Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(12)

Kellan came back into the room a few minutes later, the neck of his guitar in his hand. He was on a break from recording his album in L.A., and like always, he’d lugged his favorite instrument home with him. It was almost like a security blanket for Kellan, one he couldn’t seem to part with for very long.

I smiled at him as he sat Riley in a kitchen chair and then gave him the cherished instrument. I thought Riley might pass out; he was so excited to hold it. There was a gleam in Kellan’s eye as he watched the boy’s exuberance, as if Riley reminded him of himself. I left the two to their bonding and tried to help Hailey with brunch. I found a fresh honeydew melon in the fridge and started slicing it into bite-size pieces as a disharmonious twang filled the air.

Kellan helped Riley adjust his technique, and as I listened to his instructions, I was reminded of Kellan’s first attempt to help me play his guitar. The memory of his hands over mine and his breath in my ear made me smile. At the time, I’d felt really guilty over how much I’d enjoyed it. In truth, I did still feel guilty over it. I probably always would. What we’d done was wrong, and I knew it. I’d dressed up our flirting as nothing more than innocent caresses, but it had never been innocent. I’d wanted him, and he’d wanted me. I’d loved him, and he’d loved me. Nothing about what we’d done was right. But the memory still made me grin.

Over the sounds of Riley’s strumming and bacon sizzling, I heard Gavin and my parents talking. Surprisingly, I heard my dad let out a mighty laugh. Gavin must be just as charming as his son—something else that ran in the gene pool. Lord help the female population if Kellan and I have a boy one day, I thought.

When the food was almost done, Gavin appeared in the archway that separated the dining room from the living room. He beamed as he looked over his three children. When he met my eye, I gave him a wide smile, happy that he was getting to experience the second chance with Kellan that he’d begged for. I knew all about the blessing of second chances, since Kellan had given me one as well. I nodded at Gavin as he sat in a chair next to Riley.

Riley glanced over at him. “Did you hear that, Dad? I finally got that section right!”

Gavin’s prideful smile shifted to his youngest son. “Excellent! You’re on your road to stardom already.” His eyes shifted to Kellan. “Same as your big brother.”

Riley returned to the instrument, but Gavin kept his eyes locked on Kellan. Lowering his voice, I heard him ask, “Can I speak with you a moment?”

Kellan’s expression instantly turned guarded, but he nodded and indicated the hallway. Kellan gave me a kiss on the cheek as he walked by, then he disappeared with his father around the corner. I looked back at Hailey, but she only shrugged; she didn’t know what Gavin wanted to tell him.

Finished with the melon, I hurriedly plopped the pieces into a bowl, then wiped the juice off of my hands with a towel. Curious, I left the kitchen and followed them.

Kellan and his father were just around the corner, near the doorway that held the laundry room and the downstairs bathroom. Standing close to Kellan, I heard Gavin say, “I didn’t want to discuss this in front of Hailey and Riley, but—” He stopped talking when he noticed me. Kellan glanced up and gave me a brief smile, so I felt okay to walk over to him. Gavin looked unsure if he should speak with me nearby, but Kellan nodded at him to continue. “Um, well, Martin and Caroline told me about your visitor earlier. They said she was . . . sort of blackmailing you?”

Kellan sighed while my cheeks heated. Gavin looked between the two of us. “Is everything okay?”

Kellan grit his jaw and tightened his fists; his knuckles turned white. “Yeah, it’s fine. This . . . is nothing. I’ll take care of it before I leave tomorrow.”

My heart dropped that Kellan was leaving so soon. I couldn’t join him just yet. My parents were still in town for a few more days, and I had a job that I needed to quit. Pete had been good to me, so I wanted to do it right this time and give him a full two weeks’ notice. I also had promised my flighty sister that I would go to her next doctor’s appointment with her. So unfortunately, Kellan was returning to Los Angeles without me. But first, he was going to have to meet up with that . . . woman. Bitch.





Chapter 3


Honesty





Gavin and his children stayed at our house all afternoon. We spent the bulk of the sunny day playing board games in the living room; Hailey cleaned up in Monopoly, my dad kicked everyone’s butt at Scrabble, and Kellan and I dominated at Pictionary, which sort of surprised me since I had no talent in drawing. Kellan was just an exceptionally good guesser.

By the time evening rolled around, Kellan seemed perfectly at ease with his newfound family, and the earlier incident with Joey was pushed to the back of everyone’s minds. That was when my burgeoning-with-life sister showed up, baby-daddy in tow.

Without any sort of warning, Kellan’s front door burst open and slammed back against the wall. I jumped off my seat, my heart thudding in my chest. Everyone’s attention snapped to the entryway. I was positive that we were being attacked, and that a swarm of policemen were about to blaze into the room, weapons drawn.

Standing, Kellan protectively stepped in front of me. That’s when Kellan’s blond jackass of a bassist sauntered through the door. Relaxing when he realized who was here, Kellan glowered at his band mate. “Griffin? You ever heard of knocking?”