Chapter Three #2
Kieran released her, and it was as if all the air rushed back into Lily’s lungs at once. She stumbled forward.
What the hell was that?
Smoothing her hands over her clothes, Lily stepped to her phone and ended the video. She’d have to edit out the ending—almost falling on her face was not the vibe she was going for with this account.
“So, uh—” Lily cleared her throat and tried to slow down her brain from its hundred-mile-an-hour run. “That lesson was pretty good for on the fly.”
“It’s my go-to demonstration.” He shrugged and grabbed the cleaning rag from where he’d left it when she interrupted him. “Usually I do it with Becks, but you’re fine as a stand-in.”
Somehow that word bit deeper than it should.
Fine. So, he didn’t care who he grabbed by the throat and pinned against his body?
Lily frowned and shoved down her insecurities.
It was just a demonstration. Calm the fuck down.
Maybe she did need to get laid. She had to be touch starved if a self-defense routine with a certified jerk had her this messed up.
“Has Sebastián talked to you about Saturday?”
The question dragged Lily out of her own head, and she blinked, focusing on Kieran. He was a few steps away from her—hands slung into the pockets of his mesh shorts and the cleaning rag draped over his shoulder.
“Uh, no. Should he have?” She busied herself with taking down her equipment.
“I’m having a barbecue at my place. Most of the gym staff will be there. You work here now, so, if you want to come…” His voice trailed off.
Lily tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. Was that an actual invitation, or had Sebastián given him shit for not inviting her? With two days left until the dinner, her money was on the latter.
Still, she hadn’t been lying when she told Neal she was looking for community. “Sure. Anything I can bring?”
His eyebrows lifted, as if surprised she’d said yes, then he shrugged. “We’ve pretty much got it covered. I guess if you want to grab some drinks? We usually hang out after Neal and the kids leave.”
“Sounds good. Here.” She handed Kieran her phone. “Text yourself so we have each other’s numbers.”
He returned the phone a moment later. When they separated, a million questions raced in her head, but the most important one was—what does one wear to a workplace barbecue?
Lily spent most of Friday curled up by Rachel’s desk with her laptop, editing Kieran’s video.
It wasn’t avoidance keeping her from venturing into the inner gym.
Not at all. The video needed a trending sound in the background, light filters, and trimming out seconds of downtime to make it as seamless but as short as possible.
She dragged the process out for three hours and spent the remainder of her day sorting other footage she’d taken and chatting with members as they signed in with Rachel—getting their permission to appear on video.
She posted Kieran’s video Friday night before bed.
She woke up to over eighty thousand views.
@chevybeatsford: okay but we all saw the way he grabbed her throat, right?
@bethanylynn: umm YES!! Like where do I sign up??
@berwynbabe: I know he was talking but I stg I didn’t hear a word he said like…omg!
@pugs4lyf: What a shame. His voice is sinful!
@cynthia653: I don’t live in Chicago but if someone attends his class PLEASE live stream it. I will pay you.
Her notifications pinged throughout the day until Lily signed out of the gym account and back into her personal.
She’d need to respond. Duet it from her own account and let her followers know she had more content on the gym’s page.
Still, she hadn’t been expecting the semiviral moment.
The gym had a little over three hundred followers last night. It was now pushing twenty thousand.
Neal will be happy.
Lily tugged down the edges of her white-and-yellow sundress, questioning for the millionth time if she’d worn the right thing. It didn’t matter how confident she’d acted in the “Get Ready With Me” video she’d made for her page. Standing on Kieran’s stoop, all assuredness fled her body.
What if everyone else wore gym attire all day, every day? What if they were jeans and T-shirts people? What if a get-together with coworkers, even a barbecue, was never truly casual?
She readjusted her grip on the two six-packs she’d purchased and took a breath. Come on, Lily. Just ring the doorbell.
“You heading in?”
Lily turned on her heel, meeting the gaze of a young woman coming up the street. One hand had a hot-hold bag. The other gripped the hand of little Saoirse. Both ladies were, much to Lily’s delight, wearing sundresses.
“Um, yes.” Lily smiled and hefted the bags. “I was just second-guessing if I’d brought enough.”
The woman grinned and walked past Lily, releasing Saoirse’s hand to open the door. “It’s perfect. Only a few of us will drink, anyway.”
“Hi!” The little redheaded girl left her mother’s side to wrap both, blessedly clean, arms around Lily’s legs in a hug.
“Hello again.”
“Sorry,” the girl’s mother apologized and held the door open. “She’s terribly affectionate.”
It must’ve been blissful to be so trusting of the world. Lily hadn’t been that way at Saoirse’s age. “She’s sweet. Are you Kieran’s sister?”
“Guilty.” The woman closed the front door with her hip once they entered and nodded for Lily to follow Saoirse down the hall. “I’m Maeve.”
“I’m Lily.” She smiled sheepishly at the bags in her hands. “I’d offer to shake your hand, but…”
“No worries. Let’s get all of this to the kitchen.”
Lily followed the toddler through a cozy living room complete with a taupe sofa, a black armchair and a TV. Other than a few frames atop the mantel, the room bore no decorations. They arrived at the kitchen where a few covered dishes already adorned the counters.
“You can put those in the fridge,” Maeve said as she removed a covered potato dish from her bag. “Everyone’s probably out back.”
There was still time to run. No one else had seen her yet.
It shouldn’t have felt so hard—putting herself out there and making friends.
After all, Lily was vulnerable online with hundreds of thousands of strangers.
But that was just it. They were strangers.
If their engagement got too involved, that’s what the block button was for.
Online wasn’t real, which made it perfect.
But Saoirse flung the back door open, a gleeful scream on her lips as she scurried down the steps. “Kiki!”
Maeve hooked an arm through Lily’s and gave a tug. “Come on, let’s see if the meat’s almost ready.”
With no choice but to follow, Lily donned a smile and stepped into the warm afternoon sun.
The backyard was small but intimate with a chain link fence protecting the children from running into the road.
Rachel, Neal, an older Black woman whom Lily assumed was Neal’s wife, and a young dark-haired teen with pale skin sat at an oversize picnic table.
Sebastián manned the grill and was dressed in cargo shorts and a tank top.
Standing beside the picnic table, with Saoirse balanced on his hip, was Kieran.
Two other small children hung from his outstretched arm, practicing chin-ups as if he were a piece of playground equipment.
Something warm swirled in Lily’s belly. Kieran was, as he’d shown her, a jerk.
There he stood, work boots and dark-wash jeans and a black V-neck shirt—he had the asshole attire down to a T.
Yet the smile stretching his face as he rubbed noses with his niece was the most gorgeous she’d ever seen.
Playful and open and brimming with unfettered joy.
Holding those three kids, he was every bit a certified DILF.
“Hey, guys.” Maeve waved a hand above her head and guided Lily down the steps. “Look who I found!”
A chorus of cheers and welcomes resounded, the loudest of which came from Sebastián, who waved a metal spatula as a way of greeting.
“Lily, come here,” Neal called. “I want you to meet my wife, Patricia, and my grandbabies.” He stood and batted a hand at the little ones climbing on Kieran. “Trey, Alisha, get down! Let Kieran host.”
The kids grumbled but dropped to the ground, waving before going to sit beside the dark-haired boy at the picnic table.
Kieran caught her eye, his gaze shooting from hers, down her body, and back up faster than she could blink. His smile disappeared, and with a nod as greeting, he joined Sebastián at the grill.
Lily’s own smile faltered. Did he not want her there? Oh God, he really only invited her as an afterthought or because of Sebastián. She rubbed her palms against her sides—wishing for the tenth time she’d worn something with pockets—something to hide away her nerves and doubts.
“Here, sit with us.” Neal took Lily’s hand and guided her between his wife and Rachel. “The meat will be done soon, then we can eat.”