Effortless (Thoughtless, #2)(85)

Dad sighed heavily, like he was conceding a great defeat. He couldn’t really argue with me on that point. My parents had acted hastily last year, in their attempt to lure me to their place when they thought I’d decided to go to Australia with Denny. Things hadn’t worked out that way, but still, the offer had been made. They should honor it, no matter who I was with.

Shaking his head, Dad muttered, “That was different. We knew Denny…and he was a good man. Made some bad decisions, left you alone when he shouldn’t have, but…a good man, I think.” I sighed as Mom silently filled my plate. “Yes, Denny’s a good man…and so is Kellan.” Looking at the both of them, I shrugged. “You just have to give him a chance.” Dad sighed again and I added,

“Please…I really love him.”

Mom paused, placing a hand on my shoulder and peeking at my dad.

He looked up at her, sighed again, then muttered, “Fine, he can stay in the house…” he pointed at me, “but he doesn’t go up to your room…ever, and he sleeps on the couch!”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t press my luck. Just Dad agreeing to him staying in the building was a huge victory. Anna smiled at me as she popped a forkful of stuffing in her mouth. She raised her eyebrows suggestively and I knew exactly what she was thinking— Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you.

After a leisurely dinner and a good helping of pecan pie, it was finally time to meet up with Kellan at my favorite park. I was giddy, thinking over how romantic the moment was going to be. After I quickly threw on 237



some warm clothes for my date, Dad sullenly gave me his car keys, complaining the whole while that Kellan should meet me here if he were truly a gentleman. Sighing for the hundredth time, I explained that it was my idea to meet in the park, that I’d wanted to show him a small bit of Ohio University.

Being a proud Alma Mater, that perked Dad up a bit. He watched me carefully as I took the keys though, and it was quite clear that he’d be listening for my return all night long. I sighed, the private part of our reunion was going to be a brief one. Getting into my dad’s Volvo, I started my drive.

The roads were kept pretty clear, so I didn’t have too much difficulty traversing through the falling snow. Within minutes I was at our meeting place. The parking area was empty as I looked around, but that wasn’t too surprising. It was late on Christmas Eve. Most people were snug in their beds, waiting for the big morning, not having a romantic rendezvous in a public place. Feeling an excitement starting to course through me, I started to make my way through the park.

The freshly falling snow was adding a soft layer to the few inches already covering the ground. I wanted to run to the spot where I knew Kellan would be, but I resisted. Looking around the park, I hoped the directions that I’d texted to him about an hour ago, were good enough for him to find this specific spot. Walking across the snowy lawn, my boots crunching a path through the pure white, I came up to a bench in front of a small duck pond. Even though I’d spent countless hours at this park while I’d been attending school here, this place oddly reminded me of Kellan’s and my park back home. Funny, I already considered Seattle my “home.” This place, my birthplace, was now the spot I visited.

Brushing snow off the wrought iron bench, I looked out over the pale, moonlit night as I sat down. There were no fresh tracks in the snow. The ground was pristine…beautiful and perfect. Grabbing my cell phone out of the purse slung over my side, I glanced at the time. Nine-thirty. The local airport wasn’t that far away. Assuming his flight was on schedule, it was more than enough time for him to get from the airport to here.

Glancing around the sloping white hills, I only saw where my tracks led down here though. Kellan wasn’t around yet.

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I tried to wait patiently, but I hadn’t seen him in so long that I was edgy. Nervous energy shot through me as my feet bounced up and down on the insulated-with-snow concrete path. Light flakes were still falling, collecting in my hair and eyelashes, melting together then bead-ing and rolling off my thick jacket. The longer I sat, the more I felt the cold. Sniffling a little, I suddenly cursed my romantic location. I should have just had him drive to my parents’ place. Less chance he’d get lost that way. Plus, parks weren’t exactly the best place to be waiting around in the middle of the night…even on Christmas Eve night.

That thought made me wonder what or who could possibly be in this park besides me. I startled when my phone vibrated in my hands. The tiny chime accompanying it seemed horribly loud in the still night and I cursed under my breath. Looking down, a puff of warm air from my mouth hazed the screen. Frowning, I wiped the condensation off…then I smiled.

New text message from Kellan Kyle.

Those words from my phone were some of my favorite. Right after, Incoming call from Kellan Kyle, actually. Pressing the view now icon, I waited to see what my man had to say for himself; he was nearly forty-five minutes late now. My heart dropped immediately.

‘I’m sorry…I can’t make it.’

Biting my lip, I willed the disappointment to stop. It was hard though.

It was crashing through me like the storms currently hitting the east coast. Idly, I wondered if that’s why he couldn’t make it. Maybe he’d gotten snowed in.

With heavy fingers, I typed back, ‘Really? But it’s Christmas…’