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“Oh, look at that, honey! A deer!” I exclaim, thankful to all the gods in the known universe for having brought that creature close enough for me to spot it, because I am nowhere near ready to have that talk about life and death with my five-year-old son. “Oh, isn’t she beautiful?”
“Deer!” he exclaims, about to bolt.
I hold his hand firmly to stop him. “No, wait. Remember, honey, we look, but we don’t chase after them. You’ll scare her away.”
“Why is she here?”
I allow myself a smile as we walk slowly toward the edge of the property. The deer stops beneath the heavy crown of a younger sequoia tree, munching on a slender piece of bark before raising its head to look at us.
She doesn’t look scared, but definitely nervous and ready to run off at any sudden movement.
Mikey looks directly at it, locking eyes with the deer. The creature lowers its head, curiously watching as we approach with the utmost caution. “Does it bite?” he asks in a hushed voice.
“I don’t know but I could tell you to stick your hand out through the fence to find out,” I tease him.
“No way,” he says, tucking his hand into his pocket while I hold on to the other one.
“Smart boy. Okay, ready to head home and get into bed?” I ask him.
Yet neither of us moves. We’re hypnotized by the doe and her big, beautiful brown eyes. For a moment, it feels as though time stands still, waiting for us to make the most of this encounter. All I can hear is the rustling of leaves as the evening wind blows through. It’s a corner of paradise, truly. We’re lucky to be here.
“Ready,” Mikey whispers after a couple of minutes.
We turn around and walk back to the house, only to find Kace waiting outside with a generous fruit basket. He looks dashing in his gray suit in the middle of this rustic haven. The fruit basket doesn’t really fit into his overall allure, yet it adds a certain charm.
I remember to be cool and somewhat irked about him and Ramada, so I shove my true feelings down and provide him with a simple smile.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he replies, then stares at Mikey for one second too long. “Hey, Mike. How are you?”
“I’m tired,” Mikey replies. “We had strawberry milkshakes and played at the park, and then we saw a deer, but now I’m ready for bed.” I can see a small smile forming on Kace’s lips as Mikey talks.
“Why don’t you head on inside,” I tell him as I unlock the door and open it. Mikey may be five, but he’s quick and smart for his age. He knows the drill, so he darts ahead and disappears inside the house. I look up at Kace and then at the basket. “What’s that for?”
Kace follows my gaze and holds the basket out for me to take. “Um, it’s fruit? For you and Mikey.”
“Thank you. But you didn’t have to.”
“I think I kind of did,” he replies, half-smiling. “Listen, about Ramada—”
“Oh, no. Not my circus, not my clown,” I laugh nervously as I try to steer away from the conversation. It’s hard to do when both of us are holding the basket, and Kace isn’t about to let it go just yet, if only to keep me close for another minute or two.
He shakes his head. “Amaya, I’m serious. You don’t have to worry about her. She’s not who I want. Who we want. She never was.”
“Somebody should tell her that, then,” I mutter.
“It’s in her nature to be pushy, overly flirtatious. It’s just the way she is, but it never lands anywhere, I promise.” Kace pauses, taking the basket and setting it down at our feet so he can take me in his arms. “I’m not interested in anything she has to offer.”
“You don’t have to reassure me, Kace. It’s not like we’re—”
“It’s not like we’re what?” he cuts me off, his hold tightening around my waist. I melt against him, my defenses dropping faster than I can breathe. “Not headed somewhere with this thing between us? Because we’re most certainly headed somewhere, Amaya, whether you’re ready to admit it or not.”
Words have left me, the traitors. I feel like that doe by the fence—apprehensive but not enough to run. Soft in Kace’s arms I relent, no longer able to scoff and push any insecurity away with my independent-woman spiel.
“Kace, I don’t have any expectations about whatever this is between us.”
“That’s fine, but I do. And you’ll see that soon enough. I’m a serious kind of guy, Amaya. And so are Finn and Elias. We’re not rushing things, we want you, and not just for one night,” he replies, his hand coming up to gently cup my cheek.
