years.

Mind you, there are very big differences between then and now, like the fact I’ve never done anything with Erika and have never entertained her flirting. After seeing Sienna walk into my house, Erika asked me about her, and I told her we were in a relationship. Besides, when she needed the jumper cables, she had been keeping her distance.

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