Page 2 of Centering Kaos

Dylan crossed his arms and his scowl deepened. “This is gonna be boring. You should have taken me to Dad’s.”

The kid was relentless. I’d love to go one single day without fighting this battle. Heck, at this point I’d settle for a few hours of peace. I massaged my temples, trying to hold back the migraine I could feel coming on.

The elevator doors finally opened, releasing us onto the correct floor. I led Dylan down the hall until we found the door with the Ladies First logo etched into the glass. On the wall next to the door hung a welcome sign providing the business hours, a phone number, and instructions to “Please come inside.” Knocking didn’t seem necessary, but I rapped my knuckles against the door anyway as I turned the knob and let us in.

The waiting room was warm and inviting. Soft, gray walls held whimsical paintings. Cushy chairs and couches were situated around potted trees. Scattered coffee tables offered a variety of magazines. A massive tank full of colorful fish divided the space and provided calming sounds. The only thing missing from the room was people.

Ushering Dylan inside, I called out a tentative, “Hello?”

A man stepped out from the other side of the fish tank, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I’m not sure what startled me more. The fact that the first person to approach us in a women’s crisis center was a man, or that said man was strikingly good looking… and big. Huge, even. Dark haired with dark eyes and a muscular build, he had to be well over six feet tall and outweighed me by more than a hundred pounds. I was average-sized, but I felt petite in his presence. His gaze roamed over my curves, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Hello.” His voice was a deep, rich baritone, making the word sound almost musical. My neck snagged his attention, and his eyes narrowed at the marks he saw there.

Reflexively, I felt the still tender skin and winced, knowing the bruises had faded to a hideous greenish-yellow color. This morning, I’d thought about covering them with a scarf or foundation, but I was done hiding and pretending. People needed to see the truth about my husband. Now, I regretted my rebellion. I hadn’t banked on encountering a gorgeous giant in the waiting room. What was he even doing here?

“Sorry, I—” I took a step back, forcing Dylan behind me. “I think I have the wrong office.”

“No.” He shook his head and held up his hands soothingly. “You’re fine. This is exactly where you need to be. I’m not… shit.”

My eyebrows shot up at the curse word, and I glanced at Dylan, silently reminding the man that little ears were present.

His attention followed mine, and he winced. “Sorry. I… Uh…” Leaning back, he hollered over his shoulder, “Emily! Naomi! Your appointment’s here!”

The frustrated, borderline panicked tone of his voice brought a brunette and a blonde running. Literally. As soon as they rounded the corner and saw me, they slowed to a fast walk and their faces lit up with wide, toothy smiles. The brunette wore a trendy navy dress under a blazer with matching pumps, looking polished and professional. The blonde sported a faded Harley Davidson T-shirt, worn jeans, and biker style boots. The two couldn’t have been more different if they’d tried.

Coming to a stop between me and the man, the brunette extended her hand for me to shake. “You must be Tina.” Her blue eyes were welcoming and friendly. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Emily, and this is my friend, sister-in-law, and business partner, Naomi.”

A little of the tension ebbed from my shoulders as we made introductions, but I kept one eye on the big man. I couldn’t help it; my gaze was drawn to him.

“Sorry if Kaos here startled you.” Emily took a step back and patted the man’s arm affectionately. “Our office manager is out sick today, so he’s here to help.”

“Chaos? Like disorder and confusion?” Who would name their kid such a thing?

“Kaos with a K,” the man in question said with a grin.

“It’s a road name, a nickname,” Emily said. Then to Kaos, she added, “Thanks again. We owe you.”

“Nonsense. Glad to do it.” He took a tentative step forward and offered me his hand. “Sorry about the scare. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

When we touched, a jolt of electricity zapped my hand. With a yelp, I yanked it back and rubbed it on my jeans.

“Sorry. Again.” Kaos winced, shaking out his own hand. “The static in here is real.”

Naomi and Emily shared a confused look at that, but Kaos plunged ahead.

“I would never… I'm not…” He looked to Emily for help, but she just patted his arm again.

“You’re fine. We’ve got this,” she said.

He let out a breath and backed up to the furthest corner of the waiting room where he sat on one of the cushy chairs. I got the feeling he was trying to make himself seem small and harmless, and I appreciated his effort. He’d done nothing to freak me out, not intentionally, and I needed to lock down my fear. I gave him an apologetic smile. He mirrored the gesture before dropping his gaze again.

Naomi took my arm and moved me further into the office. “I heard Lily gave you our card. She’s such a sweet girl. Funny, too. I don’t know if she mentioned it or not, but we work closely with a club of veterans who help us with things like security or moving furniture or whatever. Our husbands are both part of the club, as is Kaos. As Emily pointed out, he’s standing in for Jessica who manages our office, marketing, and social media. She’s amazing, and usually sits with the children so we can chat privately.”

Was she telling me this giant of a man would be sitting with Dylan? Wondering how my son would feel about that, I looked over my shoulder and found him staring at the man in open-mouthed curiosity.

“Dylan,” I whispered.

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