Confusion filled his face. “Why?”
Kathy inhaled deeply and Kevin’s gaze dropped to the rise and fall of her chest.
“She’s worried about you. No—not about you. About what you might do. She’s afraid you’ll do something to ruin the wedding.”
“I would never do that.”
She smiled as she looked into his blue eyes. “I’m starting to see that. I’ve watched you all day and I don’t see what she does.”
“What do you see?”
“A man trying to make amends.”
His face brightened with her admission.
“What was your duplicitous plan?”
“To distract you and keep you with me and away from her. To spend enough time with you between now and the wedding that I could make sure you had no nefarious schemes.”
“Hmmm. I like that plan. Let’s go with it.”
“What?” she asked, leaning back.
He cocked an eyebrow. “You never know. Maybe I have an evil genius plot already in motion. You, Kathy Hendricks, might be her only hope.”
She relaxed and picked up her food again. “That’s part of the problem. You don’t take anything seriously. That’s what scares Moira.”
He put his plate down and shifted closer to her. “If we’re being completely honest, I have an ulterior motive for being nice to Moira.”
Kathy’s breath hitched and she frowned.
“You were my ulterior motive. My plan was to prove to Moira that I’m not the same man I was five years ago. If I could sway her, I might have another chance with you.”
He waited a moment, then leaned closer still and her pulse quickened. She was afraid he was going to try to kiss her. Instead, he whispered, “That is something I take very seriously. If this plan doesn’t work, I’ll come up with another. And another still, until I convince you.”
Kathy’s heart throbbed in her chest and neck and spread all over until she was one giant heartbeat. She nervously held her plate of food and focused on it. She didn’t have any words to respond to Kevin. In the time they’d dated and in their few meetings since, she’d never seen him so serious. It was unnerving.
She liked the playful side of him. That kept her off balance in a good way. But his declaration that he would work to get another chance with her scared the crap out of her. Rather than trying to figure out a plan, she gave her attention to the awesome food and watched the kids running around with water guns.
“I’m not sure how to interpret your silence,” Kevin said.
She didn’t want him to interpret it. She wasn’t even sure what it meant. Gripping her plate on her lap, she turned to him again. “I don’t know what to say. I’m only here today as a favor to Moira. She’s genuinely worried about you and your antics. I never had any intention of... God, I don’t know . . . starting anything with you again.”
His expression turned stony. “Moira has nothing to worry about.” He reached over and laid a hand on her arm. “I’ll make sure she understands it too.”
Kathy bit her lip. “Thank you.”
He moved his hand and shifted closer. “Now, about us.”
“There is no us.”
“There could be.”
“Not likely.” Her pulse kicked up another notch.
“If we’re being honest, and I think we should be, I’m still very much attracted to you, and I think you are to me.”
“So what? You’re attracted to many people. That’s what ended us, remember?” She spoke in a low whisper so she didn’t draw attention.
“I know how to be monogamous, Kathy. I fucked up. I didn’t really get it until last year, but I do now. I’ll make this right.”
“You can’t make this right. You can’t erase the past.” The food on her plate lost all of its appeal. She couldn’t keep doing this. He’d turn her into an emotional wreck if the conversation continued.
“I understand that too.” His gentle hand came up to her jaw, nudging her to look at him again. “I’m asking—no, begging—for a second chance. You don’t need to decide right now. Take some time and think about it. I’m going to prove to you that we can be good again.” His thumb stroked her cheekbone and then he pulled away. “But that’s enough seriousness for one day. This is a party. Finish up. We have more games to play.”
She had never been so grateful for a break in conversation. She couldn’t decide if he really wanted her to have time to think or if she looked like she was about to have a panic attack. Swallowing hard, she looked across the street and down the block. Moira’s siblings had some blankets spread on the grass and toddlers played with toys and food while their mothers chatted and laughed.
Jimmy stood near the corner where Liam was cooking, but his attention was on the people in the street. Always watching out for those around him. Kathy figured it was part of being a cop. He looked at Kathy and raised his eyebrows in question. She nodded at him to let him know she was okay. It was kind of amazing how quickly Moira’s family, both old and new, had brought her into the fold.
* * *
Kathy understood why Moira always asked her to come to the block party. She couldn’t imagine anyone not having a great time. There was a little bit of everything for everyone. As things wound down and the sun set, the adults gathered around a small bonfire in the middle of the street. Couples paired off, leaving the singles to meander through the group to settle into a spot.
She was a single and so was Kevin, but he continued to act as though they were a couple. She wanted to be near the fire so her shirt would dry—the shirt that was currently soaked because she got caught in the crossfire when both Moira and Kevin had gotten their hands on the super-shooting water guns. They had apologized in that
