Worth the Wait (Picking up the Pieces #4) by Jessica Prince Page B

change.
    “Hey, guys, I’m starving. How about we go get ourselves something to eat, huh? I know Emmy’s dying to see y’all. We can head over to the diner for lunch.”
    “YAY!” they cheered, hopping off our laps and jumping up and down.
    We grabbed our stuff and left the park. As we walked, I looked over to catch Brett’s eye, mouthing a silent thank you to him. He smiled politely, but the expression in his eyes told me he was just as curious for an answer as my kids had been. That was a conversation I had no intention of ever having with him

    All thoughts and talk of their grandfather was completely forgotten by the time we walked through the door of Virgie May’s. After eating a delicious lunch and visiting with Emmy, where she plied my kids with pie (whoever said sugar doesn’t affect a child’s energy level is a jackass), we spent the rest of the day running around, enjoying the beautiful weather.
    By the time the sun started to set, Callie and Cameron were dead to the world and I was thankful to have Brett there to help me carry them up the stairs and into the apartment. He put Cameron on his bed as I laid Callie down on hers and stepped out so I could get them in their jammies and tucked in properly. Neither of them flinched as I got them set.
    Stepping to the doorway, I flicked the switch off and turned to look at my two tiny angels sleeping peacefully in their beds before pulling the door to and heading back into the living room.
    “Thank you.” I reached for the beer Brett offered and plopped down on the couch, sucking down a generous gulp before dropping my head back and closing my eyes. The couch dipped with Brett’s weight as he took a seat next to me, both of us sitting in companionable silence for a few minutes.
    “I appreciate you coming with us today,” I spoke, breaking the peaceful quiet. I felt him shift next to me and my eyes popped open at the sensation of his fingers brushing along my cheek.
    “I had fun. I always have fun when I’m with those two.”
    The grin on his face as he tipped his head in the direction of the hall caused butterflies to take off in my belly. He was always so genuine when he talked about my kids.
    “They really like you,” I whispered, emotion clogging my throat as I thought back to how he was with Cameron and Callie earlier in the day. I’d never seen a man connected so well with them before. Lance was always too busy or too tired to be bothered with them, but Brett had the patience of a saint. It pulled at something inside of me that I was trying so desperately to ignore.
    “I really like them, too.”
    I studied his face, trying to find something that indicated what he said was a lie, but I came up empty.
    “You really mean that, don’t you?”
    His eyes narrowed as he gazed at me as though he was trying to see all of my secrets. It was such a disconcerting feeling that I found myself leaning away from him.
    “Why is that so hard to believe?” he asked softly. “You’re a fantastic woman who, in turn, is raising two fantastic kids.”
    I turned away and took another sip of my beer with a mumbled, “Thanks,” not knowing what else to say.
    Obviously having had enough of me evading his gaze, Brett took my chin between his fingers and tilted my face toward his.
    “What happened to you, beauty? You can tell me.”
    “There’s nothing to tell,” I lied, standing from the couch and taking a step away. All of a sudden, I needed space from him and his questioning eyes. I hated how he was looking at me. The pity masked with concern cut like a knife.
    He stood as well and reached out for my hand, but I quickly pulled it away. “Kenz, I saw how you reacted when Callie asked about her grandfather. There’s something there, something you’re keeping locked up. You don’t have to do that, baby. You can trust me. I would never judge you.”
    What a joke. If there was one thing I’d learned growing up, it was that you could never trust anyone but