Chapter 15 #2
His eyes began to sting as he took in the scene. Kaiah crouched down beside his daughter and nodded with interest while Piper
seemed to be in the middle of another elaborate story. They looked like they belonged together. Like his shattered family . . .
could be mended after all. The thought sent the air whooshing out of his lungs.
When he joined them, concern filled Kaiah’s face as she studied his, and she reached for him. He hesitated for a moment before
allowing her to thread her fingers with his.
“Oh look!” Piper exclaimed. “A butterfly!” Then she took off, skipping while she followed the butterfly to the next row of
headstones.
Kaiah tilted her head and gave Reid’s hand a gentle squeeze while she studied him. “I know you keep saying everything is all
right, but I could tell the moment I saw you in the kitchen this morning that something was wrong.”
For some reason, he couldn’t lie to her. He was tired of keeping everything locked up so tightly inside. He was ready to let
it all out. But he couldn’t—he just couldn’t. She was leaving soon, and he didn’t need to keep trying to hitch her to a relationship
that was destined to stay a dream.
He took a shuddering breath and shook his head. “You’re right. Something is definitely wrong.”
She pulled him toward a bench across from the headstone. Then she sat down and brushed her hand over the spot beside her. “Sit and talk to me, Reid.”
He did as he was told while keeping his eyes focused on the headstone and the words inscribed on it: Brynn Elizabeth Hawkins Turner, along with the date she was born and the date that changed everything.
Reid and Kaiah sat silently for several moments while she held his hand. Piper continued to dance around while singing to
herself several yards away.
Finally, Reid faced Kaiah. The gentle warmth of her skin caressing his hand whispered that she might be a soft place to land.
He longed to give in to that warmth, to let it envelop his whole being. So he did. “Yesterday we were called to a scene of
an accident, and it brought it all back to me,” he began, his voice sounding hoarse. “It was like I was reliving Brynn’s death
over again.”
Kaiah shifted toward him and rested her free hand on their entwined fingers. Her expression was open, ready to listen.
“The car . . .” He paused and tried to swallow against his thickening throat. “The car was on its side, and that was what
happened the day Brynn died.”
“Oh, Reid,” she whispered.
“When I saw it, I froze.” He studied their hands. “I couldn’t move. I’ve been a firefighter for almost fifteen years, and
I’ve never had that happen before. I learned in training to compartmentalize, to leave my emotions behind when we go on calls.
But yesterday I couldn’t do it. When I saw the car on its side, everything came rushing back.”
She nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“The day she died, it was my turn to pick up Piper at day care. We took turns depending on when I was working. I was off that day, and she had planned to stay late at school to finish up some projects. But I was selfish.” His tone was throaty, hoarse.
“I wanted to go in for a meeting at the fire station because I was trying to earn brownie points with my captain. I was so determined to impress him and get promoted as soon as possible. It was all I cared about. I had taken Piper to day care since my mom couldn’t keep her, and I told Brynn to pick her up.
I didn’t even ask. I told her that I was going.
I was arrogant and thoughtless. It was like I had something to prove, which was so ridiculous. ”
He took a shaky breath. “Brynn was furious, and we argued a bit. She was angry with me, and she had every right to be. I ruined
her plans.” He shook his head, disgusted with himself. “I went to the meeting, and while I was there, we got a call about
an accident a few blocks from Piper’s day care. And I had this feeling, this sick, horrible feeling deep in my gut. It was
like I knew.”
Kaiah shifted closer to him. She rested her shoulder against his side, and the sweet gesture gave him the strength to keep
talking.
“When we got there,” he whispered as the vision filled his mind, “I saw her car, and I fell to my knees, and . . .” His words
sounded raspy, and his eyes were wet. “It was all my fault. If I had gone to pick up Piper, my wife wouldn’t have been there
when that dump truck swerved into head-on traffic. Then my daughter would still have her mother. Then maybe I would’ve been
the one—”
“Shhh. Don’t say it.” Kaiah interrupted him, cupping her hands to his cheeks. Her blue eyes glistened with tears. “Don’t,
Reid,” she told him softly. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault that driver came across the centerline. And don’t you
ever say that you deserve to be the one in the ground. It’s not true. The person to blame is the one who hit your wife’s car.”
He sniffed, and she wiped his tears. The feeling of her fingers brushing across his face was almost too much for him. He longed
to take her in his arms and hold her close.
“You’re such a good dad,” she continued. “Piper is blessed to have a dad like you, and it’s not your fault Brynn is gone. Stop torturing and blaming yourself. Just forgive yourself. You’re allowed.”
He blew out a shaky puff of air, and she traced her fingers down his cheeks. At that moment, he felt closer to her than to
anyone else. He sniffed and studied her beautiful face.
“What are you thinking right now?” she asked.
“How is it that I’ve only known you eight days, but I feel like I’ve known you my entire life?”
“I was just wondering the same thing,” she told him softly.
He cupped her cheek with his hand, and he stared down at her lips. Once again, he longed to kiss her, and he yearned to know
if she would kiss him back. He dipped his chin, and he was certain he heard her breath hitch.
“Daddy!”
Reid froze, and his eyes snapped over to Piper as she skipped toward him. “See that grave over there?” She pointed out in
the distance. “It has Elizabeth on it, just like Mommy’s.”
“Oh wow.” Reid wiped his eyes and smiled. He hoped his daughter didn’t notice the tremble in his voice. “No kidding.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he was almost certain Kaiah was working to catch her breath.
“Why don’t we go pick up something for lunch?” Reid offered.
“Pizza!” Piper announced while racing toward the car.
Reid held his hand out to Kaiah. “Care for more pizza?”
“Why not?” Kaiah took his hand, allowing him to lift her to her feet.
Later that evening, Kaiah walked down the hallway from Piper’s bedroom toward the den. She’d read the girl a few bedtime stories and tucked her into bed. She stopped in the doorway and found Reid watching the evening news.
It had been quite a day for the three of them. Kaiah couldn’t imagine the stew of feelings that must have been bubbling up
in Reid earlier that day. Grief. Guilt. Anger. He’d opened his heart to her at the cemetery, and even now her chest squeezed
as she remembered the raw emotions that clouded his eyes.
But she’d also found something else in his gaze.
Longing. For her. She saw it in his eyes as he leaned in to kiss her—at least she was pretty sure he was going to. How many
times would she have to wait for his kiss, to feel his mouth claim hers?
He glanced over at her and muted the television. “How’s Piper? I appreciate you doing bedtime with her. I know she was pretty
insistent.”
“That’s okay, I was happy to do it. She’s fine. We just read a few bedtime stories. Who knew there were so many kids’ books
about mermaids?” She read the clock on the wall. “Oh, wow, it’s after eight. I need to work on my story.”
“Go get ’em, tiger. Thanks for spending the day with us. You sure you don’t mind staying with Piper again tonight?”
“Of course not.” She jammed her thumb toward the doorway. “I need to get my bags, and then I’ll shower and repack before I
come back down.” She jogged to the guest room, retrieved her bags, then returned to the den.
When her phone chimed with a text, she glanced around before spotting it on the coffee table in front of Reid. His brow puckered
as he glanced at the screen.
Hmm, that’s weird.
When Kaiah made her way to the phone, she found a text from Kam on the display, and her stomach dropped.
Kam: Sooooooo how are things with Mr. TDH?
Kaiah gritted her teeth as her cheeks burned. Really, Kam? She peeked over at Reid.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Uh-huh.” She stood and smoothed her hands down her jeans. “I’m going to run up to the apartment. I’ll be back soon.”
“Hold on.”
She froze in place, then turned to face him. His handsome, chiseled face was looking at her with something that looked like
confusion or possibly concern. Her hands began to shake.
“Kaiah,” he began, “who . . . is Mr. TDH?”
Oh no, no, no. She wished she could just melt into a puddle right there.
Reid tucked his hands into his pockets, appearing sheepish. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have read your text. It’s none of my business,
but it was on the screen and—”
“You!” she blurted.
He paused, and then his brow puckered. “What?”
“Reid, it’s you.” She pointed a trembling finger at him.
He moved his hand over the stubble on his neck. “Sorry, but I don’t—”
“Mr. TDH is short for ‘Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.’ That’s how my sister and I talk about you in texts,” she said, her voice
sounding thin and reedy while he studied her. “I started calling you that when I first saw you in the coffee shop. I thought
you were, well, hot. And, um, I didn’t know your name . . .” Her words trailed off while her embarrassment flared. “And well . . . it sorta stuck.”
Reid’s mouth formed a perfectly circular O. His jaw ticked, but no words came out.
Certain her face would burst into flames, Kaiah ran out his front door.
The front door slammed shut, and Reid stared at the spot where Kaiah made her mad dash. A mixture of shock and something he
couldn’t quite identify—pride? flattery?—rolled through him while he tried to process the last two minutes.
Kaiah and her sister referred her him as Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
Apparently she was just as attracted to him as he was to her. And when she admitted it, she seemed mortified, while he couldn’t
have been more pleased.
Kaiah was beautiful, smart, thoughtful, compassionate, and successful. And she was attracted to him. Only hours ago he’d opened up to her, showing her the demons he’d been fighting for the past few years. She’d responded
by consoling him, holding his hands and wiping his tears. Her kindness was more than he could’ve asked for.
There was no denying it, not anymore.
He was falling for her. And he longed to ask her to stay.
Plus, she’d looked absolutely adorable with her cheeks rosy from embarrassment.
It was time he told her how he felt.