Page 118 of Unexpected Kisses

“Have you seen a little girl?” He holds out his hand about hip height. “About this tall. Blue eyes, long light-brown hair.” He wriggles his fingers down his body, showing the length of her hair, drawing my eyes to magnificent pecs.

I seem to have lost my voice, so I step to the side, exposing my new little friend. Do you remember all those words I was going to have with my new neighbor about looking after his niece? Well, they’ve all disappeared into the ether. I’m having a hard time trying to even think at this point. Striking blue eyes, dark scruff, and thick hair adorn a chiseled face that could easily be on the cover of GQ magazine.

His eyes wander downward, catching on to his niece. She’s half hiding behind my leg, her head tilted down as though she’s preparing to get into trouble. I’m not sure what their story is, but she seems a little scared of him.

“Kennedy, I told you to stay in the house.”Ahhh, that name makes a little more sense. He steps forward, and she tucks herself further behind me, wrapping her arms around my thigh.

“Kenny,” she whispers, poking her little head around my thigh.

“What?” He pauses mid-step, eyebrows drawn low.

“I told you, I wanna be called Kenny.”

He looks up at me, raising his eyebrows, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “Sorry, I forgot.” Holding out his hand to his niece, he coaxes. “I’ll try to remember. Come on. It’s time to come home.”

Home?So shemustbe staying with him. She didn’t mention an aunty. Is there a woman around to help him? Because he seems pretty clueless about caring for a young child. Her little arms tighten further around my thigh, and she’s really digging in. I try to step to the side, but she steps with me.

Huffing out a sigh, my neighbor looks up to me and all I can offer is a shrug.Some words would be helpful right about now.

“Come on. I need to get back to work.” He wriggles his fingers in her direction, his patience clearly wearing thin.

What?“You’re not going to abandon her again, are you?”

His gorgeous blue eyes, which match his niece’s, snap to mine. “No. She’ll be in the house and I’ll be in the workshop out back.” He points his thumb over his shoulder toward the back of his house.

“You can’t leave a four-year-old to her own devices while you do whatever it is you’re doing out back,” I snap, waving my arm in the direction of the workshop.

“Look, lady—”

“Emma. My name’s Emma,” I snap.

“Okay, Emma. Thanks for finding her, but she’ll be fine. She can unpack her stuff while I try to get her bed sorted.”

A four-year-old unpacking her ‘stuff’. That’s freaking laughable. “You can’t expect a four-year-old to unpack their ‘stuff’, while you’re not there to supervise. How much experience have you had with children?” I huff out, incredulous.

He raises his arm to scrub his fingers through his short bristles and my eyes are drawn—without permission, I might add—to the masculine bulge of his muscles. He looks at his watch. “Uh, about six and a half hours. Give or take.”

What the hell?I’m pretty sure my chin’s hit my paved driveway. I look down at Kenny. She said her mom’s in heaven; surely it didn’t just happen. He must read the confusion on my face because I’m terrible at hiding my reactions. Unfortunately for me, everything I think or feel is displayed clearly on my face for all the world to see.

“Today’s the first time we’ve spent any time together since … her uh, her … mother, my sister, passed. Before that, I saw …” He tilts his head down toward his niece. “Kenny.” He raises his eyebrows in a manner that says,‘see, I remembered’. “When she was born.”

I don’t understand how that can be. Max and Sarah see my boys regularly. They want to be part of their lives growing up and the boys’ lives are richer for it. Their relationship with my boys is an extension of our relationship as siblings. It’s not my business, though. I don’t even know this guy’s name and it’s incredibly rude to ask him all sorts of personal and invasive questions, even if I want to.

I place my hand on Kenny’s back in reassurance. “She can hang out here while you get organized. I don’t mind. She was helping me pull out the weeds before.” I look down at Kenny. “She was doing a great job.” I smile at her.

“Look. Thanks for the offer, but she needs to take some responsibility for her own things.” He steps forward and attempts to pry her hands away from my thigh. His large hand is incredibly close to my lady parts as he peels her fingers away one by one. I suck in a breath at the tingles his touch elicits. “Come on, Kenny. Say bye to Emma. Let’s go.”

“I wanna stay wiv Emma. She’s nice.” She drops her bottom lip in a pout, as her eyebrows scrunch down over her eyes in defiance.

My neighbor pulls back as though he’s been burned. “I’mnice.”

“You’re gwumpy and you won’t play wiv me.” I can’t hold back my smile but manage to stifle my giggle at her statement.

He scratches his fingers through his beard again. “Because I’ve got a sh— a lot to do. I don’t have time to play with you,” he huffs out.

“You know, Kenny. If you help your uncle …” I look up to him, hinting that he hasn’t told me his name yet, but he’s too caught up with his own agenda to notice my clue. “You’ll get the work done quicker, and then he might have some time to play with you. There’s a great park at the end of the street.” I point in the direction of the park. I hope he takes the hint I’m putting down for him.

“I don’t wanna unpack a million things. I wanna play.” She stomps her little foot, dropping her bottom lip in a full-on pout. Anyone with a heart wouldn’t be able to resist that little face. I’m certain he’s going to cave, but he surprises me.

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