One small step.
“Then pizza it is.” Devon punched a few keys on her phone. “We’re pepperoni fans, Kieran.”
She placed an order for two large pepperoni pizzas, salad, garlic bread and soda. Did she think she had to fatten him up? He must look gaunt to her. His appearance in the hospital had shocked him. He would’ve never been a star football player at this weight. And with one eye.
“Are you sure that’s going to be enough food?”
Devon laughed and it sounded like wind chimes tinkling in the breeze. He’d heard those wind chimes many times outside his prison walls, the sound shoring him up, giving him strength.
“Michael eats a lot.” She pinched Michael’s nose. “At least he used to.”
Her bright smile drooped, and Kieran felt as if he’d do anything to bring it back just so he could bask in its warmth.
“Seems like you and I both have some catching up to do in the food department, Michael.”
The boy shot him a quick glance beneath a lock of dark hair and Kieran’s gut knotted. What was wrong with him? Hearing about the death of a neighbor, even a friendly one, shouldn’t have such a strong impact on a kid. Hell, he remembered when his favorite dog died and he’d grieved for about two weeks, which was a week longer than Colin did.
He sucked in a breath. He remembered. He remembered the dog, Duke, and he remembered the day he died.
“Are you okay?”
He glanced up at Devon’s face, lines of worry bracketing her mouth. Hell no. He couldn’t do this to her. Couldn’t take her along on this ride.
“I just had a memory.”
She clapped her hands. “That’s great. I’m sure being in this house will help, much more than being at Columbella.”
“So why did I head there first?”
A pretty pink tide washed over her cheeks. She shifted Michael and jumped up. “I know there are dishes in the house. I’ll get some bowls for the salad, anyway.”
“Let’s help your mom, Michael.”
The boy scooted to the edge of the chair and hopped off, running ahead of Kieran to join his mother in the kitchen.
“We’ll eat at the coffee table and sit cross-legged on the floor. We’ll make a picnic in the house.” She handed Michael a stack of bowls with a handful of paper napkins on the top, and he turned and took measured steps back to the living room.
Kieran sidled next to Devon at the sink, inhaling her floral scent. “When did you find out you were pregnant?”
The shoulder touching his pulled away. “Soon after you left on your mission. There was no way to reach you then.”
She finished rinsing the forks and stuck them in the dish drainer. “I thought I’d have a surprise for you when you came home.”
“Did you tell my parents? My brother?”
“No. I wanted to wait and tell them with you. When we heard, when we thought… Your parents were devastated and Colin just about broke down. I couldn’t tell them about Michael then. I didn’t know if it would make things better or worse for them.”
“Were you alone?”
She sniffled and then grabbed a paper towel to dry the forks. “Oh, no. My mom had come in from Florida and Dylan was nearby. Do you remember my twin brother, Dylan?”
“Nope.”
“Plates.” Michael had returned to the kitchen, holding out his arms.
Devon dropped a hand to his head. “Tell you what, sweet pea, let’s use the paper plates from Vinnie’s. That will be more fun…and less work.”
Michael tugged on Devon’s arm and she bent over. He put his lips to her ear and cupped his hand against her face, which flushed with color.
“Kieran’s my friend, sweet pea. This is his house.” She handed him the forks. “Now go put these on the napkins next to the bowls.”
As he scooted out of the kitchen, Kieran turned to Devon. “Is he afraid of me?”
She looked down, her long lashes shielding her eyes. “Just a little confused. I-I didn’t, don’t date much.”
“Maybe it’s too much for him, Devon. He’s a very troubled boy.”
“No.” She smacked her fist on the counter. “He’s not a troubled boy. He’s happy and curious and friendly, he’s just…he’s just…”
Instinct took over. He gathered Devon into his arms, stroking her silky hair, his fingers remembering the path down each strand. She trembled against his chest and he rested his cheek against her head. He’d been wanting to hold her ever since he’d spotted her walking down Coral Cove’s Main Street. He curled one hand around her neck.
“Stop!” Small fists pummeled his legs.
“Michael!” Devon broke away from his embrace and grabbed Michael’s shoulder. “Michael, stop.”
The boy wrapped both arms around Devon’s thighs, nearly knocking her over with the force of his small body.
“Apologize to Kieran.”
Kieran took two steps back from Devon and his son clinging to her. His gut wrenched. “It’s okay. I wasn’t hurting your mom, Michael, but you’re a good protector.”
Devon peeled Michael from her legs and tilted his head with her finger beneath his chin. “Is that what you thought? That Kieran was hurting me?”
Michael nodded, his hands still curled into white-knuckled fists.
“Oh, no.” She pulled Michael back into her arms for a hug. “Kieran would never, ever hurt me…or you. Not ever.”
Kieran closed his good eye, welcoming the darkness. How could Devon be so sure of that? How could he?
DEVON BRUSHED HER fingers together and flipped the empty pizza box closed. Another half pizza remained but they’d done a fair amount of damage to that one, too. Michael had eaten more than he had in weeks. Maybe it was the sea air. Maybe it was his burst of violence against Kieran.
Her son had never before hit anyone or anything in his life. And he had to start with his own father.
And what a moment he’d picked.
Kieran had finally taken her in his arms, held her close, shown some emotion. She’d wanted to melt into him, somehow bring him back to his former self with her energy. But the wary stranger with the closed-off face remained.
Kieran tossed a piece of crust onto his paper plate. “That was the best pizza I’ve had since the last time I had Vinnie’s. Do you want another piece, Michael, or are you as stuffed as I am?”
Michael picked up a crust from his plate and ripped it in half. Then he scrambled to his feet and scampered toward the bathroom.
Devon sighed. “Believe it or not, he seems to be getting a little better.”
“I was blunt in the kitchen, Devon, but Michael needs help.”
“I know. Like I said, he has his first appointment with Dr. Estrada tomorrow. The offer still stands if you want to come along.”
Her cell phone buzzed and she held up one finger. “Hello?”
“Devon, it’s Gary from the garage. I got your tires on, but I didn’t have a window. I covered it with a piece of cardboard and I put in an order online tonight. You going to be here for a few weeks?”
Her gaze trailed to Kieran, picking up the pizza boxes and paper plates. “Yes, I’ll be here for a few more
