AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stole another glance over at Tina. The bright smile she aimed at me was like a punch to the stomach. Her expression was so full of gratitude. If she only knew that I was the reason her husband hadn’t made it home from that deployment.
Chapter Six
TINA
For the firsttwenty minutes we were out here, I chased Teddy around, playing catch and covertly trying to convince him to get in the pool. He wasn’t interested.
Kyle, however, managed to get him to sit on the edge of the pool and make little kicks with his feet.
Even more shocking was the smile on Callie’s face. And thelaughing. It was short-lived, and within minutes, she was rolling her eyes at Kyle again. But the glimpse of the carefree girl who’d disappeared when her daddy died made my heart soar.
“Do you want to put your swim shorts on and sit on the steps while you practice kicking?” Kyle askedTeddy.
“No. I don’t like swimmy shorts. They hurt.”
With a small frown, Kyle nodded and turned back to Callie, helping her get situated with a pool noodle under her arms. Kyle grabbed a mini boogie board and got in the same position, with his legs straight behind him, and demonstrated what they were going to do next.
“Now we’re going to use our kicks to do a few laps. We’ll add arms next time. For now, I want you to get used to swimming on your belly and keeping your legs straight. Just like you did when you were practicing your kicks. Got it?”
She nodded. “Got it.”
She smiled again when Kyle challenged her to race him, and off they went. Pride surged through me as Callie made it all the way to the far wall before Kyle. They fist bumped once he joined her, making my heart pinch. Because the sight was a reminder that Levi should be here swimming with his daughter.
With a deep breath, I brushed the paracord bracelet on my right wrist and focused on Callie and Kyle again. As I tracked Kyle’s movements on the way to the shallow end, another feeling spread through me. One that warmed me from the inside out and was wholly inconvenient.
His biceps were locked tight as he held the boogie board to his chest, and his back muscles flexed as he made small kicks to propel himself back to the other end.
He wasn’t as broad as Levi, but every muscle was defined. I’d have to be dead not to acknowledge that he was fit. During my perusal, my attention caught on his left shoulder, specifically the tattoo inked on his skin. It seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
“Going to change,” Callie said as she exited the pool and headed for the house.
Kyle ran his towel through his hair as he wandered towardme, and I ripped my gaze away from his body as water dripped down his bare chest.
I shook my head. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Sorry Teddy wouldn’t try.”
“It’s okay. He’ll come around.” He picked his phone up off the table and slid a thumb over the screen. “I’m going to send you a link to something that might help.”
“What is it?”
“Swim jammers,” he mumbled without looking up.
I had no earthly clue what he meant, and when he finally did meet my eye, my confusion must have been evident on my face.
“They’re tight. Like leggings, I guess. It’ll help stop the fabric from rubbing against him. It’s what professional swimmers wear.”
“Oh.” I nodded, picking up my own phone. “Okay.”
“What’s for dinner?” Callie asked as she stepped back into the yard wearing a pair of shorts and a bright pink tank top.
“Spaghetti.”
Teddy, who was drawing with sidewalk chalk on the patio, looked up at Kyle. “You like spaghetti?”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed like he thought it might be a trick question. “Um, sure?”
“He eat spaghetti with us too?” Teddy blinked up at me. Then, to Kyle, he said, “I set the table. Sissy help.”
