Page 81 of A Bossy Surprise

“No, you were a mess back then. I was looking out for my sister. In hindsight, that wasn’t the way to go about it, but my intentions were spot on considering what ended up happening.”

“Then why were you embarrassed?”

“Because of how I reacted when I found out. I’m so ashamed of myself.” He covers his face with both hands. “I can’t believe I punched you. I’ve never punched anyone in my life.” He turns to me. “Adam, I am so so sorry.”

I smile. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. There’s no excuse for how I behaved.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say that. You had a right to be upset.”

“Yes, but not to be violent.”

I shrug. “I probably deserved it. Whether or not it was wrong of you to ask me to make that promise, I did it all the same. Then I broke it, and it led to a lot of tumult in your family’s life. That’s not a small thing. I probably would’ve flown into a rage myself if it had been me.”

“Anyway, I’m sorry. Can we put it behind us?”

“It’s forgotten.”

We are silent again as we stare into the distance. Then he says, “So you and Kayla are officially a couple?”

I smile. “Yes, we are.”

“Listen, I want to be happy for you, the both of you. I really do, but Kayla is my baby sister. I know I have to work on not judging you because of your history with women, but still I can’t disregard it.”

“That’s fair, but you should know that I adore your sister. I’ve always found her fascinating, even when we were kids. That’s why we got together that night. Kayla is amazing. I honestly don’t deserve her. She’s the kind of woman any man would be honored to call his.”

“I know that. That’s what worries me. Kayla is so strong, but that strength has its limits. I’m afraid you’ll push it to the maximum.”

“Would it surprise you to know that I too am afraid of that?” Lucas turns to me and raises a brown, but doesn’t say anything. So I continue, “It’s something I also worry about. In fact, I’m terrified of fucking this up, not only because it’ll mean Kayla and I won’t be together, but it would break my heart to watch hers break.”

Lucas assesses me, then says, “You’ve changed.”

“How?”

“I’m not sure I can explain it, but you seem more settled, grounded in a way.”

I chuckle. “There’s nothing like finding out you have a six-year-old son to sober you up real quick.”

“I can imagine… I can’t believe Kayla kept this to herself all this time.”

“She had her reasons. I try not to think about it too much. All that matters is that we’re together now.”

“How is Brady taking all of this?”

“He’s actually taking it in stride. I love that boy like I love no one in this world. I’ve always heard parents describe the love they have for their kids, and I always thought they were exaggerating. Now I know what they meant. Even though I’ve only known about him for a short while, he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“So he’s happy about you and Kayla being together?”

“Oh, he doesn’t know about that. Kayla and I are keeping it quiet for now. We’ll tell him when things get a little more serious.”

“That’s probably wise.”

“Yeah.” I look at the watch on my wrist. “I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work.”

Lucas climbs to his feet. “Sure, I’m glad we had this talk.”

“So am I.” I also get to my feet. “How much longer are you in town?”