Every Time My Heart Breaks, page 39
Yeah, yeah, shut up. I know I wasn’t a goddamn inspirational speech giver.
But I wasn’t the type to give up either.
From the counter where I had Brooks sitting, he gummed at a toy and blabbered, “Mama, mama, mama…”
“Actually, it’s Dad,” I corrected him. “But we’ll work on that later. One thing at a time, right?”
“Mama, mama, mama,” Brooks agreed cheerfully.
“Right.” I picked him up, his diaper rustling against my arm where I perched him as I lowered him to the floor. “So here we go. Nice and easy. No need to panic, okay? We’re just going to stand. You can stand with no worries. Right?”
I settled him gently on the floor, and his brow furrowed as if he noticed the difference, but he was too content to chew on his toy to get upset just yet. He didn’t attempt to walk, however, and then he bent his knees as if to sit, but I pointed in warning.
“No, no, no. Just give it a chance. Keep standing.”
And as if he understood me, Brooks straightened again, standing upright in his shoes without screaming bloody murder.
After five seconds of him standing there without moving or sitting or crying, I felt as if I’d just discovered the cure for cancer.
“Holy shit. You’re doing it.” I was so fucking proud of my kid for facing his fear I could’ve burst.
“Chloe!” I shouted through the house, unable to take my eyes off my perfect little boy. “Come quick! Hurry!”
A second later, I heard her racing down the hall until she exploded into the room, panting breathlessly. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” I cheered. “Just look.”
When I motioned toward Brooks, she spread her arms cluelessly and blinked down at him as he stood there looking right back up at her.
“What am I looking at?” she finally asked.
“Shoes!” I practically shouted, jabbing my hand toward them.
“Oh!” she gasped in surprise, finally catching on. “Oh my God! You got him to stand in his shoes. Way to go, Brooksie!” She cheered, crouching down to his height and opening her arms wide. “Mama’s so proud of you. Yes…”
Our son grinned big at her, slobber dripping from his gums.
“Mama,” he cooed, waving his arm excitedly and making the toy in his hand rattle like crazy. “Mama, mama…”
Tempted by the sweet lure of his mother’s arms, he took his first wobbling step in his shoes and started toward her.
“There he goes,” I encouraged. “He’s walking in them. You actually got him to walk in them!”
She looked at me and smiled.
Meanwhile, from the front of the house, a familiar voice called, “Hello? Knock-knock.”
“Hey. Come on in,” I called in greeting. “We’re back here.”
“Okay.” As footsteps approached, the woman started talking. “I cannot wait until you guys see this cake. I think it is seriously my best work yet.” And then she appeared in the doorway. “So what do you think? Don’t lie.”
“Wow,” I said, my eyebrows perking up. “That looks way too pretty to eat.”
The baker frowned irritably. “After all the work I put into this sucker, you better eat every fucking bite.”
“Damn,” I murmured, lifting my eyebrows at her for such sass. “You kiss my brother-in-law with that filthy mouth, little girl?”
She laughed and winked at me. “The dirtier I talk, the more he likes it.”
While I chuckled in appreciation, Chloe finally straightened from the floor with Brooks on her hip. “I want to see,” she said as she stepped around me.
Trick’s newly wedded bride turned to show off her masterpiece to my wife.
“Oh my God, Kennedy.” Chloe sucked in a shocked breath. “Just when I think you can’t make anything more spectacular, you surprise me again.”
Her sister-in-law blushed at the praise. “Thank you. I thought it turned out pretty good too.”
“That’s not pretty good; it’s amazing,” I assured.
It looked exactly like a Dr. Seuss hat with red and white stripes. The frosting had this fabric-like texture that made it look as if it were made of felt. There were even seams with little red stitches in them.
I was tempted to reach out and touch it just to be sure, but I thought that might get me into trouble, so I managed to refrain.
“So where do you want me to set it?” Kennedy asked.
“Oh, right in here on the head table would be great, thanks,” Chloe said, showing her into the room that we’d already decorated with red and white balloons and streamers.
“Wow. This place looks amazing,” Kennedy praised after she set down her realistic-looking cake and started to gape at the decorations. “I can’t wait for the party. I just love little kid birthday parties.”
I exchanged a glance with Chloe, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. My bleeding-heart wife just wanted to hug the other woman since we were well aware that Kennedy hadn’t gotten a lot of birthday parties thrown for her when she was growing up.
“So Trick didn’t come with you?” Chloe asked, changing the subject because I could tell she was going to get emotional and sympathetic if she didn’t. Motherhood had softened her emotions a lot. When she thought someone was in pain these days, I swear she felt it with them.
And it had turned her into one of the most attentive, generous, loving moms I’d ever seen. Just like I was, my boy was destined to be a huge, raging mother lover when he grew up. And I couldn’t blame him one bit.
“Hmm?” Kennedy asked, tearing her attention away from the balloon arch and adding, “Oh! No, he had to stop by Julian’s and help him move some appliance or another, but he’s on his way now. And ooh…!” Her eyes brightened with excitement as she clapped her hands eagerly. “Guess what? Trick thinks Julian’s finally met someone.”
“What?!” Chloe shrieked in surprise and rushed forward, her eyes wide. “No way! Why does he think that?”
“Well…” Kennedy flushed and cringed before admitting, “Julian was acting…different, and when Trick guessed that he’d recently had sex, Julian didn’t exactly deny it.”
“Way to go, Julian,” I cheered. “It’s about damn time he moved forward.”
“Oh wow…” Chloe murmured, setting a hand over her mouth. “I hope it’s true. It’s been four, long miserable years for him. He could use someone to make him happy.”
“Trick seems to think whoever she is, she must be pretty important to Julian because he’s being all quiet and protective about her. And, I mean, you know how perceptive Trick is about these things, so he’s probably right.”
“It’s fucking irritating how spot on he usually is,” I agreed with a grumble.
To which Kennedy laughed and agreed, “Right?” When her phone rang, she glanced at it and lit up happily. “And there he is,” she said. “He probably knew I was talking about him. Hey…” she answered, immediately forgetting about Chloe, Brooks, and me as she walked into the other room to talk to her husband.
“God, she is so gone for him,” Chloe murmured, shaking her head. “It’s freaking adorable.”
“It’s freaking weird,” I countered. “I mean, anyone who’s that crazy in love with Trick probably needs her head examined.”
Chloe glanced at me. “He’s good for her,” she murmured softly.
I sighed and stepped forward to wrap both her and my son in my arms. “I know,” I said. “I keep forgetting what she came from and crack stupid, inappropriate jokes. Sorry.”
“You’re fine.” Chloe leaned up and kissed my cheek. “Your inappropriate joking is one of the many reasons I love you.”
“Mmm.” I leaned in to kiss her mouth, but Brooks bonked me in the eye with his toy, effectively cockblocking me.
“Oww,” I muttered and pulled my face away.
Chloe only laughed, however, and kissed his chubby cheek. “He’s protective of his mama.”
Brooks grinned at her and drooled happily.
“He better cut it out,” I warned playfully. “Or I’m never going to get close enough to you to give him a brother or sister.”
Chloe ignored that and kept kissing our son. “My little protector,” she told him, resting her cheek on the top of his head before her gaze lifted to me. “Do you really think Julian might’ve finally found someone new?”
The hope in her eyes almost broke my heart.
I knew a part of her still felt responsible for Nia, and that probably wouldn’t go away until she felt her brother had found peace again.
“It certainly sounds like it,” I said, grabbing my son’s arm and pinning it to his side so he couldn’t hit me when I went in to kiss her again.
“God, I hope so,” she breathed, pressing her forehead to mine. “I want him to be as happy as we are.”
“I doubt anyone can find that kind of happiness,” I answered with a wink. “But yeah, it’d be nice if we could worry about him less.”
She looked up at me and whispered, “Thank you.”
I frowned slightly. “For what?”
“For making me deliriously content, even when I didn’t think I deserved it, and for forcing me to accept it when I didn’t think it was even possible for you to love me as much as I love you. Thanks for just being you.”
“Well, thank you for giving me one more chance after I’d continuously broken your heart for years. That is honestly the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.”
Thinking he needed to be involved in our husband-wife praising, Brooks leaned in and pressed his face against both Chloe’s and mine.
We laughed at his demand for attention, and at that moment, I couldn’t imagine that my life could get any better.
So I sent a prayer out to Caine Spinnaker, wherever he might be, thanking him for being a fucking asshole. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent Chloe crying into the school bathrooms that fateful night and forced me to go in after her, which caused her to fall in love with me in the first place.
I really owed that douchebag one.
I think my life would’ve sucked without him.
The End
ALSO BY LINDA KAGE
The Forbidden Men Series
Price of a Kiss
To Professor, With Love
Be My Hero
With Every Heartbeat
A Perfect Ten
Worth It
The Girl’s Got Secrets
Priceless
Consolation Prize
The Price of Mason
The FM Descendants
Off Balance (novella)
Tis The Season (novella)
Dear Worthy (novella)
Once Upon a Canoe Trip (novella)
Playing to Win (novella)
The Revenge Plan
Beware of Maverick (novella)
Secrets That We Keep
Insta-Family
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda writes romance fiction from YA to adult, contemporary to fantasy. Published since 2010. Went through a 2-year writing correspondence class in children’s literature from The Institute of Children’s Literature. Then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing from Pittsburg State University.
Now she lives with her hubby, two daughters, cat Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas, USA. Farm girl. Parents were dairy farmers. Was youngest of eight. Big family. Day job as a cataloging library assistant.
Harry Potter House Gryffindor, Patronus White Stallion, character match Hagrid. Supernatural Team Dean. Game of Thrones Team Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. The Walking Dead Team Daryl. Outlander Team Jamie Fraser. Teen Wolf Team Stiles. Avenger Team Thor...or Hulk (can’t decide). Justice League Team Flash. Arrow Team Stephen Amell. Stranger Things obsessed. Heard Laurel, not Yanny.
Started out reading with the Baby-Sitters Club. Then moved to Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, and LaVyrle Spencer in high school. Now all over the place with her romance reading tastes.
Find her online at www.LindaKage.com
Linda Kage, Every Time My Heart Breaks
