AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nods. “I bet that will be fun.” His eyes drift to Lyric, who is so lost in her tablet that she doesn’t realize I’m standing beside her with four large boxes in my hands. “I’ll watch her so you guys can have some privacy. Any time you guys want a date.”
I blink several times when he shrugs, returning to cooking. “That’s—uh, great, man. Thanks.”
“I won’t interfere,” he says softly, not bothering to look at me. “I don’t fucking deserve her, anyway.”
No, you don’t—is what I want to say, but I bite my tongue. Asher is already hurting so much, and I can see that now. Hell, he’s been hurting for years, and I never bothered to pay attention. Was it his fault he was in this mess? Yes. We all fuck up, though, don’t we? We all make major mistakes when it comes to the people we love. Not once has he stuck his nose in the air and denied the facts since he spilled the secret. I’m still fucking pissed at him. A little sliver of that anger will probably permanently hide away inside me.
But I want to let go. For my fucking sanity.
Therapy has helped so damn much to come to terms with what happened. Without that, I wouldn’t be here with a clearer mind. Asher and I have talked it through in the presence of the therapist, and she’s helped us really talk everything out. Every mistake. Every word said. We’ve discussed it at great length. Slowly but surely, we’re getting through this as a team again. A family unit. Our next session, though. I want to talk to him about what he thinks he deserves versus what he actually deserves. He’ll live with these mistakes for the rest of his life, but he shouldn’t keep punishing himself. The way he is with Ly proves to me he loves River more than anything, too. His actions speak volumes. And it’s time they get recognized.
So, now I wait for the woman of the hour on pins and needles, nervously pacing. I pull at my collar, marveling at the suit Jordy picked up for me. Somehow, it fit me perfectly from neck to ankles. I’m almost afraid to ask how he managed to get my measurements and make this happen.
The stars above twinkle on the warm September night, overlooking the beautiful setup on the back porch. For one night only, I’ll have River all to myself. Uninterrupted. Mine. And no one else’s.
And I can’t fucking wait.
“River Blue,” I whisper, stopping her as everyone drifts to the kitchen for the meal Asher and Rad made together.
“Kieran,” she says playfully, raising a brow.
“I, umm…” My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. Fuck. Nerves eat away at me. Why am I having such a hard time asking her? This should be simple.
River, go out with me. River, forgive me for being a dumbass.
“You’re sweating,” Rad quips as he passes by with a steamy plate of food, grinning as Lyric follows, begging for the meal. “At the table, Little Pretty Girl. I’ll cut up your steak as your Daddy Kieran tries to woo your mommy.”
River’s gaze whips to mine. “Woo me?” she asks, wrinkling her nose.
Rad smirks in victory. “Do it,” he mouths.
“Will you go out on a date with me?” I ask, clearing my throat. Silently, I flip Rad off. The bastard. He’s still smirking as he cuts Lyric’s steak into pieces. Leaning in, he whispers something into Lyric’s ear that makes her spine snap straight.
“Do it, Mommy,” she says, batting her eyelashes. “Daddy wants to eat you.”
“With you!” Rad laughs.
“Daddy wants to eat with you.” Lyric nods, shoving a small piece of steak into her mouth.
“Please?”
River’s eyebrows raise. “Where?”
“I have a plan.”
“He has a plan!” Rad announces over-dramatically, throwing his arms around. “You think it’s a good one?” He leans into Lyric as shenods, chewing on her food.
“Daddy always has good plans,” she says confidently, lifting her chin.
I snort, the tightness in my chest loosening when River smirks.
“Sure.” She shrugs, looking me over. “But you had better show me a good time, Knight.”
Knight.
Her Knight.
Relief flies through me at the sound of that simple nickname. Something I’ve longed to hear for years, even through my hatred.
