Effortless (Thoughtless, #2)(91)

Dad frowned but Anna stood up and joined us at the door. “I ran into him this morning. He said he was going to run to the store and get some milk for Mom, since we’re almost out.” She tilted her head at Dad.

“Wasn’t that nice of him, Daddy?”

Dad twisted his lips, but had no argument against Anna. Shrugging, he mumbled, “Yeah, I guess…”

Smiling at each other, Anna and I shepherded our clueless Dad downstairs. I secretly thanked her when we got to the bottom. In my ear she whispered, “I heard you guys last night…no need to thank me, you needed that.”

I turned beet red as we entered the kitchen.

Mom was there, whisking a bowl of eggs into a yellow, frothy mess that matched the frilly bathrobe she was wearing over her flannel pajamas. Over the smell of greasy, crackling bacon was the undeniable aroma of cinnamon rolls. It made my mouth water. As my mom worked away on the breakfast, I came up beside her and rested my head on her 254



shoulder. The comforting smells and sounds instantly brought me back to every Christmas morning I’d ever had with my family.

Mom’s hair was the same color as mine and Anna’s, but not because she had good genes or anything and she hadn’t started graying yet. No, her secret weapon came from a product whose tagline was — Fight the good fight. It always made me giggle when I saw the hair color box in her bathroom. The slogan was like something Denny would come up with.

Oddly, I paused a moment to wonder if he was enjoying his Christmas day with Abby.

Squeezing my waist, Mom looked over her shoulder at Dad sitting at the table and reading the paper while Anna gushed about how excited she was for us to open her present; she’d gotten the same thing for every member of our family. As Dad absentmindedly nodded at Anna, Mom looked back to me. Her green eyes, a gift she’d passed to Anna, sparkled as they met mine.

“Did you have a good night last night?” I flushed a bit, wondering if she knew what really happened. She had woken up before Dad…

Playing with the end of my ponytail, I tried a nonchalant shrug. “Yeah, it was nice to see Kellan again. I’ve missed him.” Mom smiled, returning to her cooking. With a knowing smile, she nodded. “Uh-huh.” Biting my lip and praying to God that she hadn’t heard us too, I twisted to leave.

Mom looked back at me before I completely turned around. Frowning a little, she shook her head. “I’m sure he’s a good boy, Kiera, and I’m sure you are deeply in love with him, but…not in the house, okay?” Needing to block out the sudden image of my mother explaining the birds and the bees to me when I was thirteen, I briefly closed my eyes.

Not able to answer, I only nodded and quickly walked over to my sister.

Anna smiled and wrapped her arm around me. Changing her topic of conversation, she started talking about a cute boy that frequented her work. I wanted to frown at her but I didn’t. Anna and Griffin certainly weren’t exclusive and could date whomever they pleased, but really, I 255



had to wonder about a guy who frequently dropped by Hooters. Sure, it may not be a strip club or anything, but single guys dropped in for one reason and one reason alone…and it wasn’t for the hot wings. And Anna deserved better than a horn dog like that.

Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes at myself. Anna was already involved with a horn dog. Well, at least I knew that particular dog, and he was pretty harmless. I mean, he wasn’t some creepy stalker guy and he wasn’t violent. Compared to the potential rapists that Anna could be involved with, Griffin, with all of his gross, obnoxious behavior, was actually preferable. God, did I just defend Griffin?

I was distracted by my musings from a knock at the door. Anna gave me a tiny smile then stood up. “I’ll get it.” Dad pointed at her, a frown back on his face. “Sit. I’ll get it.” I bit my lip and sighed, hoping Dad went easy on Kellan. It was Christmas and all, and even if we’d sent him away as a cover story, he had been nice and gone to the store to get the family some milk…and hopefully some eggnog too.

Anna and I followed after Dad as we made our way to the front door.

Adjusting the button-up pajama top that he was wearing and trying to stand as tall as he could, Dad prepared himself to open the door. I had to smile at the show; Dad was closer to Denny’s height and Kellan was still going to tower over him. If he was going to try and intimidate Kellan through size, it wasn’t going to work.

As Dad slowly opened the door, Mom came up behind us all, wanting to join in on the welcome party. The winter wonderland behind Kellan made for the perfect backdrop as the door swung all the way inward.

His black leather jacket matched his black shirt and the confliction with the scenery made him impossible to miss. The movie star good looks didn’t hurt either.

From very quietly behind me, I heard my mother mutter, “Oh my…” I flushed as Anna giggled. Mom had seen pictures of Kellan, of course, I’d sent more than a few care packages back home, but seeing him in 256



person was something else. Dad, obviously not having heard his wife’s reaction to my boyfriend, eyed Kellan up and down. Throwing on an effortless smile, Kellan extended his hand, the one not currently holding the plastic grocery bag. “Mr. Allen, it’s very nice to finally meet you. I’m Kellan Kyle.”

Dad sniffed a moment before taking the gorgeous boy’s hand. He shook it for a long time while he silently judged to see if Kellan was worthy of me. I knew from experience that Kellan wouldn’t pass Dad’s test today. It had taken three months of almost daily interaction for Dad to not say Denny’s name with a sneer. And until Denny had taken me away, Dad had really liked him.