When Our Worlds Stand Still (Our Worlds #3)(44)

“You’re a good guy.” I hug him and kiss his cheek.

“Don’t fuck up my image, okay? It’s just a cup of cocoa.” Rick wipes his cheek, a disgusted grimace on his face.

“I thought you said you were marrying her? Why’s she kissing him?” Ben frowns at Rick when they step into the kitchen.

“I’m thinking of stealing our girl away from you,” Rick jokes, pouring milk into a small saucepan. He mixes in real cocoa.

Real cocoa. Who has real cocoa?

“Our girl?” Graham smacks him on the back of the head.

“She’s sort of hard to be around, isn’t she?” Rick winks at me. “It’s like having my mother looking over my shoulder, and I’m desperate for her acceptance.” His description makes me giggle.

“He’s crazy.” I loop my finger in a circle around my ear.

“Not once have I thought of Kennedy as a mother figure.” Graham’s gaze sweeps me from toe to head.

Ben laughs when Graham throws him in the air and plops him on a stool. Graham sits next to him.

“Didn’t know if you had an Oedipus complex thing going on.” Rick pours the hot milk into a large mug, tossing a few mini marshmallows on top.

“I’m shocked you know what Oedipus complex is.” I pat Rick on the back, sliding the steaming mug over to Ben.

“I’m not just a pretty face, Kennedy.” He feigns insult. “I know things.”

“Who’s Oedipus?” Ben asks, slurping up the warm drink.

“Nobody you need to worry about.” Rick fluffs his hair, slips him a few chocolate chip cookies, and leaves the kitchen.

I sit on the other side of the island and watch the boys. Ben stares at the two of us with the innocent eyes of a seven-year-old. The back of my finger brushes over his upper lip, wiping away the melted marshmallow. Graham smiles at my small gesture and stands from his stool.

“I’m going to grab you a sweatshirt, kiddo,” he says to Ben. Graham bends down and kisses me on the cheek. “Where’s Dan?”

“I sort of told them to head back to the city without me.” I fidget in my seat.

“I’ll drive you back to the city after we drop Ben off.” He smirks and shakes his head.

*****

I lean against the passenger door, fighting tears and admiring Graham’s dedication to a boy he barely knows. Graham’s huge hand rests on Ben’s frail shoulder as they walk up the steps. He crouches down so they’re eye to eye for a short, intimate conversation. They glance at me. Guess I’m the topic of their conversation.

Ben races back to me, wrapping his scrawny hands around my waist. I run my hand over his head a few times. Bending down, I kiss his crown, and his bright blues shine up at me, filled with unshed tears.

“Thank you,” he whispers. I nod because, if I utter a single word, I’ll break down. I can’t lose it in front of him. “Graham says you’ll come back.” For only being seven, he’s perceptive. His arms tighten, hugging me close.

Betty walks outside. A look of relief and disbelief mingle in her eyes as she observes our embrace. She and Graham have a few words while I let Ben know I’ll see him soon, and send him inside. I climb into the front seat of Graham’s SUV, my fingers tapping a rapid rhythm on my jeans. I’m not positive what’s happened, but it’s monumental, life changing.

Graham slides behind the steering wheel and shifts into drive. Before he releases the brake, his hand wraps around mine. I stare out the window. Much like my reaction to Ben’s embrace, I’ll break down if I look into Graham’s honey-filled eyes. For the first part of the trip, he gives me the quiet I need to collect my thoughts and process the morning.

“I love him, and you’re the reason why. He reminds me of you.” Graham startles me when he speaks. My mouth gapes open, but no words come out. “He’s strong.”

“Why did Betty look at me like that? Does she hate me or something?” I beg for an answer, afraid of the truth. Betty and Ben have become such a huge part of his life. Her acceptance means everything.

“Ben hasn’t hugged a female since his mom passed away,” Graham explains. “Not even Betty.”

The real truth scares me more than the version I’ve created in my own head, but on the other hand, my heart warms for a little boy I don’t even know. I understand how he’s managed to weasel his way into Graham’s so easily.

“Okay, you know what? Enough of this.” Graham pulls over on the shoulder of the road. “We have two hours together. This weekend has been full of tears and confessions and drama worthy of an angst-ridden, teenage TV show. Instead of all that, let’s have a little fun.”

I laugh because only Graham could demand someone have fun and get away with it. “How do you expect to have fun on the car ride?”

“Let’s play a game.”

“Oh no, the last time I played a game, you got all broody.”

“You were going to make-out with Violet.”

I roll my eyes. “Because you never imagined Violet and me hooking up before?”

“That’s beside the point.”

“Exactly.” I raise an eyebrow in his direction. “What’s this game you want to play?”

“Twenty questions but there are rules. No serious questions. Nothing pertaining to our future or our past.” Graham rubs his hands together in the most sinister fashion.