Effortless (Thoughtless, #2)(166)
“Hello, Kiera, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Her accent was just as charming as Denny’s was. I instantly wondered if Denny and Abby found each other’s accents endearing. Or maybe, since they sounded alike, they didn’t even hear it. Seemed like a shame if they didn’t notice that marvelous inflection.
I watched her absorbing me as carefully as I was absorbing her. Her eyes took in my plain jeans and red Pete’s shirt as mine took in her cute gray skirt with a matching, tailored jacket. I couldn’t help but think that I’d be so wary and suspicious of me, if our roles were reversed. Regardless of how much she trusted Denny, he’d been alone with his ex for months, an ex that he’d been considering marrying one day. That had to strain even the strongest relationship. It was one of the reasons that I’d never told Kellan Denny was home. But Abby only gave me a warm, carefree smile. She completely trusted Denny. That fact made me trust her. If she had complete faith in him not cheating on her, then she had to have complete faith in herself that she’d never cheat on him.
“You too, Abby. Denny talks about you all the time.” Denny flushed a little after I said that, and I grinned at him.
He could be such a sap, and after recovering from the shock that Abby had been delayed for a few more weeks, he’d started talking to me about her whenever we got together. And he’d gushed about her whenever he did. Denny sort of had a point when he’d said that our disastrous breakup was a blessing in disguise—he was madly in love with the woman standing next to him, and I was immensely happy for him.
When Abby and I broke apart, Kellan extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Abby.” Abby surprisingly didn’t eye Kellan with the open appeal that most women eyed him with. Sure, her eyes flicked over his face, but that was about all the notice she took of his appearance. And with her, I had a feeling that she wasn’t ignoring his looks because of me or because of Denny. With her, I more felt that she just wasn’t interested.
As she tentatively took Kellan’s hand, she looked back at Denny. This must have been a weird moment for her, shaking hands with the man that had come between her current boyfriend and the ex love of his life. I 470
couldn’t imagine what she was feeling, except maybe grateful that she’d never hurt Denny like I had. I was grateful for that, too.
Denny nodded slightly and Abby looked back at Kellan. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Kellan. Denny says…good things about you.” Kellan’s mouth dropped open in surprise as their hands separated.
Bunching his brows, he shook his head at Denny. “You do? Why? I was an * to you…”
Kellan seemed genuinely bemused at why Denny gave him the time of day, let alone talked nicely about him. Denny stared at the floor for a second, before looking back up at the person he’d once been very close to. “And I nearly killed you.” Denny sighed, running a hand through his hair. “In the end…whose crime was greater?” Kellan shook his head and looked away. Feeling a tension building, I put my hand on Kellan’s stomach. He looked down on me before shifting his attention back to Denny. “I still took something that wasn’t mine.
Even if you feel guilty for the fight…you really shouldn’t ever talk to me again.”
Kellan’s eyes drifted to his boots, unable to keep Denny’s gaze. Mutual guilt flooded me and I lowered my head as well. Happy ending or not, Kellan and I were jerks.
Denny surprisingly started laughing. Kellan and I both looked up at him. Grinning, he squeezed Abby tight and looked between the two of us. “You should see the looks on your faces right now.” His accent curled around the words as he gave us a goofy grin.
Kellan and I glanced at each other, equally perplexed, and Denny laughed a little more. Clapping Kellan’s shoulder, he shook his head.
“Look, I know your life was hard, and I realize that Kiera must have been a…salve…for you.” He raised his eyebrows. “I get it. I didn’t like it, but I get it.”
Kellan gave him a small smile and Denny shifted his attention back to me. “And you…” He bit his lip and sighed. “I know I put my job first.” I shook my head and Denny cut me off. “No, I did, Kiera.” He pointed to 471
the ground. “I was coming to Seattle, with or without you. I was going to Tucson, with or without you. And, I may have panicked and come back to Seattle when I’d thought I’d lost you, but…my head was still on my job…not you.”
Swallowing, he shook his head. “And I’m so sorry for that. And I don’t blame you anymore, for falling for someone who could give you the attention you wanted, the attention you deserved.” I swallowed and nodded, slight tears in my eyes. A silence built up around our foursome. Finally, Abby was the one who broke it. “Oh my God, will the three of you just hug already?” We all looked over at her and grinned. Wiping my eyes, I stepped up to Denny, giving him a warm, friendly hug. He wrapped his arms around me, and we both muttered apologies. Kellan sighed, then circled his arms over the both of us.
Nestled in the safety of the two men who’d nearly torn me asunder, I felt a piece of myself healing. I felt the guilt slowly leaving. We were all fine. We had all survived. And surprisingly, we were all still friends.
As the three of us pulled apart, Kellan and I rejoined. Smiling, he kissed my head. Abby rejoined with Denny and I smiled over at her, pleased that Denny had found someone as warm, caring, and trusting as she appeared to be.