Page 54 of Playing With Forever

I gave him time to collect himself, wondering if I should tell Josie about this conversation. This new family dynamic was uncharted water. If Lindy was harboring serious resentment toward Celeste, I’d want to know. But I’d also have to respect the relationship Josie was building with Lindy and trust she’d come to me if there was a serious problem.

“I like your daughter,” Kane said calmly.

Now it was my turn to give him something.

“Her mom left when she was seven. That’s to say, I kicked her mother out when she was seven. My ex had issues with drinking and going out. I wouldn’t go as far as to say she’s an alcoholic; I think the addiction was more to the attention she got. I never caught her cheating, but when a man’s wife is out at the bar more than she’s home, he has his suspicions. I was still in uniform, as you know, that’s not a nine-to-five, so our daughter had an array of babysitters.

“After the divorce, it got worse for Lindy. Celeste broke more promises than she kept. I finally had enough of my girl sitting in front of the window waiting for her mom to come get her when I knew in my gut that bitch was going to no-show. Lindy hasn’t seen her mother since she was ten. That’s half of her life she’s been without a mom.”

“Now I’m even more pleased, mom has you,” Kane said. “Because now Lindy has a woman worthy of being her mom.”

Fuck, I hoped so.

“I haven’t had a relationship since I kicked my ex out. Like your mom, my sole reason for living was raising my daughter. Your mother’s the first woman I’ve ever allowed to meet my daughter. I’ve shielded her from my friends’ wives and sisters, not wanting another woman to run out on her. I fucked up with that. I deprived my daughter of something she needed out of fear she’d be abandoned again. Full disclosure, we’re new, we’re still trying to find our way. But I need you to know, I care about your mom, I’m falling in love with her. I’m willing to put in the work to make what we have stronger. But, bud, I’m gonna fuck up along the way because I have no fucking clue how to love a woman as great as your mom.”

Kane’s mouth twisted into a smile.

“I think you just give her what you did in there, and she’ll do the rest.”

Smart, protective, and wise.

Yeah, Josie raised a good man.

“You ready to go back in?”

“Wanna get back to your woman, or do you want my mom to lay eyes on me so she knows I’m okay?”

“Both. And I want more pancakes. Your mom’s one hell of a cook. Had her fried pork chops last night—heaven in the form of food. It’ll mean I gotta run an extra three miles later at the gym, but every bite was worth it.”

“My dad hated when she made pork chops.”

We were out of the woods, and I stepped right on a landmine.

“She told me.”

“Glad she found a man who doesn’t mind running an extra three miles so she can have what she likes.”

I’d run a fucking marathon every day if it meant Josie had what she wanted.

We were nearing the front door when Kane asked, “You cool with me getting Lindy’s number and adding her to the sibling chat? Carrie’s in there with us.”

Seriously, Josie raised a good man.

“You don’t have to ask my permission, Kane. I trust you’ll do right by my daughter. But I feel the need to warn you, she has an obsession with stupid memes, and she’ll send you a hundred of those reels.”

“Good to know. She’ll fit right in.”

Two older brothers to give her gruff and look out for her. Two women in her life to help guide her into womanhood.

I like the trail of warmth blaze through me.

Then I followed Kane into the house.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“You were wrong, Josie,” Lindy told me.

I stuttered to stop and gripped my phone at my ear tighter. Not because Lindy told me I’d been wrong about something, but I could swear I saw someone crouch down behind a car in the parking lot. I shifted to get a better view out of the window while still keeping in the shadows and went back to my conversation with Lindy, but kept my attention on the cars.