Chapter 9
BODHI
Things were weird, and it was my fault. I knew that.
I shouldn’t have done it. No, I hadn’t even realized I was going to lean forward and kiss her until it was too late.
But she had looked so damn cute with the hat covering her eyes, and a little bit of dirt on her cheek from when she had wiped her face with the back of her hand in the heat.
Kiera West bothered me. And not in the way that most people would think. She intrigued me. And I wanted to know more about her. But the act of doing so would be too much. We both knew that. I should not have kissed her.
But she had kissed me back.
I swallowed hard and slammed my fist into the punching bag once again.
I wore only gym shorts, sneakers, and the tape over my knuckles.
Sweat slipped down my back, and I figured I should probably add another fan to this room.
I didn’t always work out here, as working with wood, as I did, was usually enough of a strength workout.
But after the fire, I needed some way to get back on my feet.
Physical therapy had been a bitch. I hadn’t lost mobility, thankfully.
But figuring out how to move this body in a new way, thanks to the burns on my skin that changed the elasticity, meant that I hadn’t been able to jump right back to my old ways of doing things.
I was very grateful that I could even move the way that I did now.
There were some people in the burn unit down in Denver who were still there.
Others had lost the ability to move their fingers, walk, or even see.
Other than the few scars that ran down my body, I looked none the worse for wear. My face looked just fine. I looked just fine.
But I wasn’t. And those who knew me understood. Only I was afraid that I didn’t know the truth.
“Hey.” I whirled, fist ready to punch out, and froze when I realized who stood in the doorway.
Thatcher moved forward, a frown on his face, and his youngest at his side. My gaze went right to Wesley, and I lifted my chin at the seven-year-old.
“I didn’t realize you guys were here.” I lifted my fist to Wesley, who fist-bumped me back. “Hey, little man.”
“Will you teach me how to hit like that?” he asked, nearly dancing on his toes. Wesley had a bountiful amount of energy, and I didn’t know how Thatcher kept up with him in addition to the fifteen-year-old twins. The man never slept.
“If your dad says it’s okay. Though to be truthful, your dad’s the one who taught me.”
Wesley’s eyes widened, and he looked up at his dad. “Really?”
Thatcher gave me a look and then rolled his eyes. “Thanks for that. Yes. Your old man knows how to box. I just don’t do it that often anymore.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? What else are you hiding?” he asked, and I raised my brows as Thatcher just snorted.
“Kid. I’m an adult. I hide things from you all the time.
It’s my prerogative. And I used to box, not professionally or anything.
It was something to do to pass the time.
The bag that I use is down at the fire station, considering we don’t have space for anything at the house, not with all the sports things that the three of you guys need,” he said dryly.
“Well, I want to learn.”
“Maybe when you’re older. First, though, you have to do your book report.”
Wesley let out an exaggerated groan. “Why? It’s not fair.”
“Homework isn’t fair. But it helps you learn how to understand things for when you’re older,” I said, and Thatcher gave me a look.
I didn’t tend to talk to his kids that often. We both knew why.
Henry would’ve been six years old, just a year younger than Wesley, and it made my throat go dry. Would he be this tall? Be this curious? Hate book reports this much? There were so many things that I did not know about who my son could’ve been, because a murderer had taken them from me.
The fire captain finally continued. “We were just out this way because I have to go pick up Lucas and Olivia from a friend’s house. Thought we’d stop by. See how you were doing.”
Thatcher and I had been tight once. Much like how Callum and Rune were thick as thieves, Thatcher and I had been close. Then the fire had happened, and everything had changed. I didn’t blame him, yet part of me did. For not being fast enough. Just like I hadn’t been.
Thatcher must have seen my thoughts on my face because he swallowed hard and gripped Wesley’s shoulder. “Anyway, Tess made a big batch of white chicken chili, far too much for anybody, but it was damn good. So I figured I’d drop off a batch for you and Kiera.”
“Can I meet Kiera? I love Wilder.” The kid practically bounced on his toes in excitement.
“She’s working on something in the cabin right now, buddy. But maybe next time you come up here? Or if she’s down there. She knows your nanny.”
“I love Tess,” he said with a dramatic sigh.
“As does Lucas,” Thatcher said dryly.
I held back a smile. A teenage boy with a hot nanny? That sounded about right on course. “I haven’t met Tess yet, so I can’t tell you a thing.”
“She’s a nice woman who is saving Kellan and me grief. Though I still am getting gray hairs.”
“Because you’re old, Dad,” Wesley said with a serious expression. I barked out a laugh.
“Shut it, you,” Thatcher said, an oddly familiar glint in his eyes.
I needed to come down to the bar and grill more often.
Needed to see Rune. Needed to see my friends.
I had been trapped up here for so long, that it was as if I had frozen in time.
A bug trapped in amber, forever lost. Yet still here.
Why the hell did I kiss Kiera? I let that stray thought pass and told myself to move on.
“Where’s the chili?” I asked.
“In the car. Wasn’t sure you’d want it.”
I was the town asshole for sure. “Anything I don’t have to cook, I’m happy with. Are you sure, though, that I can have some? I don’t want to take anything from some starving teenagers.”
“Don’t worry, the boys got enough chili to last a lifetime. And there’s only so many beans that I’m going to give them.” Thatcher raised a brow, and Wesley giggled.
“Make sure you tell Tess thanks for me.”
“Can do,” Thatcher said, surprise on his face.
How out of touch had I been that a small thank you or reaching out startled the man who I’d once called my best friend? I followed them to the truck, listening to Wesley go on and on about his different classes, sports, and Atlas.
This kid loved Atlas, and despite the fact that we were all Colorado Avalanche fans, he had to be a Portland Gliders fan. After all, it’s where one of our town heroes played. I looked down at my phone and cursed.
“What is it?” Wesley asked, leaning forward to look at my phone.
“Forgot that I told Atlas that I’d actually watch his game tonight.”
“That’s what we’re going to do as soon as we head back. We’re hoping for a shutout.”
I snorted. “We’re always hoping for a shutout.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you had company,” Kiera said as she moved forward, a stack of notebooks in her hand. “I was just looking for a place to sit outside out of the sun, and well. Hi.”
“Hi, Kiera,” Thatcher said, sounding as if they were familiar with each other. I ignored the deep sense of jealousy at that. I had no place in this situation. “This is my son, Wesley.”
Her smile was like a kick in the gut, and I did my best to ignore the sensation sliding through me. “It’s nice to meet you, Wesley.”
“I love Wilder. And my friend Jonathan says that girls can’t be drummers, and I told him that he was a jerk. And you are the best drummer out there. My sister Olivia wants to be you when she grows up.”
Kiera smiled. “Well, that just makes my day. There are always going to be people like your friend Jonathan, but they’ll learn the truth one day.” She winked as she said it, and from the way that Wesley’s chest lifted ever so slightly, Kiera West had snared another one.
I shook my head as Kiera moved forward and held out her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Wide-eyed, Wesley shook her hand and beamed. “It’s nice to meet you too. I can’t wait to tell the guys.”
Her brows raised ever so slightly, and I cleared my throat. “Hey, Wesley, let’s just keep this between us, okay? You know how Uncle Gabriel gets when he needs a little time by himself without people bothering him? Same with Uncle Atlas?”
“People deserve privacy, and just because our friends are super famous, it doesn’t mean we get to brag about them. I totally forgot. I’ll be good. Promise.” He smiled so guilelessly, I really hoped I could trust him.
“We’ll make sure we keep your privacy,” Thatcher added.
They handed me the chili before saying their goodbyes and getting in Thatcher’s truck.
Thatcher worked two on and two off, though as the captain, he was rarely truly off. I knew that, thanks to family and Tess, he got to spend much more time with his kids these days, and I was grateful for it.
“He’s a cutie,” Kiera said, and I turned to her, brows raised. “Wesley. He’s adorable. And I like that he stood up for me.”
Oddly relieved that she wasn’t talking about Thatcher, I cleared my throat. “He’s pretty great.”
“Thatcher has three of them, right?”
I nodded before I gestured for her to follow me. I wanted to get the chili in the fridge and turn on the hockey game. “He has two older twins, Lucas and Olivia, who are fifteen. Wesley is seven.”
“And he manages that?”
“Somehow,” I said with a laugh. “He’s been working on a few hours of sleep a night since he was eighteen.”
“That’s just insane to me. I couldn’t even imagine being a mom at that age.” She paled a bit. “Not that it’s wrong or anything.”
“No, I get it. Many of my friends have oddly been teenage parents. But they’re all doing damn well at it.”
Left unsaid were my two kids. I hadn’t been a teenager, though I had been pretty damn young.
“Kellan, the doctor has three kids, too, right?”