Page 61 of One Little Kiss

Against my will, my eyes drift to his, and a smile tugs at my lips.

“He’s going to have quite the musical repertoire by the time he gets to school.” It’s all I can think to say, and Colton chuckles softly. Hearing my voice, Wes turns to me, but clings more tightly to Colton’s shoulders.

“I—” Panic floods Colton’s face.

“It’s okay,” I tell him, and actually mean it. “It’s good that he feels safe with you.”

“I was going to put him in the bathtub, but he didn’t want me to put him down.”

My gaze lowers, and I lean in to run a hand down Weston’s back.

“You like the shower, don’t you, buddy?”

Wes smiles and cuts his hand through the water to splash me. His tinkle of laughter eases some of the ache, some of the pain sitting just beneath the surface.

“Jesus, Winnie.” Colton reaches over, sloshing more water my way as he runs his pointer finger along the collar of my shirt. He slowly pulls it down. Not enough to flash him, but enough so he can see the deep cuts that look like I was in a fight with a tiger. Before I can respond, he lowers his mouth and places a gentle kiss on my collarbone. And then another. And another. When he pulls away, I’m nearly panting. There was nothing sexual about his kisses. They were meant to heal, to soothe, but they ignited a fire deep in my core that I don’t know how to control. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry.” His voice cracks, and Wes glances up in concern.

I watch in shock as Wes leans in and kisses Colton’s chest. “Thupa. Bedda? Thupa otay?”

“Yeah, Wes. I’m okay. Thank you, little man.”

Wes smiles, and with a full belly laugh that can only come from a toddler, we begin to heal.

* * *

I’m sitting on the edge of Colton’s bed long after he and Wes left me to shower. The sounds coming from the family room have slowly risen, but it’s happy. Joyful even. There’s an energy that comes with a big family, and I can feel it even behind the closed door of Colton’s room.

If I’m being honest with myself, I’m afraid to join the party. As a little girl, I dreamed of brothers and sisters. A father. A family. But now that I’m presented with it, truthfully, I’m terrified.

A knock at my door makes me jump, and my hand takes purchase at my heart in an attempt to calm the racing organ.

“Come in?” It’s not my house, so it comes out as more of a question than a statement. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to let people in or push them away right now.

GG pokes her head in the door. When she finds me sitting on the edge of the bed, she pushes it open and enters with a regal looking woman behind her.

“Wendy, this is Sylvie. Colton’s mom. She wanted to check on ya. You’ve had quite a time of it lately.”

I watch in silent horror as Sylvie glides across the room and gracefully stands before me.

Her smile matches Colton’s, and my shoulders relax a fraction.

“It’s so nice to meet the girl who has captured my Colton’s heart.”

“Oh, I, yeah, I don’t know. Um …”

Sylvie laughs, and even that sounds elegant. With no warning, she pulls me into a hug, and I immediately know where Colton gets it from. She’s warm and loving, and I’m so overwhelmed I pull away for fear I’ll sob, and snot will end up on her shoulder.

“I hear my other boys have been giving him a hard time again.”

I glance over my shoulder to find GG sitting in the armchair. “She’s talkin’ to you, not me,” she cackles. The sound could raise the dead.

Sylvie places a soft hand over my wrist, and I realize I’m wearing the skin there raw again. She pats it a couple of times and then sits next to me.

“They’ll come around, sweetheart. They always do. All my boys are stubborn. They get it from their father.” She smirks, and it’s impossible not to see the similarities between her and all her boys. “They each got a piece of their father in their own ways. Colton got my husband’s impulsive nature, but don’t mistake impulsive for indecisive. He and his father had the uncanny ability to make a decision at the drop of a hat and know, in their hearts, it was the right one. My other sons? Well, they’re more like me in that way. We think everything to death. They’ve never understood that about Colton, but I recognized it right away. Do you know his father told me he was going to marry me after three dates?”

My mouth hangs open, and GG cackles again. She’s uncharacteristically quiet otherwise, and it’s unnerving.

“What I’m trying to tell you is, just because something happens quickly doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”