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The rest of the ride was, thankfully, not about him. His mom talked about all the gossip from the retirement community she lived in in Florida. She filled him in on the latest medications that all her friends were on and who was having hip and knee replacement surgeries. She also shared a little bit of TMI regarding the love lives of her senior peers. From what she said, they were all getting a lot more action than him.
At least, before last night. He still couldn’t believe that he’d spent the night with Kennedy. He knew it was real, but it felt like a dream. One he never wanted to wake up from.
Once they got to the hospital, his mom’s focus was solely ‘getting her hands on those babies.’ She had blinders on and hadn’t noticed the less-than-friendly daggers he’d shot Dr. McSteamy when they’d rode up the elevator with him.
Seb knew that his behavior was ridiculous. In truth, he didn’t have anything personal against the guy. Other than he was clearly interested in Kennedy.
As they walked down the hallway toward Laura’s room, Seb was torn because part of him wanted the best for Kennedy. McDreamy was a doctor, and seemed like a decent guy from the interactions Seb witnessed him having with the nursing staff the day before. The guy probably fulfilled everything on her checklist. She could definitely do a lot worse.
Still, the thought of the two of them together made Seb want to put his fist through a wall. It was unnerving to say the least.
“Knock, knock,” his mom said as they walked into the room.
Laura was sitting up in bed drinking a smoothie. Knox was seated beside her on a chair. One of the twins was in a clear bassinet next to Knox and the other one…Seb walked around the curtain and what he saw knocked the wind right out of him.
Kennedy was seated on the couch holding his niece.
Scenes began to populate his mind like a movie montage of a storyline he’d never imagined himself starring in. Kennedy rocking their baby in the nursery. Kennedy pregnant with their baby. Kennedy telling him she’s pregnant. Kennedy walking down the aisle toward him wearing a white dress. Him on one knee in front of her asking her to be his wife.
The entire montage was playing out in reverse like the film Memento, but it all seemed so real. It was as if he was having déjà vu for things that were going to occur in the future.
“Oh, hello again!” His mom beamed as she greeted Kennedy after hugging Laura and Knox.
“Hi.” Kennedy smiled as she stood with the baby in her arms. “They are cracking down on the number of visitors allowed, so I better go.”
She handed the baby to his mom and the exchange gave him a funny feeling in his chest. She gave both Knox and Laura a hug. Kissed his nephew and then when she walked past Seb, her lips curled in a secret smile.
He had the strongest urge to follow her out, but why? What reason did he have to do that? None.
She’d told him she wasn’t asking for forever, just for tonight.
That’s what they’d shared.
One night.
He’d thought that would be enough. Now, he was realizing one night felt like just the beginning.
17
“Enjoy!”Kennedy smiled and waved as a family of four headed out of the Snack Shack.
She’d helped Laura out a lot over the years in the shop, and she’d always enjoyed the customer service aspect of the job. That had always been her favorite part of real estate, too. But today, she was not feeling her best and was counting down the minutes until Ricky came and relieved her.
As soon as the family was out the door, she grabbed the tissues she was keeping behind the counter and blew her nose. She’d taken a Claritin this morning, but she was pretty sure she’d come down with a sinus infection. She felt a lot of pressure in her eye sockets, and every time she blew her nose the Rice Krispie elves Snap, Crackle, and Pop showed up. She knew the drill. She needed to get some antibiotics. She pulled out her phone to make a doctor’s appointment when the bell dinged, and Kennedy lifted her head to welcome the patrons with a wide smile.
That smile dropped when she saw who had walked in. Her father.
Her first instinct was to refuse him service, but this was Laura’s business. If he was going to be a paying customer, she wasn’t going to not take his money.
“Hi.” His smile was meek.
She’d noticed over the past year or so since he’d been back in town that his demeanor had changed. For as long as she could remember, he’d been larger than life. He was the type of person that everyone noticed when he walked into a room. Not in an obnoxious way, if that were the case, it would have been easier to deal with. No, Michael Dawes was magnetic. He oozed the three big Cs: charisma, confidence, and charm. People were drawn to him. Women wanted to be with him and men wanted to be him.
This new humble, sheepish persona might have everyone else in town fooled. She’d heard people talk about how much he’d changed, but Kennedy wasn’t falling for it. She didn’t know how or why but she did know that his personality shift was part of whatever scam he was running.
“What can I get you?” she asked, her tone and expression flat.
“Um…” He looked up at the board above her head. “Can I get a strawberry and banana smoothie?”
