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I pulled my phone out of my handbag and dialled Kick’s number, willing him to answer fast.
He took what felt like ages to answer, and in that time the banging on the front door got louder. “Evie. What’s up, baby?” he asked.
“Kick, can you come to Lina’s house now?” I practically begged him, my voice shaking with fear.
“Fuck, what’s wrong? And why are you at Lina’s house?”
“Long story, and I’ll fill you in later, but her ex is banging on the front door and he doesn’t sound happy.”
“Fuck,” he swore again, “hold tight, I’ll be there in about ten minutes. And whatever the fuck you do, don’t let the motherfucker in.”
“Okay,” I promised, relieved he was on his way, but unsure I’d be able to keep Dave out because at the rate he was going, he’d have the door smashed open soon.
I shouldn’t have worried, though. Kick arrived quicker than he said he would. Dave had continued to pound on the door but that was as far as he’d gotten. When I’d heard Kick’s bike pull up outside, I’d finally expelled the breath I’d been holding, and rushed to Candace’s room to make sure the girls were okay.
Relief surged through me at the sight of them playing quietly, unaware of what was happening out the front between their dad and their uncle. It killed me to know they’d grow up with a father like Dave. Unless he got his shit together, he was useless to them. Thank God they had their uncles.
I sat on the floor with them and asked, “Would you like me to read you a story?”
Becca gave me a huge smile and nodded emphatically. “Yes!”
I grabbed a book from the bookshelf behind me and after pulling Cadence onto my lap, began reading, trying hard to block out thoughts of what Kick was taking care of. We read for about fifteen minutes until Becca looked up towards the bedroom door and squealed with delight. “Uncle Kick!” she exclaimed, and ran to him.
He caught her and scooped her up into his arms. “Hey darlin’, are you being good for Evie?” he asked, his full attention on her as if she was the most important person in the world.
Oh my.
My tummy fluttered. I’d forgotten how good Kick was with kids. There was something extremely sexy to me about a man who had the time of day for the kids in his life.
I stood, taking Cadence with me, and my eyes met Kick’s a moment later. Surprisingly, he didn’t appear as if he’d just been in a fight, which I’d been expecting. I’d imagined blood smeared on his clothes or at least a much more dishevelled appearance, but he looked almost like he had when I’d left him that morning.
His concerned gaze assessed me. “You okay?” he asked softly.
I nodded. “Yes. Thank you so much for coming. Is everything sorted?”
“Yeah, he’s gone, and I don’t think he’ll show up here like that again, but the asshole doesn’t seem to learn his lessons very fast, so who knows?”
Becca smacked her uncle on the shoulder. “You said a bad word, Uncle Kick,” she chastised him, a stern look written on her face.
I suppressed a laugh, and watched with interest as he handled the situation. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I’ll try not to say it again, yeah?”
She pressed her lips together, trying hard to emulate her mother. I’d seen Lina give her that very look. “You’re always saying bad words. I’ll have to tell Mummy on you.”
Laughter bubbled up, and I managed to hold it in, but I had to walk away to stop Becca from seeing my body shake with it. I took Candace into the kitchen, catching snippets of Becca telling Kick off.
When they joined us a couple of minutes later, he gave me a dirty look and said, “Thanks for that.”
“For what?” I asked as I checked the cake I’d placed in the oven. The girls had scampered off to the lounge room to the television.
He grabbed me around the waist. “For leaving me alone with a four-year-old I had to defend myself to,” he said, pressing a kiss to my lips.
“Well, you shouldn’t use that language around her.”
He groaned. “Do you know how fuckin’ hard it is to stop myself from swearing around them?”
“What does Lina say?” I asked, loving seeing Kick squirm, b
ut mostly just loving the fact he cared about it.
