Bonus Kisses - Freya Barker Page 0,29
starting to realize a few things about myself that aren’t particularly flattering.”
I lift my knees and rest my now empty arms on them. “I find that hard to believe.” The words are out before I can check them.
“Believe it,” she immediately replies, apparently oblivious to the meaning behind my statement. “It’s me who has some soul-searching to do.”
“You certainly aren’t the only one,” I admit, realizing I should probably apologize to Sarah for my earlier knee-jerk reaction. “Let me know if you want company. Maybe we can be each other’s sounding board.”
She doesn’t answer, but she gives me a wobbly smile. Before I give into the temptation to kiss those full, smiling lips, I push myself to my feet. Bending down only to kiss the top of her head. “I have an apology to deliver,” I announce, before walking out of her room.
I’m relieved to find Sarah in the kitchen, washing a few mugs by hand in the sink. I reach over her shoulder to pluck the rag from her fingers before turning her in my hold.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I jumped to conclusions I had no business jumping to.”
For a brief moment, I feel her arms tightening around me before she lets go and steps out of my reach. “Forgiven,” she says, before her face scrunches up. “But your stench is inexcusable. For the sake of humanity, go have a shower. I’ll grab the kids from the bus and get them settled.”
I don’t bother arguing and do what she suggests. My thoughts started running the moment the warm water stream starts pelting my back, replaying the past half hour in my mind. Something Taz said keeps nagging at me. “I should get it done while I still have time.”
Still has time? What does that mean?
I rush through my shower while anger starts building in my veins. With a towel around my hips, I slip into the bedroom to grab clean clothes and almost bump into Taz dragging a couple of garbage bags out into the hallway.
Ignoring her sharp intake of breath, I lean into her space.
“What exactly did you mean, you ‘should get it done while you still have time’? Are you going somewhere?”
“What?” She takes a step back, but I simply close the distance.
“Is there something you forgot to tell me?”
Suddenly her hand is in the middle of my chest, burning my skin. I barely notice the force she tries to put behind it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you may wanna back up.”
I take a step back, close my eyes, and suck in air through my nose, trying to calm myself down before I do or say something I’ll regret. Again.
I’m normally a pretty cool and collected guy, but since Nicky ended up in the hospital and her sister showed up, I feel like I’ve been taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride, hanging on by the skin of my teeth.
“Earlier,” I finally trust myself to say, “you mentioned you wanted to get Nicky’s stuff sorted ‘while you still have time.’ Time before what?”
Realization steals over her face and her eyes go big with understanding. Finally.
“Oh. I start my job on Monday.”
“Job?”
She looks a little sheepish when she answers, “I got a position with Shannon County Home Health Care. Shit. I should’ve mentioned something.”
“You think?”
“I’m just picking up a few shifts. Only during school hours,” she quickly adds.
Her hand is still resting on my chest when I lean forward, gently butting my forehead to hers. “We really need to learn to communicate better,” I whisper.
“I know.” Her response is no more than a sigh.
“Fuck. I’m going to kiss you now.”
My mouth is a breath away from hers when the front door slams open and the kids’ voices fill the house.
The next moment Taz is gone, hurrying down the stairs.
Chapter Eleven
Taz
“Auntie Taz?”
“Yes, Spencer?”
“How come you don’t have kids?”
I almost drop the knife I’m using to spread cream cheese on the bagel he wanted to take for lunch. Where on earth did that come from?
“Well…” I start, turning to the boy sitting at the kitchen table, “…I’m not married, and you need a mom and a dad to have a baby.” I have no idea whether Spencer knows even the basic logistics of making a child, but I figure my response is safe enough.
He does not seem satisfied. His face scrunches up and he appears to be thinking hard. “But you don’t really need a dad. Colin doesn’t have a dad, he has two moms.”
Oh boy.
I lick