Page 8 of Other Side Of Never
For a bare moment, the mask Kian wore cracked.
Grief.
Remorse.
And the steely, unyielding grip of guilt.
The weight of suffering in his eyes was more than should be allotted one gentle soul.
My heart hurt for him.Where Sage Ridge opened its arms and welcomed me in, it took one look at him and spat him back out.
I felt that yearning pull I always did when he was near.Forcing myself to step back, I turned my attention to Isaiah.“Do you like chocolate?”
He nodded, his big, blue eyes shining brightly in his little face.“A lot,” he stressed.
I bent toward him.“I’ll see what I can do about taking this party to the next level.”
When they went to order, I shook my head.“Oh, no.You’re going to let me surprise you tonight.”
Kian’s eyebrows rose.
Flushing, I bent toward Isaiah.“Do you trust me?”
He beamed at me and nodded.
I slanted a glance toward Kian.“You?”
He nodded warily.
I smiled widely.“You won’t regret it.”
Reaching out, I cupped my hand over Kian’s shoulder and squeezed, intending to communicate gratitude for his faith in me and reassurance that it was well placed.Instead, my hand met a solid ball of muscle that barely gave under my fingertips.
“Whoa,” I breathed.
Kian’s hazel eyes widened and flew up to meet mine.
I squeezed again and whispered, “Holy muscles, Batman.”
He stiffened and then began to shake with laughter.
I snatched my hand back and shook my head as I snorted and backed away.Waving my hands in the air, I grinned and professed, “They have a mind of their own sometimes!”
Running to the kitchen, my face uncharacteristically pink, I cajoled the cook to put together a feast made to my order in exchange for a custom box of gourmet chocolates for his very pregnant daughter.
By the time I came back out, Kian’s table was empty.
I stopped short, surprised by the intensity of my disappointment.Did something happen?Did I scare him off?
And then I heard his deep chuckle.
My head turned toward the sound I recognized after only hearing it a couple of times.
Kian stood beside Susie.With a small shelf in one hand, and the other hand hitched onto his hip, he nodded as Susie explained what she wanted, hands waving, eyes flashing, and mouth turned up in a smile as usual.
Isaiah stood beside his dad, his hands on his hips, looking up at Susie with a serious look on his little face.
When Kian nodded, Isaiah nodded.
