Falling For Her Bodyguard. Amy Vastine

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ he’s only fifteen and she’s barely seven, I’m not sure if that’s good news or bad. The light at the end of the tunnel is so far away, it’s a tiny pinprick.”

      “Well, maybe she’ll be less trouble. She might learn from some of the trouble he gets in.”

      Kelly was quite the optimist. Donovan had lost the ability to see the bright side a long time ago. Since Oliver, Donovan’s best friend and Jessica’s husband, was killed in the line of duty and Jessica was diagnosed with incurable cancer, Donovan only expected the worst. Since his sister died, every day was similar to his time in the military. It was all about survival—his and the kids’. He didn’t have the luxury to hope for more than getting through each day still breathing.

      “Can Kelly sit in the back with me?” Avery asked as she came skipping through the house.

      “I would love to sit in the back with you, Miss Avery.” Kelly gave one of Avery’s pigtails a gentle tug. “Did you do these pigtails yourself?”

      Avery giggled and the sound squeezed Donovan’s heart. His niece’s resiliency was her most amazing quality. She had more experience with tragedy than most adults, yet she could still smile, skip and laugh.

      “Uncle Donovan always does my hair in the morning. I wanted a French braid today, but he said there wasn’t enough time.”

      Donovan wasn’t surprised by the shocked look on Kelly’s face. Six months ago, no one would have been able to convince him that he would know how to do a little girl’s hair. “Someone was a sleepyhead this morning. If you want a French braid you have to get out of bed earlier.”

      “You know how to French braid hair?” Kelly asked.

      “Mommy taught him everything before she went to heaven. They had to practice every day because he used to hurt my head when he combed out my knots.”

      Kelly pressed her lips together and had that look in her eye that always made him uncomfortable. Avery didn’t understand how talking about her mom might make other people feel and their sympathy was sometimes too much. The sooner he got Kelly back home, the better.

      “Let’s get in the truck. It’s late.”

      A door slammed upstairs and Graham came stomping down the steps. He had on a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. With his hands in the front pocket, he trudged past all of them and out the front door.

      “Kelly might have to sit in the front seat, Avery. I don’t think Graham is going to want to sit in front with me.”

      “No!” Avery chased after her brother. “Graham! I’m sitting in the back with Kelly. You have to sit in the front.”

      As much as Graham hated Donovan, he loved Avery more. He didn’t even argue; he just got into the passenger’s seat. He might be trouble, but that boy would take care of his sister until the day he died.

      He apologized to Kelly again. “Today has been kind of a nightmare. I promise it won’t always be like this.”

      “It’s okay,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. The contact made him suck in a breath. “Don’t apologize for being a good uncle.”

      He didn’t feel like a good uncle. He felt like he was barely cutting it. Maybe she was just being nice, maybe she saw something he didn’t. Either way, he appreciated the compliment.

      They all got inside the truck and Donovan headed back to the city. Graham stared out the window and didn’t say a word. Avery, on the other hand, talked nonstop. Kelly patiently listened to her go on and on in excruciating detail about her day at school. She even described everything she ate for lunch.

      “At recess, we played tag and I was only it one time because I am super fast. I had my fast shoes on.”

      “You have fast shoes?” Kelly asked, making Donovan chuckle. Avery had a pair of sneakers that he told her would make her run faster. He had to be careful what he said around Avery because she did not doubt anything he told her.

      “They’re pink with silver sparkles. I wanted purple ones, but Uncle Donovan said they were fast shoes and I would run faster in them and he was right.”

      “I think I might need him to buy me some of those shoes,” Kelly said, making eye contact with him in the rearview mirror. Those blue eyes were mesmerizing. “At the gym, I run on the treadmill and I can never go as fast as the guy who works out next to me. He always teases me.”

      “Uncle Donovan, do they make the fast shoes for grown-ups?”

      “I don’t know, Avery. I’m guessing not the same exact ones.”

      “Shoes don’t make you fast, Avery,” Graham said from under his hood. “You’re fast because you’re fast. You don’t need stupid shoes.”

      “They are too fast shoes and they’re not stupid!” Avery asserted. “Uncle Donovan said they are, so they are.”

      “Uncle Donovan lied.”

      “That’s enough, Graham,” Donovan warned. “Don’t make your sister upset because you’re mad at me.”

      Graham pushed back his hood and glared at his uncle. “Do the shoes really make her fast? Are they magic shoes or did you tell her that because you were tired of shopping and you couldn’t find any purple shoes like she wanted?”

      Donovan gave him a pointed look. “I said that’s enough.”

      “You’re such a hypocrite.” The hood went back up. “You punish me for every little thing I do, but you lie to my sister every day.”

      Donovan had no rebuttal. He was wrong and he was right. They drove in silence for a full minute.

      “They are fast shoes, Graham. They are,” Avery said in her tiny voice. No one said anything after that until they pulled up in front of Kelly’s building.

      “Do you want me to check your apartment?” he offered. Her building wasn’t one of the most secure places to live. Someone could sneak their way in with a little patience.

      “I’ll be fine,” she said, opening her door. “If I see anything suspicious, I’ll text you.”

      She gave Avery a hug and promised to eat dinner with them next time she came over. That was a good answer. As long as they never ended up back at his house, they could avoid spending an awkward meal together.

      “See ya tomorrow,” Donovan said before she shut the door. He waited until she was safely inside before putting on his blinker so he could pull out into traffic.

      “I think she’s my new best friend,” Avery said.

      It made perfect sense why he had decided not to bring people into the kids’ lives. Avery got attached so quickly. He had thought this would be easier since he had no intention of getting into a relationship with anyone. But Avery could bond with a complete stranger in five seconds flat, and Kelly wasn’t a girlfriend. She wasn’t even a friend. She was a job assignment.

      “Who was that? Why did you offer to check her apartment? Why are you going to see her tomorrow?” Graham asked. Donovan was surprised he was curious enough СКАЧАТЬ