Page 14 of Catching Our Moment
I was testing the waters to see if this Kelcie would fall into the end step of our dance and let me hold her.
My fingertips rested on her shoulder, and my other hand tipped up her head to meet my eyes. She was still as beautiful as ever. The years had transformed her from pretty and adorable to beautiful and enchanting. The cool air of the night brushing against our skin, with minimal light casting shadows all around, made it almost feel surreal to be standing there in front of her.
I leaned close and whispered to her, “Regardless, I’m here. We’re all here. So, stop being a schmuck, and appreciate the effort.”
She swatted my hand away and gave a half-hearted shove to my midsection, and I caught her fighting a smile. Her touch was familiar and something I missed more than I’d realized. “I appreciate it, alright?”
My finger gently coaxed a wayward strand of hair that danced around her face to behind her ear. My focus darted between her smile and her captivating eyes, seeing that resilience and a glimpse of who she used to be, knowing that my Kelcie was still in there… She’d be okay.
“Just you wait. This will be a whole new beginning for you and Aaron.”
She forced a positive tone. “God, I hope you’re right. Because I need something new in my life.”
I wrapped her in my arms, and she let me. I don’t know how long we stood there, me rubbing her back, my chin on her head, her head on my chest, arms unable to wrap around me.
“You didn’t need to come,” she said against my shirt. “After everything, I wouldn’t have expected?—”
“Shhh. We aren’t going to talk about that right now,” I said. All that was important was having her back in my life—to fill the void of the friendship I’d lost and could never get over. She had been in an impossible situation. So what if I didn’t agree with her decision? I wouldn’t throw her aside for it. I was a bigger man than that.
She kept squeezing my middle and letting go, and then she said, “Jesus Christ, Shaw, what the hell have you been eating? You’re as big as a house. I can hardly get my arms around you.”
Yep. She hadn’t changed that much.
I leaned back. “They literally pay me to be this size.”
“Yeah, I know. Obviously. But my God." She broke the hold, stepping back. “Do you live off those protein shakes you advertise? Personally, I think they taste like crap.” Even though I was happy that her mood had changed, and she was back to teasing me, I missed holding her. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I shoved them back in my pockets and leaned against the table she sat on.
“Are you in the habit of tasting crap?”
“No, but do you really eat the things you promote? Or just cash the checks?”
I shrugged. “They are really big checks.”
“Seriously? You’ve become that guy?”
“You’ve been keeping an eye on me, Kelce?”
That got her tongue to stop wagging. She closed her mouth and shrugged. “I’m just making conversation. It’s kind of an awkward moment.”
“Uh-huh…” I couldn’t hold back my smile. “You’ve been watching me.”
“Aaron follows football quite religiously.” She winced. “He’s a Baltimore fan.”
I shot to my feet. Blasphemy! Baltimore was a huge rival for Charlotte. “What? Why? Why would you let that happen?”
She stared at her shoes, glanced up, and winced.
“James,” I answered for her. Of course. “Okay.” I clapped my hands. “Well, that’s unacceptable. We’ll have to fix that—whatever it takes, Kelcie. And I don’t care how much it angers your ex. If you won’t let me maim James, at least let me make Aaron a Carolina fan. I can’t get arrested for that.
She tilted her head back to me, her eyes brightened, and her smile grew. It was a shot of sunshine peeking through the gloom. James hadn’t silenced her or dimmed her light completely. She was in there, that mischievous, determined, strong-willed girl who’d always led the charge.
I made her smile. I could still make her smile.
Mirroring my stance, she shoved her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels, making me wonder who originally had that habit and who’d picked it up from the other.
“Well,” she said, her entire demeanor lightening, “I believe that is one revenge plot I can get behind.”
Grace’s head popped out of the back door. “Hey, sorry, guys, but…” She hesitated, grimacing to Shaw. She held Kelce’s phone. “Um, the police are at your house, Kelcie.”
