“I’m just messing with you. Him coming over to meet us shows his intentions, sweetie. And the fact that he keeps looking at you like a love-sick puppy also helps his case. Ever since I lost the use of my legs, I gained half a brain with a six sense about things.”
“Not this again,” Emily said and stood from her chair, dismissing whatever her husband wanted to add.
“Would you like some coffee? Or something else?”
Keenan looked over from Ron to Emily. “Coffee, please.”
“It’s true. I know you all have your opinions about it.” Ron drawled the word ‘opinions’ like it left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Dad, stop telling everyone you’re some kind of psychic,” Jessie admonished.
Emily cut in before Ron could respond and said, “Cream? Sugar?”
Keenan shook his head, “Black, thanks.”
“I say what I think.” Ron shrugged.
“You sure do, Dad.” Ryleigh stood behind her chair next to Keenan. He couldn’t read her tone of voice. It almost seemed her father had agitated her, but she still admired him for his honesty.
“Well, I better head out; duty calls.” Jessie’s chair scraped over the kitchen tiles, making the hair on the back of his hand rise.
“What do you do for work?”
Jessie grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “I’m a nail stylist and I also work as a receptionist at the Royale Hotel, downtown.”
“Ah, I know the place.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, we had to fix the rooftop there last week. Some idiot guest had picked the lock to the rooftop garden and used about fifty candles to impress his girl. But when he left the candles to fetch her out of their room, some fell down, something ignited, and a big part of the rooftop almost took up in flames that day.”
“I know! My cousin Kieran called me about that fire when I had the night off. You worked on the repairs?”
Keenan swallowed a sip from his coffee, “Yes.”
“I like you even more now that I know you’re not some pencil pusher.” Ron chimed in.
Keenan chuckled. “Thanks.”
He took the last gulp from his coffee, glanced over his shoulder and listened in on Jessie talking to Liv and Tommy in the living room.
For any outsiders looking in, they made a perfect little family. All three honey blonde… Jessie could appear to be the mother of the both of them. He was glad she wasn’t and that he’d met Ryleigh.
After everything he’d been through, this sweet and sassy fighter came into his life and knocked a breath of fresh air into him. She’d brought him back to life and no other woman could ever compare to her.
He placed his hand on Ryleigh’s thigh, and she smiled up to him.
Ron wheeled away from the kitchen table and called out to Keenan on his way to the living room, “I can still use a hammer, son. And I’m dead quiet on my wheels if I’d want to be. So no funny business or Imma take you out.”
Keenan placed his hand back on top of the table and Ryleigh busted out laughing. “That look on your face,” she said.
“What?”
“He’s not threatening you because your hand’s on my thigh.” Ryleigh bit her bottom lip and stopped laughing. With an amused smile, she grabbed his hand and placed it right back and threaded her fingers through his.
“What my husband meant to say was, don’t hurt our girl. Just so you know, not only Ryleigh knows how to through a punch and—”
“Mom! You’re talking just like Dad,”