Page 45 of Promise Me This
The younger woman appears behind her. My response to her presence is immediate and unwelcome. It’s an awareness that has nothing to do with logic or reason. I feel it before I can tamp it down or remind myself of the boundaries.
And the consequences.
I’ve never experienced this kind of reaction to a woman before.
It’s unnerving.
“Only if it’s okay with you,” she adds.
With a swallow, I shove those thoughts away. “Sure, I’m up for a game.”
Elody cheers before darting past me, already pulling cards from the box.
As Kia follows her into the living room, an undeniable truth hits me. Letting her stay might be the easiest decision I’ve made in a long time.
It also might be the biggest mistake.
17
Kia
It only takes one round to realize that Go Fish is serious business in the Lennox household. Elody kneels on the rug between us, tongue poked out in concentration as she studies her cards. Laiken is sprawled across from her, one arm braced behind him, long legs stretched out, pretending he isn’t letting his four-year-old daughter wipe the floor with him.
It might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever witnessed.
“Do you have a seven?” she asks.
He squints at his hand. “Nope, go fish.”
She pokers up and points. “Yes, you do! I saw it when you picked up your cards.”
He groans before spotting it. “Oh. Well, shoot.” He hands it over. “You’re a little cheater pants.”
A laugh slips out of me before I can stop it. Laiken glances over long enough for something unreadable to pass through his eyes before it’s quickly masked.
We finish the round with Elody declaring herself the champion.
Again.
“Looks like it’s bedtime,” Laiken says, checking his phone.
Elody’s eyes widen before she presses her palms together and pleads, “Just one more game. Pleeeease.”
Laiken shifts before straightening. “You’ve already pushed it enough for one night, bug. It’s time for bed.”
Her gaze snaps to me. “Can Kia tuck me in?”
The question hangs in the air.
I glance at him cautiously. “Only if it’s okay. I don’t want to overstep.”
There’s a brief hesitation before he jerks his head in a nod. “Sure, that’s fine.”
The moment I rise to my feet, Elody grabs my hand and drags me down the hallway. She knows her routine by heart, and brushes her teeth with so much exuberance that she somehow gets more water on the mirror than in her mouth. We read two stories and then I tuck her stuffed rabbit beneath her arm while Penny is placed on the pillow next to her.
I settle on the edge of her mattress as she snuggles into the covers.
“You’ll still be here in the morning, right?” she asks, worry creeping into her tone.
