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“Thanks, Ivy. So glad you came by.”
“Me too,” I admit. “Both of you need some sleep.”
“Now who’s acting like Mom?” Hadleigh throws my way with a wink.
I give her a quick wave, then walk into the hallway. I’m pleasantly surprised that Kane is patiently waiting, and when he falls in line next to me, my stomach fills with butterflies. He’s never made an effort before, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.
“Wow, I can’t believe we have a nephew.”
“I know, it’s insane,” I say honestly, glancing his way as he pushes open the door for me.
“Babysitting is gonna be a blast. I’m sure he’s gonna be a breeze to watch and a lot of fun as he gets older. I might be biased, but Hendrix is adorable.”
He smirks. “I agree wholeheartedly. He looks just like Knox and I did.”
This makes me laugh, but I notice the resemblance. Before I get the courage to start my next sentence, I suck in a deep breath and lick my lips. “So…” I say, hoping my words don’t get stuck in my throat. “I know this might come off a little awkward but—”
Before I can spit out what I want to say, a raven-haired woman with big boobs and bright blue eyes walks up and interrupts us.
“Sweetheart,” Kane mutters, almost surprised. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
She glances at me, like she’s sizing me up, then presses her lips against his. “I didn’t think so either, but I was able to get off work early. I didn’t want to miss this.”
It’s awkward standing here, listening to their conversation, but I can’t just walk away either.
“You should go in and see them really quick. They’re in room 585. I’ll meet you there in a bit,” he tells her. She agrees, kisses him again, then walks away.
My heart thuds in my chest, and my cheeks heat when their lips touch again. I stare off into the distance, wishing I could disappear. When she’s completely out of sight, Kane turns to me.
“Sorry, what were you saying?”
“Oh, it was nothing.” I smile and try to keep my tone light and fluffy, but it feels impossible. “Well, I should probably get going. It was really good seeing you.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Awkward silence returns, and it seems to draw on for eternity. Neither of us moves.
“Let me walk you to your car. You can tell me about school,” he suggests, but I feel like he’s just being nice for the sake of it.
“No, no, it’s fine. I’m parked right up front. You should probably go meet up with your girlfriend. I don’t wanna keep you,” I truthfully say.
“You’re not,” he states. “I’ll be happy to—”
“Take care of yourself, okay? Have a good night.” I don’t want his pity or for him to feel like he has to be kind to me for the sake of it.
“You too,” he tells me, almost sounding defeated.
I give him a nod and make my way to the elevator, needing fresh air. I almost made one of the stupidest mistakes of my life and asked Kane to hang out when he had a girlfriend. Thankfully she walked up and stopped me from embarrassing myself. Though, it sucks because I’d finally found the courage to ask the man I’ve had a crush on since I was twelve to hang out or grab some coffee sometime, and now I can’t.
CHAPTER TWO
KANE
“Shit.” I roll over, trying to turn off my blaring alarm. My phone drops to the floor with a loud thump while the annoying siren screams. I lean over my bed, blindly reaching for it, and miraculously find it. I check the time, and it’s almost five in the morning. Waking up early is the norm around here, but it doesn’t make it any more palpable.
I get up to piss, then brush my teeth. After I’m dressed, I grab my baseball hat, then leave. One good thing about living alone, I can be as loud as I want whenever I want. Since Knox and Hadleigh’s baby boy is finally here, I’m on double duty so my brother can have some bonding time with his son. I’m more than happy to cover for him because I know he’ll do the same for me when my firstborn comes.
Once I’m in my truck driving down the long drive toward the barn, I realize I didn’t make any coffee. I contemplate running by the B&B on the way over but decide to wait until after the horses are fed. When I pull up to the barn, Payton’s carrying two buckets of feed in both hands. I walk up to him.
“I’ve fed stalls on the right already, workin’ on the left.”
“I’ve got the rest,” I tell him, going to the storage room and measuring the feed for the rest of the boarded animals.
