Effortless (54 page)

Kellan instantly pushed me away from him, frowning. “You what?
Kiera, I told you I didn’t want any contact with him. Why would you
do that?”

Sighing, I stepped back up to him. “Because you need them,
Kellan.”

He immediately started shaking his head, but I cut off his
objection. “No, you don’t believe that you do…but you do, Kellan.”
Putting my hand back on his chest, I shook my head. “I’ve heard you
talk about your sister. You care about her. And your brother?
You’ve never even met him…don’t you want to?”

I raised my eyebrows and waited for a second. Almost
imperceptibly, Kellan nodded and feeling victorious, I continued.
“And your dad…how do you know what you’ll feel towards him, if you
never give him a chance.” Putting my other hand on his cheek, I
stroked my thumb over the smooth skin. “You could be missing out on
something really good…because you’re scared.”

He looked down. “Kiera…”

I lifted his head, making him look at me. “I saw you on
Christmas morning, Kellan. You wanted that bond, that family bond…
and you can have it. You just have to be brave.” I smiled that me,
the one most pervious to nerves, was assuring him, the one who
rarely seemed to be self-conscious, to be brave. Smiling wider, I
added, “You are a smart, handsome, rock star with a girlfriend who
adores you. You have nothing to fear…ever.”

He grinned at hearing variants of his words being repeated back
to him. Gazing at me with adoration, he shook his head. “When did
you get so wise?”

Smirking, I shrugged. “I
am
a college graduate, you
know.”

Kellan smirked right back. “Not yet.”

Laughing, glad that he wasn’t too mad, I slung my arms around
his neck. “Close enough.”

Tilting his head at me, he bunched his brows. “How did you get
my dad’s number anyway?”

I gave him a blank look. “Are you kidding, that number has been
burned into my brain since December.”

Sheepishly, he grimaced and looked down. “Yeah, sorry about
that.”

Leaning up, I kissed him. “It’s okay…I get it now.”

Noticing bar patrons starting to examine empty glasses, I
figured I’d probably had a long enough break and should get back to
work. Grabbing Kellan’s hand, I pulled him with me back to the bar.
Since Rita was still dirty dancing with Justin, maybe Kellan could
be the bartender?

Joking around, I asked Kellan if he wouldn’t mind taking over
for Rita. Eyes lighting up, he hopped up on the bar and scooted
around to the other side. He looked like I’d just given him the
keys to the Kingdom as he stared at all the bar supplies. I
wondered if he knew how to make anything? Well, he had helped me
study for this job, back when I’d first gotten it, so he must have
picked up a thing or two.

Grinning at the adorable image of Kellan tying a half-apron
around his waist, I shook my head. He was going to get so many
tips. Good thing we pooled them all together at the end of the
night. As I started helping my thirsty customers, Pete came out of
his office, tucked behind the kitchen.

The weary, older man looked over the chaos of the bar on a night
that usually wasn’t this bustling, and smiled. Seeing his bartender
on the floor with the rock stars, he frowned, then his silver head
looked back at the bar. I knew Pete liked Kellan, since they’d had
a working relationship for years, but I wasn’t sure if he’d be okay
with Kellan serving his customers. But Kellan had already attracted
attention in his newfound position. A line was formed at the bar as
Kellan smiled and flirted his way through order after order.

I smiled and shook my head at him. Really, there wasn’t too much
Kellan couldn’t do well, and serving drinks was no exception. I
could easily picture an alternate life for Kellan, one where he
wasn’t about to be a famous rock star. I could easily picture him
here, working alongside me, serving drinks every night. It was an
intriguing idea, but I knew that Kellan’s heart lied with music.
The path he was on was the right one for him.

I watched him flip a bottle into the air “Cocktail” style, then
watched as he nearly missed catching it. When he juggled the bottle
into submission, just keeping it from crashing to the floor, the
girls screamed and clapped. Always the showman, he bowed
dramatically.

Pete shook his head, but I saw a small smile on his face as he
watched the bills being tucked into the register. I figured he was
fine with Kellan doing just about whatever he wanted to after
that.

Kellan met my eye, laughing a little at the attentions he was
receiving. I laughed at him, then blew him a kiss. I would place my
order later…at his place…
our
place, since I’d moved my
stuff in last weekend.

Just as I was remembering Jenny, Kate and Cheyenne helping me
carry box after box into Kellan’s house—my sister only
“supervising” since she’d suddenly embraced her condition, claiming
she was supporting a life, so she couldn’t manhandle cardboard—a
familiar face walked into the bar.

I smiled wide at seeing Denny stroll in. I was used to seeing
him in here now, since he usually stopped in a couple of times a
week for dinner. He’d been mysteriously absent this week though; I
hadn’t even received a phone call from him. As I noticed him
holding hands with someone who was entering the bar a step behind
him, I suddenly understood why he’d dropped off the face of the
earth.

I waved at Denny and his girlfriend, Abby, who must have finally
made it over from Australia. Denny slung his arm around her waist
and beamed with pride. Happy beyond belief for him, I motioned to a
free table in my section. Nodding at me, he led her that way.

Turning back to a trio of college girls at one of my tables, I
handed them a second round of margaritas. Straightening, I quickly
told them, “There you go. Enjoy, and let me know if you need
anything else.”

One of the girls had her eyes glued on Kellan as she sipped on
her straw. “Can we get
him
to go?” she slurred as the
other girls at the table giggled.

I glanced over at Kellan, still behind the bar. He’d noticed
Denny’s entrance too and was staring at Denny while he filled a mug
with ale. I couldn’t read Kellan’s expression, so I had no idea if
he was okay with my ex and I still having a friendly relationship
or not. But Kellan could see Denny’s companion too, and if he still
had any qualms about the matter, seeing the blonde on Denny’s arm
should have squelched it.

Looking back to my customers, I shook my head. “Sorry, no…he
belongs to me.” They all stared at me, shocked, and I felt a
flutter in my stomach that I’d confessed such a personal thing to
complete strangers. I tended to avoid attracting attention to
myself, and now I had the table’s complete attention. I felt the
warmth of embarrassment as they stared at me, but the immediate
surge of love flattened it.

Smiling, I lifted my promise ring and flicked it with my thumb.
“He’s off the market.”

They all stared at my ring then over at Kellan. Finally, the
drunken one slurred, “Well, damn…” She looked up at me and smiled.
“Nice catch.”

Rolling my eyes, I giggled and shook my head. Yeah, Kellan was a
nice catch. Even if it wasn’t always easy with him, it was always
worth it. I was very lucky. Excusing myself, I headed over to see
him. He pulled his eyes away from Denny as I neared him.

Purposely putting my back to Denny, just so Kellan would know
what he should already know—that I was his and his alone—I leaned
across the bar. Giving me a crooked grin, Kellan leaned over his
side. My eyes lingered on his deep red shirt, his glorious chest
impossible to hide underneath the fabric. Lazily, I let my gaze
wander up to his eyes, drinking him in just as eagerly as the
college girls had slung back their margaritas.

His gaze was fond and peaceful when our eyes locked. Nodding his
head over my shoulder, he told me, “I should go say hi. The last
time we saw each other, I wasn’t exactly…nice.”

He grimaced and I did too. Yeah, that hadn’t been the best
reunion after so long apart from each other. But it could have been
so much worse. If Kellan had been a little angrier, if Denny had
done a little more to provoke him, Denny could’ve ended up with the
broken arm this time.

Looking back at Denny seated at a table with Abby, I nodded.
“Yeah, I should talk to him, too. I haven’t had a chance to meet
Abby yet.”

Denny glanced up at the bar and frowned. Saying something to
Abby, he started to stand, like he wanted to come over and talk to
us, too. I supposed there were a few things that we all needed to
discuss. Abby glanced up at me, smiled briefly, then put her hand
on Denny’s arm. He looked back at her and sat back down.

I twisted back to Kellan, right as his butt was pinched. Kellan
had been watching Denny and Abby and hadn’t noticed Rita sidling up
behind him. He startled at the unexpected contact, taking a step
away from her. Rita, giddy from her illicit dancing with Justin,
wrapped her arms around his waist.

“I knew I’d get you back behind this bar again, sweetheart,” she
purred, her voice scratchy from way too many cigarettes.

I flushed at her reference to their one night together, then
surprisingly laughed. Kellan was trying to disengage himself from
her, but every time he moved one hand away, she moved the other one
right back. The annoyed frustration on his face made me giggle and
he narrowed his eyes at my enjoyment of his predicament. When Rita
laid her head on his chest and contently closed her eyes, Kellan
sighed. I shook my head at him and gave him a,
hey, buddy,
you reap what you sow
, expression.

Noticing my look, he smiled. There was a time when another woman
snuggling on him would have had me in a jealous tizzy. I guess I
finally trusted him, too. Gathering himself, Kellan firmly grabbed
Rita’s shoulders and shoved her back.

Her eyes flashed open at the unexpected movement and she stared
at him with her mouth gaping. Hunching down to look her in the eye,
Kellan quietly said, “I know we had a thing once, but that was
years ago and I’ve moved on, we’ve both moved on.” His eyes flashed
down to her wedding ring. “But I’m with Kiera now and your constant
flirting isn’t appropriate. Neither is your gossiping about things
we did together. I would appreciate it, if in the future, both of
those things would stop…please.”

Rita blinked at him as he released her shoulders. I blinked at
him, too. Kellan had never, ever told someone to back off like
that. Not that I’d ever heard, anyway. She didn’t say another word
as he scooted around the bar to meet me on my side. Untying his
apron, he handed it to a still-stunned Rita. “Thank you, Rita, it
was fun.”

I had no idea if Kellan meant filling in for her at the bar, or
the time that they’d shared together, but his tone clearly implied
that both things were done. Rita took the fabric from him, her face
glum. I felt a little bad watching her, but I supposed this had
been a long time coming. Rita had always harbored a desire to sleep
with him again, but that was never going to happen. Not while he
was with me. And I planned on him being with me for a long, long
time.

Warmed that he’d stood up for our relationship, I grabbed his
hand and started to lead him back to Denny. That was when I nearly
ran into Denny. He’d finally decided to come up and talk to
us.  He was holding Abby’s hand, much like I was holding
Kellan’s. I laughed as Denny and I stumbled, trying to avoid
colliding. He laughed, too.

Recovering, Denny smiled and put his arm around Abby’s waist.
“Kiera, Kellan, this is my girlfriend, Abby.”

As Abby extended her hand to me, I subtly checked her out. She
was adorably cute, with full pouty lips and twin dimples when she
smiled. With her long blonde hair and pale gray eyes, she was
almost the opposite of me, appearance-wise. But she was roughly my
height and build so I felt on equal footing as we shook hands.

“Hello, Kiera, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Her accent was just as charming as Denny’s was. I instantly
wondered if Denny and Abby found each other’s accents endearing. Or
maybe, since they sounded alike, they didn’t even hear it. Seemed
like a shame if they didn’t notice that marvelous inflection.

I watched her absorbing me as carefully as I was absorbing her.
Her eyes took in my plain jeans and red Pete’s shirt as mine took
in her cute gray skirt with a matching, tailored jacket. I couldn’t
help but think that I’d be so wary and suspicious of me, if our
roles were reversed. Regardless of how much she trusted Denny, he’d
been alone with his ex for months, an ex that he’d been considering
marrying one day. That had to strain even the strongest
relationship. It was one of the reasons that I’d never told Kellan
Denny was home. But Abby only gave me a warm, carefree smile. She
completely trusted Denny. That fact made me trust her. If she had
complete faith in him not cheating on her, then she had to have
complete faith in herself that she’d never cheat on him.

“You too, Abby. Denny talks about you all the time.” Denny
flushed a little after I said that, and I grinned at him.

He could be such a sap, and after recovering from the shock that
Abby had been delayed for a few more weeks, he’d started talking to
me about her whenever we got together. And he’d gushed about her
whenever he did. Denny sort of had a point when he’d said that our
disastrous breakup was a blessing in disguise—he was madly in love
with the woman standing next to him, and I was immensely happy for
him.