A Family of Their Own(57)
“Those things are hard to control. Sometimes people become a habit. You need them for support and a sort of security, and soon you think it’s love and it’s not. Then what?”
What? Her relationship with Ross didn’t seem like that. Not a habit. Yes, she needed his support. She realized that today, and having him by her side gave her security, but she cared about him. Not what he had to offer. Her pulse quickened, weighing her thoughts. She didn’t feel that way, but maybe Ross did, and what then?
She confined the thoughts raging inside her. Asking Audrey if she’d arrived to put a downer on Kelsey’s life would only stir up trouble. Assuming that her sister was worried about her, she avoided responding to her comment. “You’ll meet him tonight at Lucy’s party, Audrey. Then you can decide for yourself.”
Audrey shrugged and grabbed another peanut-butter cookie. “Fair enough.”
Fair enough. Kelsey wanted to either scream or cry.
Chapter Thirteen
Ross stood near the refreshment stand, watching Peyton on the roller rink. He’d been put in a touchy position, but he gave Peyton the choice. She wanted to go, and he sensed a touch of competition. Now that he had met Audrey, he understood Kelsey’s problem. Though a nice woman, Audrey had a way of taking charge, even if her take-charge attitude wasn’t welcome.
When Kelsey called him, he wanted to balk at the roller-skating decision, but she explained her attempt to talk her sister out of the idea with no success. If it hadn’t been Lucy’s birthday, he would have declined.
He eyed the rink floor, spotting Audrey and her husband, Jeff. They flew around the floor like kids. Appropriate, since most of the skaters were teens. Jeff seemed to be a sensible man but a bit intimidating. Ross’s pulse stumbled when he saw Lucy skating beside Peyton. Their pace looked slower than the rest, and he guessed that Lucy was doing it for Peyton. He grinned, touched by Lucy’s thoughtfulness. It more than made up for her grumbling about the bedroom, which had tripped the switch that turned her mother into the sarcastic woman he’d faced a week back.
Watching the skaters, a concern rose in his mind. Some of them wore helmets, along with elbow and knee protectors. Peyton would be safer with protection since she was still taking coumadin. A bruise could cause undue problems while using the blood thinner. Though it was too late now, he wished he’d given skating more thought.
When he spotted Kelsey, she was standing beside the rink floor taking a few more photos. He hoped she caught a couple with the girls skating together. The positive turn of events lifted his spirit. She lowered the camera and scanned the floor before glancing over her shoulder. When she noticed him, his heart danced. She looked gorgeous in her knit top the color of spring grass, and instead of fighting her part, she’d curled her hair and it waved about her shoulders.
She headed his way, a concerned expression on her face. “Are you okay?”
He heard her question despite the music and whoosh of skates nearby and nodded. Every time he gazed at her lips, he spiraled out of control. Their one complete kiss lingered in his mind, the soft touch, the feel of her in his arms. Tonight he longed to run his fingers through her curls. Trying to keep their relationship in perspective had failed. Totally failed. She rocked him on his feet every time he looked at her. They needed to talk. Serious talk about the future. Yet every time they tried, something interrupted them. They were never alone. Tonight was yet another example.
She’d reached his side and rested her hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure?”
The touch rolled down his arm. “I’m fine.” His gaze swept over her. “You look great tonight.”
She gazed down at her jeans and struck a pose. “This old thing?” Then she grinned.
He chuckled at her playfulness. It had been a long time since he’d seen her lighthearted. “You’d look good in a burlap sack. I’ve missed you, Kelsey.”
Her eyes sought his. “It’s been difficult. We’re both going through so much. Now my sister and—”
“And the issues we need to clear up.” He motioned toward the skaters as a futile feeling billowed over him. “But when? How can we find time now?”
Her hand slipped down to his, and she squeezed it. “It’s frustrating, and that’s why sometimes I think what they said was right.”
His stomach constricted. “Right about what?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I shouldn’t have said that.”