Page 108 of Beneficial Misfortune

Unfortunately, I think that would be true regardless of whether the whole thing with Trevor happened or not, and honestly, I’m not sure I’m ready to look into the why behind that just yet. My life is messy enough as it is right now.

The day flies by and ends up being just what I needed. Addy’s laughter warms my heart, and after a little while, I feel myself relaxing, no longer looking over my shoulder every two seconds or tensing when someone brushes against me.

Watching Vince be pulled around by Addison also helped. There’s something so entertaining about watching such a largeman, clearly dressed for work, down on the ground playing with a five-year-old.

It’s not at all helpful for my brain, though, but I’m happy to ignore that for now.

Sadly, I can’t ignore what happens when we finally make it outside to the large water play area. Truthfully, I’m not even one hundred percent sure what happened or how, but it resulted in Vince being very wet and Addison laughing so hard she ends up on the ground clutching her stomach.

“What happened?” I ask, looking between them and trying to put the pieces together but coming up blank. I’d been not two feet from them, so how did I miss whatever that was?

“Uncle Vinny made a water explosion!” I look over and find a bucket lying beneath the water dome. The water is still spraying, though clearly not as bad as when it soaked him.

“Yes, very funny, brat,” Vince gripes as he undoes the buttons on his black button-up, but he doesn’t really look mad. If anything, he just looks wet, and I’ll be damned if that isn’t a good look on him.

Though maybe not in the middle of such a public place.

As if the universe heard my thoughts and felt the need to one-up me, I watch with wide eyes as Vince pulls off his button-up and is left standing in front of me in only an undershirt.

Shit.

I’d seen him without a shirt or in an undershirt a few times around the pool or swimming, but I’d tried to keep my eyes to myself. The last thing I needed was to be caught ogling him.

Which, of course, is exactly what happens when he looks up a few seconds later and finds my eyes still all over him.

Apparently, my brain doesn’t get to be in charge when faced with a handsome man. I know I should have looked away—hell, I still know it—yet somehow, I’m stuck, unable to control myself.

“Your cheeks are looking pretty red, Kat. Are you feeling okay?” he asks, stepping up so close to me that only I can hear him.

He’s right. I can feel the heat, but I can't do shit about it, and him looking at me the way he is right now isn’t helping a damn thing. I’m not sure if I’m seeing what I want to or if it’s real, but I swear there's a heat in his gaze that isn’t usually there.

“I’m going to go try to dry off a little bit. Don’t wander too far, Little Beauty.” Before I say anything or even process what he just called me, he’s walking away, and I’m left standing dumbfounded.

Little Beauty?

That’s not the first time he’s called me that. The day he saved me from Trevor, he’d said it as well, but I’d been more worried about everything else that was going on and didn’t really think it was much more than a way for him to attempt to comfort me.

There’s no way I’m crushing on yet another man! Someone needs to lock me up or something because this is getting ridiculous.

Needing to get my mind off of men, specifically the soaking wet man who’s probably shirtless in the bathroom, I turn my attention back to Addison, who happily plays at the waterway on the other side of the space. Thankfully, everything is closed in, so there’s no worry. She can’t wander off, not that I think she ever would, but kids can be unpredictable, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Addy’s playing with a few other kids. They all laugh and run up and down the length of the waterway, playing in the pool at the bottom with the small boats and other toys provided, and I can’t help but smile. She’s so full of energy and so happy, making friends everywhere she goes.

With Addison happily playing and Vince gone for the moment, I move to one of the benches along the wall where a fewother parents sit watching. I could use a moment to get myself together, and playing with kids her age is good for Addy.

“Imagine seeing you here, " a voice to my right says and I don’t need to look to know I know that voice. I hadn’t been paying attention to who was around me. Kids and parents were all in a constant state of movement, so having someone sit on the bench with me wasn’t that big of a deal.

My mind goes blank, and I can’t take my eyes off Addison. I need to get her out of here, away from him.

I move to stand, ready to dash to Addison, get out of here or cause a scene if I have to—whatever I need to do to keep him away from her—but he has other plans.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I freeze at his words, and while I don’t want to look at him, I don’t miss his hand as it raises, his finger pointing across the room to more of the benches where a man sits.

A man I recognize.

“One wrong move, and my friend is going to take that little girl you love so much, and nobody will ever find her again.” His voice is quiet, as if he didn’t just threaten the life of a five-year-old. To anyone around us, it might seem like we're just having a normal conversation, but on the inside, I want to scream.

Trevor sits opposite me, his arms thrown over the back of the bench, the picture of relaxation as he smiles at me, and my stomach rolls.

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