Page 48 of Be The One

“Thanks for asking Kenan. He’s a tactful man.”

“Are you going to locals’ night tonight?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. We’ll see.”

“Well, if you’re there, I’ll be there. Love you, Mom.”

We ended our call, and I tucked my phone back into my purse. I stood and headed to the bathroom before I got ready to leave. My office was a few doors down from Rhys’s. As I approached his door, I saw it was slightly ajar and heard Kenan’s voice. I would’ve recognized it anyway, but now, when I heard the sound of it, my pulse lunged ahead.

I wasn’t eavesdropping, not on purpose. Or that was what I tried to tell myself as my footsteps slowed. Rhys asked, “Well, how do you feel about it?”

“I don’t know,” Kenan replied with an unsteady sigh. I could practically picture him running his hand through his hair. “I just don’t know if I’m ready. I’m afraid I’ll fuck it up.”

My stride quickened, and I couldn’t get past that doorway fast enough into the bathroom. All the while, I was trying to walk quietly so no one noticed I was in the hallway. Kenan had to be talking about us.

ChapterThirty-Two

KENAN

“Hey, Mom,” I said as I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled up at me and slid her hand through my elbow and squeezed. “Hi, dear. How are you?”

“Pretty good. And you?”

My mother squeezed my elbow again. “I’m going to Seattle for the weekend. Cathy has a work trip there, and I’ll be able to see Matthew for the whole weekend.”

Matthew was our surprise nephew, the one none of us knew about. Cathy had dated or rather had a situationship with Jake and Rhys in college. She hadn’t told anyone she got pregnant. Jake was the father. She would probably never admit it, but we all presumed she eventually found out our family had money and decided to come clean.

For our mother, it was bittersweet. Matthew looked so much like Jake. Cathy lived in California and brought Matthew up at least once a year. Our mother tried to visit several times a year.

“That is excellent. Give him a big hug from Uncle Kenan,” I replied.

My mother chuckled and released my elbow after one more squeeze. She was instantly drawn into a conversation with the town’s police chief, Mike, and Fiona’s mother. As far as I could tell, they were dating and trying to pretend they weren’t.

Blake appeared at my side, clapping me on the shoulder. “Hey, man, how’s it going?”

“Pretty good. Is Fiona in the kitchen tonight?”

His eyes were warm as he nodded. “Of course.”

Lia appeared hand in hand with Haven. As soon as she saw me, she dropped Haven’s hand and launched at me. I caught her in my arms and lifted her high in the air, giving her a quick spin before setting her back on the ground. “Hey, Miss Lia! Are you all having dinner tonight?”

Lia nodded. “And Blake’s driving, so he can’t have anything to drink.”

Blake chuckled as Haven grinned down at her before looking toward me and offering, “Hey, Kenan.”

I dipped my chin in acknowledgment. “Is he allowed to have water?” I asked as I looked back down at Lia.

She contemplated this as she tapped her toe on the floor and rested a hand on her hip. “Yes,” she announced after a moment.

Just then, I felt a prickle race up my spine. I didn’t even know how I knew, but I knew Quinn had just approached. We had walked over together a few minutes earlier. She had seemed a little off. I wanted to chalk it up to our argument, but it felt like something more.

Haven was saying something. “I was just dropping Lia off. Rhys and I are headed home. Our babysitter needs to go home soon. I’m going to walk over to meet him at his office. Good night, all,” she said with a wave.

I waved just as Quinn stopped beside me. “Hey again,” I said, smiling down at her. My heart kicked a little faster against my ribs. When she smiled, it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said quickly.

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