Page 52 of In Step

She drew me down into a tearful embrace that caught me off guard. I tensed, unsure and exposed with her sons close by, but also impossibly touched, my chest brimming with a feeling long forgotten. Cora never hugged me like that, not like she did her boys, not like I was family—I could barely form the word in my head—and I waited for her to pull away, to realise her mistake. But she held on.

“You’re a good man, Kane.”

The whispered words hit my heart hard enough to bruise, and just like that my arms were around her, squeezing her against me, stupid tears in my eyes. “Thank you, Cora. Thank you for everything.”

She held on a moment longer and then pulled away with a smile and only then did I notice Judah standing watching us from the office. He stared for a moment, then headed for the boathouse.

“Thank Martha for me, won’t you?” I stood and waved Cora off, blinking to clear my eyes before turning to find Leroy and Fox waiting in the car. I wandered over and climbed into the back seat.

“What was that all about?” Fox turned and raised a brow.

“She left some food for me up at the bedsit.” I left it at that.

Leroy snorted. “Don’t tell me they’re still cooking for you?”

“It’s supposedly leftovers,” I explained with a shake of my head. “But we all know that bullshit for what it is. Not to mention they’re not even vegetarian.”

Fox laughed. “You may as well save your breath. When either of them get a bee in their bonnet about helping in some way, there’s no stopping them.”

Leroy caught my gaze in the rear-vision mirror. “I remember you ate burgers with the rest of us in high school. Plus, your farm grows organic beef, right? Can’t imagine your dad’s impressed with a vegetarian for a son.”

“He’s not.” I turned to stare out the side window. “I switched in university. Just healthier, I guess. Also, I don’t give a fuck what he thinks.”

Leroy pulled into the garage and I had to fend off an excited Mack who’d been left home for the day. “Thanks for the lift, guys. I’ll be fine for tomorrow.”

“Yes, you will.” Fox clapped me on the back. “Because we’ll see you by the car at six.”

“But—”

“Six, understand?”

I huffed out a put-upon sigh. “Fine. Whatever.”

“Come on, Boss baby.” Fox put an arm around Leroy. “We’ve got a dancing lesson after dinner, remember?”

Leroy groaned. “Oh. Fuck. My. Life. Why tonight?”

“It’s all for the kids, remember? I tell you what, you behave for Abe and there might be a reward in it for you.”

Leroy’s gaze narrowed. “Last time you said that, I expected sex and I got a fucking bag of chocolate fish instead.”

Fox bit back a smile. “But they’re your favourite. And you got themas wellas sex.”

“Did I?” He flashed Fox a sly grin. “Can’t remember. Must’ve been the sugar rush.”

“Get inside.” Fox pointed to the door. “See you tomorrow, Kane, at six.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I headed up the stairs, collecting the still-warm casserole from the front door on my way inside. Bossy bounced up to meet me, full of the day’s events, while Tank eyed me from the kitchen where he sat like a stone statue next to his empty bowl. I filled it with diet kibble, and Tank took one sniff and walked away with his tail in the air.

“So be it,” I told him, shutting Bossy in the laundry so Tank didn’t muscle the poor cat off Bossy’s food, leaving Tank sulking outside the closed door.

Animals sorted, I put the casserole in a low oven to heat, shucked my clothes and threw them in the washing machine, and headed for the shower. Abe had clearly forgotten his dance lesson with Leroy and Fox, so I could relax. I wouldn’t be seeing him after all.

It should’ve been a relief, but all I felt was disappointment... not to mention, I was so fucking horny I didn’t know what to do with myself. The man had flicked a switch I’d worked very hard to pretend wasn’t even there for nine years, and now it seemed I couldn’t turn the bloody thing off.

I showered, jerked offagain, then grabbed my favourite old pair of sleep pants with more holes than material and ate my dinner curled up on my couch watching a rerun of Star Trek.

A run of knocks on my door startled me awake, and I blinked rapidly and checked my phone. Eight thirty. And two missed texts from Abe.

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