Page 105 of Kane's Awakening
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kane
His family lived in a nice, suburban type neighborhood, one where many of the houses looked the same, apart from differing color schemes. Anna’s house had a cottage look to it, like some kind of modern day Snow White come to life or some shit. It was much nicer than the fairytale, though, with large windows and dark wooden shutters.
Right when the car stopped, the front door flew open and two dark haired kids ran outside, down the porch, and toward us.
Ryker opened his door and greeted them as they attacked him with hugs. Attack was the perfect word, too, in my opinion.
I sat motionless in the passenger seat, only moving when Ryker bent and looked at me through the open window.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded and unbuckled my seatbelt before getting out and joining them on the other side of the car.
One thing for sure was they were beautiful kids. Ryker had shown me pictures before, so I knew what they looked like, but in person, I could see more of Ryker in them, when before I could only see their mom’s features. They had his eyes, not only the color but the shape, too.
The girl peered up at me with wide eyes before giving an impish smile to her dad. The grin sort of freaked me out a bit as I didn’t know what she was thinking in that head of hers, but then she stepped forward and stuck out her hand.
“Hi, I’m Isabella.” A smile lingered on her lips, but her eyes still gleamed with that mischievousness from earlier.
Taking her hand, I said, “I’m Kane.”
Then she made a farting noise with her mouth and jerked my hand down before running back toward the porch.
“Isabella Annabeth Carson,” Ryker called after her in a disapproving tone before turning back at me. “I’m so sorry. She’s kind of a handful at times, but don’t take it to heart. It means she likes you.”
The boy hid a little behind Ryker and peeked out at me. Rye had told me Theo was more introverted, but he could be a little hellion with his sister sometimes. Around new people, though, he was normally quiet.
“Theo, this is Kane,” Ryker said, reaching and putting a hand on his son, slowly guiding him forward.
Theo blushed and waved. “Hi. You’re bigger than Daddy’s other boyfriend.” Then, his blue eyes grew to saucers. “Are you a superhero?”
I bent down and looked both ways—playing into the mystery a bit—before leaning forward and whispering, “If I was, I couldn’t say anything, could I?”
Ryker smiled, and the expression in his eyes nearly knocked the breath out of my lungs.
“He really is a superhero,” he said, earning a gasp from Theo. But I knew what he’d meant by that. I served and protected. I’d never thought of my job in that way, and it gave me a new outlook about it. Kind of. “Now, let’s get inside before your Mama turns into a villain over us being late.”
Theo giggled and grabbed my hand as we moved toward the house.
It stunned me and apparently stunned Ryker, too, by the way his eyebrows shot up. We made eye contact as he walked on the other side of his son, and even though he’d been good at hiding his worry so far that day, I could tell he was relieved.
Anna met us at the front door, and even though it was super small, I had a slight twinge of jealousy when seeing her.
Yeah, she and Ryker were just friends, but it was a normal reaction to be a tad jealous when meeting your boyfriend’s ex-lover, especially since she was a knockout. Her black hair waved to her chest and her red shirt and fitted jeans emphasized her curves.
“Hi! I’m Anna,” she gushed excitedly before hugging me. When she pulled back, her hands gently squeezed my biceps. “Oh yes, I certainly remember you from the club. It was brief, but you made an impression, G.I. Joe.”
“Hey, now,” a dude with red hair said as he came around the corner, from what I assumed was the kitchen by the smells coming out of it. A dusting of freckles marked his nose and across his cheekbones. “Don’t be checking out another guy while I’m around.”
Anna smiled and bumped him with her hips. “You know you’re the only one I want. Besides, he’s taken. And gay.”
“And a superhero!” Theo butted in.
Ryker ruffled his son’s dark hair and grinned. It was difficult to tear my gaze away from him. I’d never seen him look so happy.
“Anyway, I’m Brian,” the red head said, offering his hand.
