Kenzie’s Perfect Daddies (Little Hearts Club #3)

16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Kenzie

“Soooooooooooooo…” River’s voice trailed on for so long Kenzie wondered if maybe they were actually a vampire and didn’t need to breathe or something. Finally, she held up her hand to halt the inquiry.

“Just ask what you want to know.” Had this been a conversation of a few short weeks ago, Kenzie might have dreaded River’s questions, but now, she was laughing as she encouraged them.

“How was your weekend? How did things go with the guys? How are you feeling about the whole situation now? I need the deets, woman.” Kenzie really shouldn’t be surprised at how fast the questions tumbled out of her friend’s mouth considering she’d just been contemplating their possible undead status. Still, it was unlike River to be so rushed. River tended to be laid back. Like their name indicated, they tended to go with the flow and just let things develop naturally. Through almost everything, River remained calm and cool tempered. This level of excited interrogation from her best friend was unusual to say the least.

They really needn’t have worried, though. A smile bloomed on Kenzie’s lips as she remembered the events of the previous weekend. The pleasure, the fun, and most importantly, the crumbling of her reservations. Kenzie only became aware of the fact she’d been lost in her daydreams when River placed their hand over hers and offered a soft smile.

“I’m guessing that answers all my questions. I’m so happy for you, babes. So fucking happy.”

Kenzie looked at her friend and could clearly see the unadulterated joy they had for her, but she also couldn’t help but notice the tiny bit of sadness. River was such a special person. They deserved to have their own happiness. As the two friends placed their lunch order and Kenzie launched into a detailed account of the last few days, she wondered if maybe there was a way to help her friend find their own happiness.

Sebastian

“ T he Pierson claim.” Sebastian looked up as the voice interrupted his thoughts of Kenzie. He was doing it again. Daydreaming when he should be working. Trying to shake off the fog his brain had been in, he nodded in invitation to Dave, the fire marshal and a friend.

“You have something?” Sebastian wasn’t fooled. There was a reason Dave was here, and it wasn’t the Pierson claim. Dave would have called if that was all he wanted to talk about.

“It’s arson.” The words were no surprise to Sebastian. It had been suspected from the night of the fire. The only question was if the fire was the work of a stranger, or the Piersons themselves.

“Good that it’s confirmed but we already figured that.” Maybe if he pointed that out, it would have Dave coming around to his real reason for being here sooner. He knew his friend, though, he’d get to what he came for in his own time.

“Yeah. Tom Pierson is the main suspect.” That snagged Sebastian’s attention.

“Any particular reason?”

“Gambling if my guess is correct.” Dave settled himself onto the chair in front of Sebastian’s desk and settled his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. “The man’s in debt up to his eyeballs. As far as I can tell, Mrs. Pierson is oblivious to it.”

“How much debt are we talking here?”

“Enough that a five-million-dollar insurance payout would seem like divine intervention.”

Sebastian let that sink in for a moment. “And the wife has no idea?” How was that even possible?

“One of those relationships where he’s the one who handles the money and she gets an allowance. At least, that’s what it seemed like when I talked to her this morning.”

“You talk to him yet?”

“Nope.” Dave looked up and locked eyes with Sebastian, “He seems to have dropped off the face of the earth.”

Well, this just kept getting more and more interesting, didn’t it? Sebastian’s instinct had been screaming fraud from the first moment the claim had landed on his desk, but everything since then just seemed to support the suspicion.

“So, listen,” Dave cut into Sebastian’s thoughts, “I was wondering…”

When Dave’s voice trailed off, Sebastian looked more closely at his friend. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles as if he hadn’t been sleeping, his dark hair seemed to have more strands of gray and was messy. Dave was usually meticulous about how he dressed because of his position but his suit shirt was rumpled and Sebastian was pretty sure this was the first time he’d seen his friend without a tie.

“What’s going on, mate?” Sebastian leaned his elbows on the desk in front of him and gave Dave his full attention.

“Charlie’s been cheating on me.” Dave rubbed his hands over his face as if he was trying to scrub away the tiredness.

“Fuck. Man, I’m sorry.”

“Ten years together and she comes to me a month ago to tell me she’s been seeing someone and she’s leaving me for her.” The small laugh Dave let out as he spoke was anything but humorous. “She even pulled the ‘it’s not you it’s me’ line out on me, like that’s gonna help. Ten years with the woman, if I wasn’t what she wanted, I should have seen it sooner, you know?”

The truth was, Sebastian could agree. Anyone who’d met Charlie knew Dave deserved better, but Dave had been sure he was in love and blind to Charlie’s lack of attention. As much as he hurt for what his friend was going through, Sebastian was hoping this would turn out to be a good thing. Dave had been suppressing a big side of himself because it wasn’t what Charlie needed or wanted. Maybe now he could find someone who would appreciate every side of him.

“Anyway, I know you’re going to that new club, and I was hoping that if I get up the nerve to apply, you’d give a reference.”

“Absolutely I will. I hope you do apply.”

Dave offered a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes as he said, “we’ll see.”

Beau

B eau placed the last dish in the dishwasher and slid the rack into place. He’d just pressed the start button and was beginning to consider dinner since it was his night to cook, when a knock came at the door. Sebastian had already taken Kenzie to work and was at work himself and Beau wasn’t expecting anyone.

He dried his hands on a dishtowel as he made his way to the door. Remembering his Daddy’s excessive reminders about safety, he checked the peephole and gasped as he took in the dark-haired, tan-skinned visitor. River’s Native American heritage gave them a unique and exquisite profile. They looked around the neighborhood as they waited, and Beau took a moment to gather his courage. He’d been hoping for the last week to finally get a chance to talk to River and explain, hopefully make them understand that there was no way in hell he’d ever hurt Kenzie again. Beau knew how much River cared for Kenzie and wanted to set their mind at ease.

After one final deep breath, he opened the door and greeted his guest. “River, I didn’t expect to see you.” Beau was pretty sure he knew the reason River was there but if they had another reason, he wanted to allow them the chance of bringing that up rather than assume. Assumptions had caused him to lose one of the loves of his life for a year and a half. He didn’t want to make that kind of mistake again.

“Hey, Beau,” River had a nervous look that unsettled Beau as they asked, “Can I come in?”

Beau stepped back and indicated for River to enter. Remembering his manners was a small miracle considering the worry suddenly clenching in his gut, but he managed to offer River a drink and when they declined, led them to a seat in the living room.

“I know you’ve just gotten Kenzie back in your life and I don’t want to put a damper on things but,” River rubbed lightly on their jeans as they spoke. They were usually a calm person, taking things in stride so the nerves from Kenzie’s friend had Beau’s protective instincts going into overdrive.

“What’s wrong?”

“What?” River looked genuinely startled by the concern in Beau’s voice which served to ease his panic slightly, but something was still bothering them, and Beau wouldn’t fully relax until he knew what was going on. “Oh, um, nothing. It’s just…” River took a deep breath and plunged into what they’d come here to say. “You weren’t there the last year and a half. You didn’t witness the slow deterioration of the light in Kenzie. She was slowly dying inside after you guys split. Now, she seems to have been revived, she shines brighter than ever, her happiness radiates from her. I saw it at lunch yesterday and I guess I just need to make sure that you're serious. That you won’t break her heart again.”

Beau breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at River as he said, “Kenzie is everything to me. To Sebastian too. I never wanted to end things with Kenzie, and I never will. Sebastian and I have always had something missing. Just like Kenzie and I always had something missing.” Beau really hoped he was explaining this right, he wanted to put River’s mind at ease. “The three of us together, we fit. It’s like we’ve all had missing pieces but now, when we’re together, we’re whole. Complete. Perfectly meant to be.”

River sighed as a small smile graced their plump lips. “I’ve always liked you, Beau. Even after the breakup, I couldn’t bring myself to hate you like a good friend should. But if you break my girl’s heart again…” River stood and looked Beau in the eyes with an intensity that Beau had never seen from them before, “I’ll chop you up and spread you so far and wide, no one will ever find you.”

With their mission complete, River turned and headed out the door without another word. Well, it seemed he’d been told.