Page 45 of Falling for the Unexpected

I tried not to dwell on it and instead thought about positive things on the rest of the drive to my apartment. I’d just turned twenty-two. My daughter was healthy and happy. I had wonderful friends and a family that had stuck by my side. I was free of all kinds of baggage and I could do whatever I wanted. My life was pretty great and I had to remember that.

My phone beeped just as I’d entered my apartment and locked the door behind me. I’d managed to not think about Kyle for a whole fifteen minutes and now he was texting me. But I was smiling. I dropped my purse on the side table and read his message.

Kyle:Hi. I wanted to make sure you were good.

I read the text a couple times trying to figure out exactly what Kyle meant. Was he concerned that I was freaking out about what happened? Was he worried I was upset with him for some reason? I didn’t want him to worry so I sent a reply.

Me:I’m good. Thanks for checking. And thanks for letting us all stay at your place last night.

I spent entirely too much time second-guessing and over analyzing what I had just sent. His text had been vague and so had mine. Finally, he texted a reply, which I had to read a few times.

Kyle:Any time. : )

Any time?

What in the world did he mean by that? Was that an invitation to spend more time with him? Did he want that?

Confused, I set my phone down and headed to my bathroom, deciding a nice soak in the tub would help me relax before I headed over to Marla and Jim’s for dinner. I couldn’t spend any more time thinking about Kyle. All it was going to do was cause me to start fantasizing about things that could never be. Instead, I sank down into my tub, closed my eyes, and tried to think of anything other than the tall, handsome man who had rocked my world last night.

*****

Around six, I knocked on the front door and Jim answered, greeting me warmly with a hug. “Hey, kiddo,” he said with affection in his voice.

I hugged him back without hesitation, feeling like he was the dad I’d always wanted. “Hi, Jim,” I replied, smiling big. As I walked into their home, I could immediately smell the fried chicken and mashed potatoes we were having for dinner. “How was Stella today?” I looked around but didn’t see her in the living room. But I followed Jim toward the kitchen.

“She was wonderful as always,” he said over his left shoulder. The twinkle in his eyes made me happy, because he truly loved his role as grandpa. “She seemed to enjoy the zoo, especially the monkeys.”

When I walked into the kitchen, I laughed. Stella was sitting on the island watching Marla put together a salad while holding a brand new stuffed monkey.

Jim and I shared a grin.

“Okay, she really,reallyliked the monkeys,” he said, and chuckled. Jim and Marla didn’t go overboard spoiling Stella. They were already helping me out enough as it was, but I did appreciate that they could give her things that would be difficult for me to do.

“That’s an awfully big salad,” I commented, looking at the bowl in front of Marla. “Is Brad joining us?”

Technically it was his visitation day but I couldn’t remember the last time he saw Stella. I had no desire to see him, but I would deal with it if he showed up.

“No, honey, he’s not coming,” she answered with a sad look in her eyes. I knew how disappointed she was in Brad. I did think she continued to hold out hope that he would eventually change his ways. “But Trent and Kyle are coming over for dinner.”

“Oh, really?” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. I wasn’t ready to come face to face with Kyle. My thoughts had been all over the place since I left his house this morning. Now I was going to have to pretend that he didn’t affect me and I was going to have to do it with the Thompsons in the same room.

As if on cue, the front door burst open and in walked the two guys I had just seen a few hours ago.

“Where’s my favorite niece?” I heard Trent yell from the doorway. When Stella was around, no one else existed in Trent’s mind. In every way that mattered, Jim and Trent completely filled the father role in Stella’s life. For me, it made the sting of Brad’s continued apathy toward his daughter just barely tolerable.

“Unky Trent!” Stella squealed.

“There she is,” he said as he rounded the corner, scooping her off the island and moving over to kiss his mother on the cheek. Then he moved to me and repeated the gesture.

Kyle greeted Trent’s parents and then turned his gaze on me. “Hello, Simone,” he said, a bit formally. He didn’t give me a hug or a kiss like Trent had but the look he gave me was smoldering.

I quickly averted my gaze. Last night was all that had been playing in my head. I had to stop those thoughts, though, or I’d be blushing all through dinner. “How was surfing?” I asked, focusing on generic conversation.

“Cold,” Trent said, giving a mock shiver. We all smiled when it made Stella giggle. “I was thinking of doing a bonfire out on the beach, but Kyle wanted to come over and crash your little party here instead.”

“Just to deliver something,” Kyle said quickly. From behind me, he placed two envelopes on the island right next to me. “Since we didn’t know we would end up seeing you last night.”

I stared at the envelopes in surprise and turned, looking at him. “You didn’t need to get me anything, but that was very sweet,” I said, ridiculously pleased at the gesture.