Page 72 of Kid
The time ticked by, slowly—heart-breaking slow.
By the time lunch rolled around, I knew Kid wouldn’t show up. Exhaling, I rummaged through the fridge and pulled out the cake.
Why would he come?
The last time he opened up to me, I basically backed a truck over his heart. I wouldn’t trust me again either.
Instead of picking up a plate, I grabbed a fork and turned my attention to lifting the cake out of the box. I set it on the marble countertop, sat on a stool and pull the cake toward me.
After I finished eating, I knew I would hate myself, but I didn’t care.
I checked Facebook. Jeremy was having fun. All the pictures of him hanging out at Mamba’s studio were amazing to see. He was thriving—he’d even designed a piece that a customer wanted to put on him.
Must talk to my aunty first—but a client wants my art on his arm!
I shoved more cake into my mouth.
Kid hadn’t updated his page in a few days. Aside from a picture of him and Jeremy working on one of his cars, there wasn’t anything else.
The happiness on Kid’s face as he pointed to something in the hood of the vehicle, took my breath away. I’d secretly watched him with Grace and knew, without a doubt, Kid would make an amazing father.
Kid had fallen into my lap.
Other women had to dig, and hunt and touch some slimy things before they found a good man. Some women never found that—I did.
I was lucky.
When I felt like throwing up, I re-boxed what was left and placed it back in the fridge. I was gathering my keys to go on a walk in the rain when a car pulled up in front of the house. The engine rumbled loud enough to wake the dead and I knew that was either Kid in his repaired Hellcat or it was Mamba coming to get me.
I walked out into the foyer and chewed on the corner of my index finger, while I waited to see who would step through the door.
When it opened, Kid’s large frame filled the doorway and though my heart lurched happily, it quickly fell because he was not happy to see me.
“Hi.”
Kid exhaled and turned to leave.
“Please!” I called. “Ronan, please. I just want to talk to you.”
“Now you want to talk!” He thundered, stepping in and closing the door behind him. “You needed space, Nella. I gave you your space. But you didn’t even think enough of me to come back. Even if you didn’t want to stay, even if you had me and didn’t want me anymore, you didn’t even come back to tell me that.”
“What?” I asked.
Kid removed his shoes and stormed by me.
“That’s not why.” I told him.
Kid sat on the stool I’d been sitting on and leveled his beautiful blue eyes on me. I could remember a time when those eyes were full of fire for me. Those same beautiful blues turned me on, turned into me sweetly and left my knees shaking.
Now they were full of angry confusion, pain and that was my fault.
“Everything kind of fell on my shoulders all at once.” I admitted. “After Calie died I’ve been on my own except for Chelsea. But then she met Demon and I didn’t want to put all my shit on her anymore. So, it all festered and then the whole thing with Jeremy and it was just easier to put blinders on and push.”
“I never would have forced you.” Kid tilted his head. “Even at the start of this—whatever it is that we had—I let you come to me. I gave you that control. What in our previous interaction told you that I would have made you do anything?”
“I was scared.”
“Of me?”
