Her brother glanced up, took in their father, and smiled, tucking his phone into his pocket. “Morning.”
“Apparently, a busy morning,” Kinsley said, glancing between the two protective, loving men in her life.
Boone shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets, looking like a younger version of their father.
“I better get off to the station.” Dad dropped another kiss on her forehead. “I’ll check in on ya later, kiddo.”
“Thanks, Dad. Love you.”
His smile was his reply. Dad didn’t say those three little words, but he showed them his love all the time. The words didn’t matter much. He cupped Boone’s shoulder as he strode by, obviously leaving her and Boone alone to talk. She turned to her brother. “Is Rhett okay?”
Boone frowned, pushing away from the door. “Let’s not make worrying about Rhett a habit, but yes, he’s fine. I talked with him last night.”
She’d never learn about that conversation either. Boone was a vault when it came to his brothers, as was Rhett and Asher. The three men were so in sync with each other, Kinsley knew that bond would never break. Not even when one of them knocked up the other’s sister.
“Just be patient with him, Kins,” Boone added gently. “This…”
“Is hard for him,” she finished, waving at Doris, the lady who worked at the pharmacy, as she crossed the road. “You don’t have to tell me that,” she said, looking back at Boone. “I know he’s going to struggle with all this, and with any type of relationship, even if it’s a co-parenting one.”
Boone gave her a leveled look. “Which begs the question, why would you let anything happen between you?”
She deserved the question, as well as the reprimand in his gaze. Expected it even. She was smarter than to get mixed up with a guy with ginormous commitment issues and a whole laundry list of other emotional issues. “It wasn’t meant to be a thing. You know, it was just meant…”
Boone’s mouth twitched. “To scratch the long itch that you’ve had for years.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You knew?”
“Of course I knew,” he stated gruffly, nodding hello at an elderly couple who passed by before he addressed her again. “When Rhett came home, he looked at you differently, and you certainly didn’t look at him the same either.”
“Then why didn’t you just say something?”
Boone’s brow arched. “Give my approval, you mean?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
Her brother watched her for a long moment then said softly, “You know why.”
She swallowed back the sudden emotion rising up in her throat. “Because you wouldn’t pick him for me.”
“He’s not solid enough for you, Kins,” Boone said gently. “Regardless if there’s something there between you two, you don’t deserve to take on the weight of his shit. It’s heavy.”
But didn’t everyone have something heavy? The thing she had always liked about Rhett was that he didn’t hide it. She’d met a few guys over the years that seemed like these great, put-together people, and then suddenly, they weren’t that at all. There was no hidden agenda with Rhett. The cards were all laid out on the table. She knew it was just sex, and anything more than that with Rhett was a gigantic mess that no sane woman wanted to take on. “You don’t need to worry about me,” she told Boone. “I’ve go
t my head on straight, no matter how emotional I am right now.”
Boone examined her intently then gave a firm nod. “I wouldn’t expect otherwise. You’ll let me know what you need from me?”
Not if but what. That was Boone, supportive through and through. “I will, thank you.” She gave him a tight hug. “And thanks for coming to check in on me this morning. I love you.”
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, much like Dad had done. “Love you back.”
Reminded of how lucky she was to have all the love she did, she asked, “Are you working today?”
“After I grab a coffee, I am,” he said from behind her.
She unlocked the door. Boone often came to the bar in the morning. Not only to say hello, but also to order the butter pecan coffee he loved. Sure, opening in the morning was odd for most bars, but Kinsley knew bad stuff happened at all times of the day and she wanted to be there for people when all they needed was a drink, some quiet, and maybe a bartender to listen to them. Most days, no one came in, and she worked on the books while she sat at the bar. But every once in a while, the bar was exactly what someone needed, and that felt good. Important.
Once she got inside, she flicked the light on. Suddenly, everything slowed down, and all that she knew spiraled away as she glanced around her beloved bar. Nothing looked like it had when she’d left the place last night. Tables were overturned and destroyed. Chairs were smashed. The mirrors behind the bar were shattered into a million pieces. The liquor bottles were broken into shards of glass.