by Burton, Jaci
“Good to know,” Kal said, looking over to see Oliver’s feet relaxed on the reclining sofa. He took his lemonade and strolled into the living room to see Oliver had fallen asleep, his head cranked in what looked like a really uncomfortable position. Kal repositioned him, laying him down so that his arm would still be propped up. Oliver had his knees drawn close like he was cold, so Kal dragged the blanket off the top of the sofa and covered him, then patted his shoulder.
“You’re gonna be fine, buddy,” he whispered.
He grabbed his lemonade off the coffee table and headed back into the kitchen to find both Hannah and Paige staring at him.
“What? He fell asleep and his positioning was awkward.”
“It was very sweet of you, Kal,” Paige said.
Hannah looked like she might cry, tears glistening in her eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
She headed down the hall, went to her room and shut the door.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked Paige.
Paige grasped his arm. “No, honey. You did everything right. She’s done it all by herself for so long that even the smallest things that you do to help are a big deal to her. Thank you for that.”
“I’m glad I was around to help today.”
She squeezed his arm. “I am, too.”
Hannah came down the hall. “Sorry, I had something in my eye. Allergies, probably.”
She looked like she’d been crying. After the day she’d had, no one could blame her. As strong as his mom was, he also knew how much she cared about all of them. She’d held it together every time one of them got hurt. And then she’d go to her room, and when she came out later, her eyes would be puffy.
You could be a strong woman and still cry.
He went over to her and folded her in his arms.
“I’m okay, Kal,” she said, but she didn’t pull away.
“I know you are. I also know that’s your baby asleep on the sofa, and he fell and broke his wrist today, and that was some scary shit. So it’s okay to be upset about it.”
He felt her shuddering sigh as she leaned into him. He rubbed her back, hoping in some way to let her know that she didn’t have to go through this alone. He laid his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes, and just . . . stilled. This moment right here? He could do this forever, could feel her heart beating against him, could feel her arms around him. It made him want to protect her—and Oliver—so that nothing could hurt either of them.
Paige cleared her throat. “So, who’s hungry?”
Hannah stepped back, swiped her cheeks where tears had fallen again and smiled up at Kal. “I am. How about you?”
He grinned. “Are you kidding? The only reason I stayed was for the mac and cheese.”
She laughed. “Okay, then. Let’s get cooking.”
Kal offered to help, but Hannah and Paige shooed him out of the kitchen, so he went and sat in the living room. Oliver woke up and said he had to go to the bathroom. Kal went with him and helped him out in there since he was going to have to learn to manage things one armed for a while, at least until the sling came off and he got the cast on. After that, they sat at the table and Oliver drank his lemonade.
“At least you broke your left wrist and you’re right-handed,” Kal said. “You can still do homework.”
Oliver gave Kal a look. “That’s good?”
Kal laughed. “Yeah, it’s good. And wait ’til you go to school tomorrow. Everyone will want to see your splint with you looking all cool now.”
“I look cool?”
“Yeah, you do. Like a bad— Well, you look really awesome.”
Oliver beamed a smile.
Dinner was good. The macaroni and cheese was spectacular, and they had chicken tenders with it, along with a green salad and a fruit salad. He was happy to see that Oliver ate well. Typical for kids. No matter what happened, they could still fill their stomachs.
After dinner, Hannah said she was going to give Oliver a bath, which meant a lot of wrapping and maneuvering, so Kal knew it was time for him to leave.
Kal walked over to Oliver. “Get some rest, buddy. I’ll be back to check on you soon.”
“Okay. Thanks for hanging out today, Kal.” Oliver put his one good arm around Kal to hug him.
Kal’s heart squeezed as he hugged Oliver back.
“I’ll walk you out,” Hannah said.
Kal said goodbye to Paige, then walked outside with Hannah. It was a clear night, and humid.
“Looks like a rain shower’s coming in soon,” she said.
“Yeah.” He stopped at his truck and turned around. “He’ll be okay.”
She nodded. “I know he will. Thank you for being there for me. For Oliver.”
He tipped her chin and brushed his lips across hers. “Always will be.”
She gave him a look he couldn’t figure out. Maybe surprise, maybe disbelief. He wasn’t sure. And now wasn’t the time to question it, so he got in his truck, waved and backed down the driveway.
What he really wanted to do tonight was stay, to make sure Oliver slept okay, to be there for Hannah because he knew she’d be emotional about what happened today.
He realized on the drive home he had gotten himself deeply involved. Not only with Hannah, but with her son.
And he honestly had no idea how she felt. Which meant he might be in trouble.
“MOMMA, IS KAL YOUR BOYFRIEND?”
Hannah paused as she was tucking Oliver into bed, not knowing how to answer.
Honestly, she supposed. “Yes, I guess he is. What do you think about that?”
He shifted since he was piled up with pillows under his broken wrist. “I like him. He’s nice to you. And to me. And he doesn’t make you cry.”
Her stomach knotted and her heart clenched. “He is nice, and I like him very much. So it doesn’t upset you that I’m seeing him?”
“No. You need someone to love. I mean, you got me and Grandma, and we love you and you love us. But it’s good that you got Kal now, too. You can never love enough people, right?”
She smoothed her hand over the top of the blanket, then kissed Oliver’s forehead.
“Right, baby. Get some rest now. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Momma.”
She turned out the light and left his door partially open. She went into her room, shut the door and leaned against it, finally releasing the tears she’d been holding in all day.
CHAPTER 20
HANNAH’S MOM HAD TO BOOT HER OUT OF THE HOUSE Thursday night when her friend Veronica invited her to a girls’ night out. She initially begged off, claiming she had to stay home and take care of Oliver. Then, when she told her mom about Veronica’s call, her mother argued that Oliver was fine, she could take care of him, and that Hannah needed to get out and relax, because she was wound up and hovering over Oliver way too much.
Mom was right, of course. She had been hovering, and it was probably annoying her son. She knew she was irritating her mother. She felt the tension sitting on her shoulders like a boulder. Maybe a night out wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Kal had stopped by this morning before Oliver went to school, and even he’d mentioned that she looked tired. Not exactly the thing she wanted to hear from the guy she was dating. He’d asked her if she wanted to go out tonight, and she’d told him she wanted to stay home and be with Oliver. And then she hadn’t even invited him over.
She laid her head in her hands and realized what a hot mess she was. Her kid had a broken wrist. It wasn’t exactly the end of the world. In fact, Oliver was managing his arm just fine, even though he had to work with the sling until he got his cast on next week. To him—no big deal. To her? Huge. She’d been a giant stress ball all week long.
That did it. She was going out tonight. But first she was going to text Kal.
She got out her phone and started typing.
I’m sorry about this morning. My head isn’t in the game this week.
He replied back a few minutes later. You were f
ine. Don’t worry about it.
She sent another text: I know you asked me out, and I said no, but I’m going out with my friend Veronica for girls’ night. Don’t be mad.
He sent back a laughing emoji. Not mad. Have a good time. You deserve it.
What she didn’t deserve was a man like Kal in her life. Why was he always so understanding about everything? Didn’t anything piss him off?
She typed a return text: Thanks. Talk soon.
There was so much more she’d wanted to say to him about how she felt, but she couldn’t say it in a text message. She wasn’t even sure she could form the words, since they were more emotional than logical.
How did she feel? And did she have the right to those feelings? Because she really was a mess right now. How could she bring a man into her life when said life was so unstable? She lived with her mother, she was just starting to make the salon work, and then there was Oliver. No way could she include a relationship in all of that.
In fact, she decided the best course of action was not to think about it. Instead, she got ready to go out. She put on a skirt and top, slid into her heels and kissed both her son and her mom and headed out the door before she changed her mind about that, too.
They met at Veronica’s house, which meant she could say hello to Veronica’s husband, Eddie, along with their three-year-old daughter, Shay, an adorable strawberry blonde with the cutest curls Hannah had ever seen. Eddie sat patiently on the floor while the toddler clipped small bows onto his hair.
“Best you’ve ever looked, babe,” Veronica said.
“I like the purple one the best,” Eddie said, batting his lashes at her. “Brings out my eyes.”
“You should wear that to work,” Tina, one of their friends, said.
“You think? It would look great with my suit.”
“I might have to snatch one of those for Carl,” Jess said. “He’d look so cute wearing that when he changes someone’s oil or puts in a new engine.”
Everyone laughed.
Veronica bent over to kiss her husband and daughter.
“You’re a good daddy,” Veronica said. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, babe,” he said. “Have fun tonight.”
Hannah felt a well of emotion. There was nothing like seeing two people so obviously in love. She was happy for her friend.
“Bye, Mama,” Shay said.
“Bye, my love.”
They ordered a car so they could all drink, which sounded perfect to Hannah. She might regret it during her long day at the salon tomorrow, but screw it. She was having a cocktail or two tonight with her girls. She hadn’t made time to see them since the reunion, and they had a lot to catch up on.
They went to YOT Bar and Kitchen and got a seat with a view of the water. Hannah took a sip of the mojito she ordered. It was sweet and minty and hit all her relaxation buttons.
“So, Hannah,” Veronica asked. “Tell us everything.”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean your job, Oliver, what you’ve been doing. Who you’ve been doing?”
Jess laughed. “Yes, especially the who you’ve been doing.”
“Oh.” She stirred her drink. “Oliver broke his wrist this week.”
“Oh no,” Tina said. “What happened?”
She filled them in on Oliver’s accident, then they all started talking about their kids, and then about their friend Mary’s new baby girl, which gave her a reprieve from discussing her dating life—at least through another cocktail.
“Are you dating anyone, Hannah?” Jess asked.
She inwardly winced, but she knew she was going to have to talk about Kal. These were her high school friends. Plus they all knew Kal.
“I’m sort of seeing Kal Donovan.”
Veronica’s eyes widened. She laid her palm flat on the table and leaned forward. “Wait. What? You’re dating Kal again?”
“Seriously?” Tina asked.
“Tell us everything,” Jess said, signaling their server for another round of drinks.
By the time she’d finished her third mojito, she’d spilled the entire story of her and Kal. And her face was numb. She was pretty sure her toes were numb, too.
“Wow,” Jess said. “You and Kal Donovan. Who would have ever thought the two of you would hook up again after all these years.”
Tina nodded. “It’s like you were meant to be. Like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Who both ended up dead, Tina,” Veronica said.
“Okay, maybe not those two. Like . . . like . . . I don’t know. Give me a romantic couple.”
“Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley,” Hannah said, laying her chin in her hand.
They all looked at her. Hannah shrugged. “Oliver and I are reading Harry Potter. And I’ve seen the movies. They’re perfect together. Friends first, and they both stand up for and protect the other through everything.”
“Okay, maybe,” Veronica said.
“I could definitely see it,” Jess said. “You and Kal were always so tight in high school. And now he’s back in your life.”
“It’s like it’s meant to be,” Tina repeated, a dreamy look on her face. “It’s so romantic.”
Hannah waved her hand. “We’re just having some fun. It’s . . . familiar, ya know?”
“Is that all it is, though?” Veronica asked. “Familiar?”
“I . . . I don’t know. I feel a lot of things for Kal. I always have. But I don’t know if I have the time right now for that kind of relationship. I’m not sure I ever want to have another deep relationship again.”
Veronica laid her hand on Hannah’s arm. “Of course you don’t. You got hurt by someone who was supposed to be your partner in life. No wonder you’re anxious about falling in love again.”
She wasn’t about to tell her friends she had never loved Landon. Not the way she loved . . .
She wasn’t going to think about that. She was pretty sure she couldn’t put together a coherent thought at all right now.
“I don’t know. We’re having a good time together. We include Oliver in a lot of the things we do. It’s good right now, you know?”
Jess nodded. “And that’s enough.”
“Exactly,” Tina said. “You shouldn’t be in a rush. Take things slow. Whatever happens between the two of you will . . . happen. On its own. Organically.”
“Right. Organically.” Whatever that meant. Her brain went fuzzy again. The conversation was deep, more than she’d wanted to have tonight. “We should order some food.”
“That sounds good,” Tina said.
They grabbed their menus, and Hannah tried to focus on the dishes listed. What was in those mojitos anyway? When their server came over, she decided to switch to water. Because she was definitely getting shit-faced, and that hadn’t been her intention.
They ordered their food.
“And another round of drinks, too,” Veronica said.
Hannah cringed. She hoped she remembered the right address when it was time to go home.
KAL WAS PLAYING A VIDEO GAME, COMPLETELY DESTROYING the enemy, when the doorbell rang.
“Dammit.” He frowned, paused the game and went to answer the door, surprised to see not only Hannah, but Veronica, Tina and Jess as well.
“Hi, Kal,” Veronica said. “Your girlfriend is toasted, but she wanted to come see you. She’s all yours now.”
Hannah, who was leaning against the doorjamb, gave him a sloppy smile. “I wanted to see you.”
“Hi there. Who’s driving?”
“Jeff, our friendly Lyft driver. He’s taking us all home tonight.”
“Okay. Hang on a sec.” He walked Hannah over to the sofa and sat her down, then leaned over to whisper to her. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
She smiled up at him, then tried to pat his face and missed. “You are so hot.”
He grinned. “Thanks. Stay here, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
He walked outside where
the Lyft driver, Jeff, was sitting in the car. Jeff rolled down the window.
“Handling them all right?”
“They’re fine. Tipsy, but they seem to be having a good time. They sang to me. I’ll make sure they all get home okay.”
“Good. Thanks. I’ll call their husbands and let them know you’re in the process of safely delivering them.”
“You got it.”
Kal smiled. Jeff seemed like a good guy, but he wanted to make sure no one was going to take advantage of a group of drunk women.
He held the door open for the women, who slid inside. Veronica grasped his arm.
“Take care of my girl,” she said.
“I will. Say hi to Eddie for me.”
She kissed his cheek. “I’ll do that. Come by and see us sometime.”
“I’ll definitely do that.”
He closed the door and watched as Jeff slowly backed down the driveway, then went inside.
He texted Eddie, Carl and Ray and let them know to expect delivery of their inebriated wives, then went back inside, only to find a path of discarded clothes instead of Hannah.
Like a trail of bread crumbs, he picked up one red high heel in the living room, another one in the kitchen, a blouse at the entrance to the stairs, a bracelet on the landing, a bra hanging over the bannister, a skirt at the top of the stairs and a pair of panties at the entrance to his bedroom.
At least she’d managed to find the right bedroom, so maybe she wasn’t as drunk as he’d thought.
He was also thankful that Jackson and Becks were out tonight. Surely, Hannah wouldn’t have done her striptease in front of them.
Then again, he’d done some weird shit when he’d been drunk. In front of more people than that.
He opened the door to the bedroom to find Hannah lying on her back on his bed. He laid her clothes on the chair, then approached the bed. Even without the light on he heard her deep, even breathing, and could tell she was asleep.
He shook his head and smiled, then pulled the covers back to tuck the blanket up to her chin. He kissed her forehead.
“I wanted to tell you something,” she whispered.
He sat on the side of the bed and smoothed her hair back. “Sure. What is it?”
“Something . . . portant. ’Bout you and me. And stuff.”