by Cindy Kirk
“If you bring pizza.” Braxton was on his fourth slice. “But ditch the hamburger.”
“Yeah,” K.T. piped up. “We like pepperoni best.”
“Boys.” Cassie’s voice was sharper than it needed to be. But, darn it, she didn’t like the feeling she’d just been sold out for a couple of pizzas. “I told you that isn’t why Krew is here.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” K.T. asked his sister.
“Yeah, are you dating old guys now?” As he spoke, Braxton wiped sauce from Axl’s face with a crumpled paper towel.
Dakota, who’d been quiet all through dinner, lowered her slice of pizza, her gaze focused on her brothers. “He’s not my date. He’s my dad.”
Braxton’s fingers opened, and the soiled paper towel fluttered to the floor.
K.T. choked on a bite of pizza.
Cassie slapped him on the back and handed him the bottle of Coke.
Her middle son drank straight from the bottle, sputtering when he was finally able to catch his breath.
Only Axl remained oblivious. The child was too focused on pulling the pepperoni from the top of his slice to notice the sudden tension in the room.
Braxton’s gaze shifted from Krew to Dakota. “Seriously?”
Dakota nodded. “DNA confirmed it.”
“You didn’t say anything to me about doing any test.” Braxton turned to K.T. “Did she say anything to you?”
K.T. slowly lowered the bottle of Coke he held now in a death grip and slowly shook his head.
Braxton leveled his blue-green eyes on Cassie. “You said you didn’t know who Dakota’s father was. That’s what you told us. That’s what you told Grandma.”
Though his voice remained calm and controlled, Cassie heard the accusation…and the hurt.
“I didn’t know,” she told her sons, but saw they didn’t believe her.
Braxton turned to Krew. “You knew she was your daughter and you’re only now coming around?”
The controlled anger that had been leveled at her only seconds before was now directed at Krew.
“Lay off him, Braxton,” Dakota said.
“I didn’t know.” Krew held up his hands. “I’d like to think if I had known, I’d have been there for her. I hope I would have been.”
The honesty in his response must have hit a chord with Braxton, because those eyes, so like her own, returned to her.
Braxton jerked a thumb in Krew’s direction. “Is he our dad, too? Are you guys a couple now?”
Cassie knew he was referring to him and K.T., because they were all too aware that Clint was the father of Axl. “No, to both questions.”
Braxton’s face remained expressionless as he nodded.
K.T. shrugged. “Good. Having an old man around to boss us sucks.”
In that moment, Cassie’s heart shattered. She knew her sons well enough to see through their tough-guy facades. They wanted a dad, too.
Not one like Clint, but one like Krew.
Dakota had hit the jackpot, while they were left behind with just Cassie and the memory of too many men who didn’t care about them or about her.
“I want Krew to be a part of my life,” Dakota told her brothers. “You know, holidays and all that stuff. Having him be a part of my life means he’ll be a part of yours, too. I need to know if that’s cool with you guys.”
The boys exchanged glances.
“I know this is a shock,” Cassie said to them. “It was for me, and for Krew and your sister, too. I want you to know that I meant what I said. I’m focused on our family now, not on men.” She cast a quick glance at Krew, who gave a slight nod as if to reassure her he understood. “Like Dakota said, Krew is part of our family now. It’s important for me to know if you’re okay with that. You don’t have to decide right now—”
“We get it, Mom.” Braxton responded without looking at either Cassie or Krew.
“Are you planning to move back to Good Hope?” K.T. asked Krew, his expression curious.
“No, but I plan to visit often.” Krew cleared his throat. “Would you guys be okay with me coming around, maybe spending holidays with all of you?”
Cassie held her breath. Though Krew had kept his tone light, she sensed their response mattered to him.
She wished she could reassure him that her sons would be fine with him being around for those events, but the truth was she didn’t know.
Would they be happy for their sister and open to getting to know Krew? Or would he simply be a reminder of all they lacked in their own lives?
“I’m okay with it.” Braxton lifted a shoulder.
“Fine with me.” K.T. glanced at Dakota. “If it’s what you want.”
Dakota slanted a glance at Krew and smiled shyly. “It’s what I want.”
“Anyone want more Coke?” K.T. lifted the bottle.
“Not after you slobbered into it,” Braxton said with such aplomb, they all laughed.
Too restless to sit any longer, Cassie pushed up from the chair.
“I need to get Axl ready for bed.” Cassie pointed to her sons. “You two are on cleanup duty. I expect everything to be put away.”
Cassie glanced at Dakota. “Your only chore is to relax and keep Krew company.”
But when Cassie returned from the bedroom she shared with Axl’s crib, her daughter was gone.
“Where’s Dakota?”
“She’s working the early shift at Muddy Boots tomorrow.” Krew’s tone was a little too casual. “She wanted to stay and say good-bye, but—”
“I understand,” Cassie said quickly. “It’s been an emotional day for her.”
“We’re done.” K.T. tossed the dish towel on top of the rack of plates in the drainer.
“Before you ask, I took out the garbage,” Braxton told her.
“Thank you.” Cassie let her gaze slide from Braxton to K.T. “Both of you. For everything.”
“C’mon, K.T.” Braxton started toward the bedroom they shared. “You’ve got to see this cool new game I downloaded.”
“Don’t you have something to say to Krew?” Cassie asked.
For a second, both boys looked puzzled.
Then Braxton grinned. “Thanks for the pizza.”
“Yeah,” K.T. added. “Thanks. Just next time ditch the hamburger.”
“K.T.” Cassie slapped a hand against her forehead.
Krew only grinned and pushed to his feet. “Time for me to leave.”
Cassie walked him to the door, not sure whether she felt relieved or disappointed. It had to be relief. This had been a long, emotional day for everyone.
“Thanks for letting me come tonight.”
“Thank you for the pizza.”
He waved away the thanks and rubbed his jaw. “It’s been a long time since I felt a part of a family. The fact that you and Dakota want to share yours with me means a lot.”
“Despite what they said, I think the boys were disappointed you aren’t their father.”
“They’re great kids, Cass. You’ve done a good job.”
She shrugged.
“Hey.” He tipped her chin up. “Take the credit. You earned it.”
She gazed into the liquid blue depths of his eyes, and the warmth and the admiration reflected there took her by surprise. Cassie couldn’t remember the last time any man had looked at her that way. If ever.
Their eyes locked, and she couldn’t look away.
When Krew lowered his head and kissed her softly on the mouth, it felt so natural that the thought of pulling away didn’t occur to her.
His lips lingered an extra beat before he gave her arm a squeeze, then stepped outside, leaving her wondering what had just happened.
With a quiet laugh and a disbelieving shake of her head, Cassie shut the door and locked it.
Chapter Nine
The following Friday, Krew found himself once again on Cassie’s front stoop. When she unlocked the door and pushed it open, he lifted his hands. “No pizza. I hope I’m still welcome.”
“We have something even better on the menu this evening.” Cassie stepped aside to let him enter.
Was it only his imagination, or did her gaze linger on his mouth for an extra beat?
Over the years, Krew had kissed a lot of women, but feeling Cassie’s lips move beneath his last Saturday had been a heady experience. He told himself it’d be best if he didn’t kiss her again. Not only because of their history, but because he wouldn’t be staying in Good Hope.
Still, there was something about her…
“Krew.” Dakota surged up from the sofa, a broad smile lifting her lips. “You came.”
“Hey, Dakota.” Krew crossed the room, unsure how to interact with a grown-up daughter. Should he give her a hug? He decided to push it.
When Dakota had invited him over for dinner and family game night, he’d jumped at the chance. He wouldn’t be in Good Hope long, and he wanted to take advantage of any opportunity to get to know Dakota and her siblings better.
“It’s ready to be strained, bro.” Exasperation filled K.T.’s tone as it filtered into the living room.
“I set the timer on my phone.” Braxton’s voice remained calm. “It needs to boil another minute.”
“Just taste it,” K.T. urged.
“Get away. I’m making dinner, not you.”
Krew glanced at Cassie, who was setting out silverware and mismatched bowls on the card table. She must have felt him looking, because she looked up and smiled.
Tonight, her blond hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and secured by a sparkly clip. Black leggings hugged her slender thighs, and the tunic top, with a bold geometric pattern, accentuated her willowy frame.
He’d spotted her boots and socks on the rug just inside the front door. Despite the cold outside, she was barefoot. Her feet were as long and slender as the rest of her, with brightly painted red nails that matched the color on her lips.
“We’ll eat in the living room.” Dakota’s voice came from beside him. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Krew heard the hesitation in his daughter’s voice, and he realized she was as unsure as he was about how to navigate this new relationship.
“Fine with me.” Krew pulled his attention from Cassie. “I eat most of my meals on the sofa.”
The relieved look that crossed Dakota’s face had him relaxing.
Axl tugged on his hand. “I picked tonight.”
Krew studied the small boy, who wore carpenter jeans with a plastic hammer hanging from one loop and a Spider-Man shirt. “What did you pick?”
“I picked tonight,” the boy shouted, as if saying the words louder would make what he said clearer.
“Axl chose tonight’s meal.” Cassie scooped the boy up in the air, making him giggle. “It’s something we all like.”
“What are we having?” Krew asked. Based on the argument he’d overheard, it sounded like some sort of pasta.
That was okay with him. He’d rarely encountered a pasta dish he didn’t love.
“Mac and cheese,” Axl answered from his perch in his mother’s arms.
“Not just mac and cheese.” Dakota’s eyes twinkled. “What else?”
“Fish.” The boy hissed the word as if he were snake.
Krew frowned, not sure he’d heard correctly. “Fish?”
“Food is ready.” Braxton sauntered into the room, a stainless-steel pot in one hand, a serving spoon in the other. He began dishing pasta straight out of the pan into the bowls.
“It’s milk for all.” K.T. filled the glasses from a plastic gallon container.
“Sit down. I’ll get yours,” Dakota said to Krew, then hurried to the table.
“Having you here means a lot to her.” Cassie spoke in a low tone obviously meant for his ears only.
“How often do you do this?”
“Eat?” A dimple Krew had never seen before flashed in Cassie’s left cheek. “Every night. But family, food and fun happens once a month. We take turns picking our favorite food for dinner, and then we play a game or two.”
Krew was surprised the older boys and even Dakota still wanted to participate, especially on a Friday night. As a teenager, he’d made it a point to stay away from home as much as possible.
“Here you go.” Dakota handed him a bowl of what he recognized as the macaroni he’d loved as a kid. Heck, still loved.
As Krew glanced down, he noticed something else in the bowl. “What’s in here?”
“Tuna fish,” Dakota said.
“Cream of mushroom soup,” Cassie added. “It’s delicious.”
Krew’s stomach did a slow roll. He hated everything about tuna…and mushrooms.
“If you don’t like it, we might have something else in the refrigerator.” The distress on Dakota’s face was reflected in her eyes.
“It looks good.” Krew offered a reassuring smile. “I’ve just never heard of that combination before.”
K.T. shoved a plastic tumbler of milk into Krew’s hand. “Mac and tuna is a family favorite. Welcome to the family, bro.”
A half hour later, Krew gave thanks that the family favorite wasn’t as horrible as he’d imagined. He’d been able to eat it, thanks to milk chasers. The day-old cookies Cassie had brought home from the Grind helped get rid of the lingering tuna taste.
Despite the food, these were his kind of people. He was at home sitting on a sofa with his food on a metal TV tray in front of him. He always felt out of his element in houses with silver and china and three different kinds of forks.
The conversation flowed easily, and by the time Cassie and Dakota cleared the dishes, Krew had completely relaxed.
They played a quick game of Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel with Axl before Cassie put her youngest to bed.
Krew assumed that was the end of game night, but he was wrong.
“Are you familiar with The Game of Things?” Braxton asked.
“I haven’t played many board games.”
“This is more like a card game. We didn’t want to buy it, so we made up one that has similar rules, but with our own questions.” Braxton went on to explain how the game worked.
Krew listened intently, his competitive spirit never far from the surface. “Let me see if I understand. The person who is ‘it’ makes a statement. Everyone writes their response on a piece of paper. The person who is ‘it’ reads the answers, then we go around and guess who gave each answer. I get one point if I guess correctly. The person whose answer was guessed—”
“It’s easy. You’ll pick it up as we go.” Clearly ready to get started, K.T. began passing out scraps of paper.
“He’s never played before, K.T. Give the guy a break.” Dakota shot him a reassuring smile.
Though Krew had no trouble standing up for himself, he realized Cassie had raised a compassionate daughter.
The game began. They went through several questions, laughing over the ridiculous answers, razzing each other when an answer was easily matched to the person.
“My turn.” Dakota tapped a finger against her lips. “I’ve got one. Things Mom shouldn’t show to my prom date.”
“Awww, Dakota.” Braxton rolled his eyes. “You know K.T. and I aren’t into prom.”
“I’ve never gone, either, Braxton.” Cassie offered her sons an encouraging smile. “But I can still imagine what I wouldn’t want my mom to show my date.”
Krew had gone to prom both his junior and senior years. Though the dances had never been a big deal to him, attending seemed almost a rite of passage.
He glanced at Cassie, who was busily writing on her scrap of paper. An unaccustomed lump formed in his throat. Learning she hadn’t gone to prom was another reminder of how his careless actions had changed her life forever.
Beside him, Dakota was busily writing something down. Her life, too, was far different than it could have been.
As Krew scribbled an answer on his paper, he vowed to redouble his efforts to make it up to his daughter and to Cassie.
By the time the game ended,
it was close to eleven. The boys headed to the room they shared, leaving Krew alone with Cassie and Dakota.
“This was fun.” Dakota glanced from her mother to Krew. “It was how I always imagined it would be if I had a dad.”
Krew thought about mentioning that family game night was something her mother had thought up and instituted. But he stopped himself just in time, not wanting to spoil the moment.
Dakota gazed down at her hands for a second before looking up. “I wonder what you two would think about maybe doing this again. You know, getting all of us together. Having dinner together most nights and do things.”
Krew exchanged a glance with Cassie. “Sounds good to me.”
Cassie inclined her head. “What exactly are you asking?”
Two bright swaths of color stained Dakota’s cheeks. “I just think it’d be nice to experience what it’s like to be part of a family—a real family—with both a mom and a dad, for just a little while.”
“I won’t be returning to Green Bay until after the first of the year. We’ve got a couple months.” Krew kept his tone easy and conversational.
Dakota’s smile faded.
“You’ll probably be back in college by then, anyway.” Krew stopped himself from saying more when he caught Cassie’s sharp glance.
“Maybe.” Dakota looked doubtful. “I’m not sure I can get enough money together by second semester.”
Dakota’s eyes shifted to her mother. “I realize the two of you aren’t close, but I’d like it if you could both set aside your feelings and do this for me.”
Krew glanced at Cassie. “I’m game.”
As if realizing the ball was in her court, Cassie smiled. “When do you want to start?”
A week later, Cassie was still coming to terms with the fact that Krew was Dakota’s father. For so many years she’d been convinced it was Mitch who fathered her firstborn. Mitch, who’d refused to take any responsibility, who’d threatened to trash her reputation even further if she “tried to pin the baby on him.”
Her only worry now was her attraction to Krew.
A session earlier this week with Dr. Gallagher had Cassie voicing her fears. What if spending time around Krew awakened old feelings? She’d worked so hard to finally feel independent, but one brief kiss had made her yearn for more. How could she risk falling for a man—even a potentially good one—again?