Page 40 of Other Side Of Never
I related to the shame, but it was more than shame that drew me to him.
He awakened the latent, nurturing instinct I’d buried so deeply I didn’t think anyone would ever revive it.
This morning I’d had errands to run before meeting them at the beach.Hitting the sand, my mood always improved.Seeing Kian and Isaiah waiting for me?
It soared.
Kian looked up from the picnic table at Krippy’s Chippy as I approached and grinned, his deep hazel eyes crinkling at the corners.“Ready to eat?”
Despite his losses, he laughed.Often.
I smiled back, ignoring the flutter in my belly.
Don’t go there.
“Always ready for fish and chips,” I replied lightly.
We sat down with our order, Isaiah bouncing on the bench between us.Every now and then Isaiah’s small hand dipped into my plate and snagged one of my fries.
“Isaiah, don’t put your fingers in other people’s food,” Kian reprimanded.
Isaiah leaned back and looked up at his dad.“Bridge always gets more fries than me and she never finishes.I’m helping.”
“Well, could you wait until she’s done before helping?”he asked drily.
He ducked his head and quietly acquiesced.“Sorry, Dad.”
“Besides,” he smirked, “Bridge doesn’t like to share her fries.”
Cocking one eyebrow, I chose a large French fry off my plate and passed it to Isaiah.“Isaiah is the exception to the rule.”
Isaiah looked up at me with a besotted grin, his blue eyes shining.While I was still slightly uncomfortable around him, worried I’d misstep, I could not deny how completely and utterly he enchanted me.
Kian snorted softly and waved his own fry around to punctuate his statement.“You’re on your own, now.He’s only going to get bigger and so will his appetite.Pretty soon he’ll be polishing off your food as well as his own.”
Awareness cracked through me like a whip.Would I be around when Isaiah hit those tween years?
Or would I miss most of his as well?
Would Kian and I still be friends?
Or would he be married to someone else?
I blinked at the table in front of me knowing it was most definitely an ‘or.’I couldn’t remain friends with Kian only to watch him love someone else.
The thought sent my heartbeat skittering.Developing feelings like this would only lead to heartbreak, one I was all to familiar with.
With a shaky laugh, I reached out and neatly pinched the French fry out of Kian’s hand, stuffed it into my mouth, and smirked at him.“Problem solved.”
He shook his head and passed me another one, his eyes soft with affection.“Take as much as you want.”
And this was why I couldn’t help but fall just a little bit.
Because this was Kian.He lived his life with an open palm, giving whatever he had.
I saw it when he dropped everything to fix the broken baseboard at Mary Lou’s.
I saw it when he rehung the shelf at Susie Q’s.
