Page 95 of Shattered

A moment later, voices start filling my home, and then Kate and Keith walk into the kitchen carrying dishes and drinks.

“Hey.”

Kate gives me a soft smile, lifting a hand to rub my arm in a motherly way. It’s been almost four months since Jason’s death, and while everyone has been taking steps to move forward, there are still times when the sadness comes back. There are still times when I look at either Sienna or Kate, and they look like they’re seconds from crying. I can’t even imagine Kate’s grief from losing a son.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Of course,” Kate says, as if there were no other option. “We’re always happy to make the trip.”

I’ve been to their house multiple times since the day Kate showed me the message from Jason, either for dinner or to just spend time with them and Sienna. They’ve also come to see my place and visited a couple of times since then.

Today, they’re here for a barbeque I’m hosting for the first time. We already had a birthday party for Adi at Navi's last week, but I wanted to do something for him as well. The last several months have taught me to surround myself with people who are important to me and to cut out the ones who aren’t. You never know what the next day will bring, so I need to make the most of each day and not isolate myself. Adi deserves to have people around who love him, and honestly, so do I.

“These look good,” Keith comments, looking at the uncooked burger patties I just put together. Then, lifting the drinks in his hand, he asks, “Where should I put these?”

“Straight into the cooler, thanks.”

A pair of feminine arms wrap around my waist, and I look down to see Sienna’s blue eyes smiling at me. “Do you want me to take the meat outside to the barbeque?”

I pat her hands, still a little wary about openly showing affection in front of her dad, even though she says he’s okay with it. He hasn’t acted any differently toward me since he found out we’re together. Actually, that’s a lie; he’s been treating me more and more like a son lately, and maybe it’s just a matter of helping him with the loss of Jason, but I think we’ve both been filling in some missing pieces.

“Sure, thanks, sweetheart.”

“I’ll take these out,” Kate says, regarding the dishes she brought. “Is Adi outside?”

“Yeah, he’s with Harley—the guy I work with who I told you about.”

Sienna tightens her arms on me for a second before releasing me, then takes the plate of burgers and hotdogs outside. She’s been doing much better lately, and I think every day is getting a little easier.

One thing that has brought both of us—and her parents, for that matter—a slight sense of justice is that Shane was arrested and charged with drug possession and the intent to sell. So, he hasn’t been around anymore. Nothing will ever bring Jason back, but knowing Shane is off the streets eases some of the anger.

Once Sienna and her mom have closed the door behind them, I turn to Keith, my heart feeling like it might bash through my chest. “I wanted to ask you something . . .” I shift on my feet and adjust my glasses.

“Well, spit it out, son.” Keith crosses his arms and stands there, waiting for me to continue.

I nod, straightening up. “I’m going to ask Sienna to move in with me, and I wanted to make sure you were okay with that.”

“Oh.” Keith chuckles, dropping his arms to his sides. “I thought you were going to ask if you could marry her.”

I almost choke on my next breath. “I mean, eventually, yeah,” I admit. “But not yet.”

He nods, leaning against the counter and bracing his hands on the edge beside him. “Well, I appreciate you checking, but Sienna is an adult, and she can make her own decisions. If she wants to live with you, that’s not up to me. But if you want to know if I’m okay with it, I am.”

Relief floods my body, and my heart starts to calm. It’s not that I needed his permission. Sienna hasn’t lived at home for a long time, and they know she spends many nights here. But I wanted his blessing, and I felt it necessary to be upfront about it rather than do anything behind his back. Another lesson that was learned from all of this.

Coming to stand by me, Keith lifts his hand to grip my shoulder. “You’re a good kid, Neilix, and you treat my daughter well. I just wish . . .” His words drift off and a glassy sheen develops over his eyes, but he blinks it away in the next second. “Come on. Let’s get this barbeque started. How many more people are coming?”

“Navi and her boyfriend are on their way. Sarah said she’ll be coming a little later, and my neighbor will be here any minute.” I’m not sure how happy Harley will be to know Erika is coming, seeing as she backed into his truck the last time he was here.

He nods and starts for the back door. “Sounds good.”

I start following him out, but Sienna slips in past him and stops me, closing the door once her dad is outside. A soft smile pulls at her cheeks as she stands in front of me, bringing her hands up to rest on my chest. “I just wanted a second with you.”

Bringing my arms around her back, I pull her flush against me and drop a kiss on her lips. “And I want forever with you.”

“You always say the sweetest things,” she whispers.

Sliding my hands lower, I squeeze her ass. “I also want to take you into our bedroom and bend you over the dresser.”

---