Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,19
breaking a sweat.
Note to self: keep Devon and Veego apart for a while.
I laid my hand on Devon’s bicep. “Hey.”
His eyes fluttered down to mine. “Hey, Kat.”
“Did you pick that belt out on your own?”
It took him a second to catch up to my change of topic.
“No, I had help.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “My ex-wife. She’s not into girly shit, so I thought she’d know where to get something badass enough for Ellie. That thing she was wearing before really wasn’t cool enough for her.”
That made me laugh. “Not everyone has to be cool, you know.”
“That’s true, but Ellie is.”
“She is, you’re right.” I nudged him out of the way to finish chopping up the lettuce. He hovered right beside me. “You’re still friends with your ex?”
“Friends?” He let out a humorless chuckle. “Not really. She tolerates me. Mick’s managed some of my tours over the years, and occasionally, she’ll pick up my phone calls. But we’re not friends.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Not everyone’s as forgiving as you, Kat. And to tell the truth, not everyone deserves forgiveness.”
I knew that all too well. Devon had no idea how unforgiving I could be. Some things I could let go. I could be hurt, scarred for life, cheated on, and I might have room in my heart for forgiveness. Hurt my daughter, though? There was no coming back from that.
Ellie decimated her dinner in minutes and asked to be excused, claiming a burning need to discuss one of their classmate’s latest TikTok with her friend Molly. It sounded dire, naturally, so I let her go.
After helping me clean up dinner, Devon came outside with me while Leroy sniffed the perimeter of the backyard.
Devon clasped his hands on top of his head and exhaled. “God, it’s fuckin’ idyllic here, isn’t it?”
At first, my eyes were stuck on him. The sun had started setting, casting a golden glow over his skin. He had this faraway look about him that made me want to crack him open and find out exactly what he was thinking.
Whoa, where the hell did that come from?
I could honestly say I’d never had that thought about a man before. And to have it about Devon Chambers, a man so out of my league, we didn’t even play the same sport—no. No, I wasn’t doing this. I wasn’t going to form some irrational crush on a rock star. No way.
Tearing my eyes from Devon, I took in the view he was marveling over. Pinks and purples painted the sky, darting down to the rolling hills and vineyards in the distance.
“I take it for granted. I can’t even tell you the last time I stopped to watch the sun set,” I said.
His gaze shifted to me, but I kept mine on the setting sun.
“Man, I can’t picture getting used to this.”
“You’ll have to make your visits to Sunnyville annual so you can continue appreciating the sunsets.”
He lightly elbowed my arm. “Think you’ll rent to me again?”
I turned, biting back a smile. “That remains to be seen. If you trash the place, I’ll have you blacklisted. No one in Sunnyville will rent to you again.”
“Ah, you wound me.” He staggered back, all drama. “What makes you think I’d trash your place, Lady?”
I flicked my hand at him, raising my chin. “I don’t know what you…” I gave him a faux-haughty once-over, “rock stars do.”
He chuckled, flopping down on one of my patio chairs. “Maybe a few years ago, you’d be right to be concerned, but I am a reformed citizen. A stand-up lad.”
“Oh, a lad, huh?” My eyebrow arched. “A lad in his late thirties?”
“Mid. Mid-thirties.” In a lower voice, he whispered, “How dare you.”
Snickering, I took a seat beside him, crossing my legs in his direction. “Let’s revisit the thing about you possibly trashing places a few years ago…”
He shrugged. “I’m a cliché, what can I say?”
I hummed in acknowledgement, unsure what else to say. Over the years, I’d probably absorbed bits and pieces of news about Devon, but none of it had really stuck with me. In the back of my mind, I knew he had a less-than-stellar reputation, but for reasons not quite known to me, I found myself disappointed he’d been that guy.
I’d grown up around people who were hot messes, and I generally tried to steer clear of those types. But Devon...well, he didn’t remind me of those people. He seemed a little lost—okay, maybe a lot lost—but not in the same way they were.