“Daddy ate a burger last night.”
His eyes widened and he snatched up the bottle and ran the short distance to the pantry as if hiding the evidence. The evidence was also all over Kennedy’s face and clothes as well as the pancakes that remained so I wondered what his game plan was.
“When Sheldon comes in and loses her shit, we say the kid acted alone,” he prepped me.
“Keenan…”
He covered Kennedy’s ears. “If I get in trouble, I won’t get my afternoon nookie when Ken takes her nap.”
“Shame on you.” I laughed hysterically. I’d forgotten how funny Keenan could be. It appeared as if the last four years hadn’t changed him, but I could have been wrong.
“How’s it going, Wills? I missed you.”
“I missed you, too” I found myself admitting and realized it was the truth. I’d missed all of them but found it easier to admit with Keenan. Out of everyone, I might have been able to identify with Keenan’s need to leave and him with me.
“Don’t be so stiff. Can’t I get a hug?” I let him envelop me in his embrace, and that brief moment of contact made me feel as if I finally had a friend again. He let me go and stared down at me with sad eyes. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I was finally able to put some things into perspective.”
He turned away to start pouring cereal for himself. Kennedy was no longer attempting to eat the pancakes but instead, raced them around her plate. “So what brings you back?”
I contemplated answering his question. I might have understood him, but I knew where his loyalties were. He sensed my hesitation and looked up from pouring his milk. “It’s not a loaded question,” he assured.
I nodded and answered simply. “I was visiting my mother.”
“I see. Was this your first trip back?”
“More like the twentieth or so.”
“So, how did you end up on the Chambers’ doorstep?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I have to admit it was a pretty epic way to crash a wedding.”
“I promise that wasn’t my intention.” I had found out from my mother a couple of months ago that Keenan and Sheldon were getting married. My initial decision was to skip the visit, knowing they would all be in town at once, but my mother had guilted me into coming. Other than the single visit every other month, I didn’t keep in much contact with her. The call I placed the week before was one of the rare calls I made home.
At times, I felt like a fugitive on the run.
Dash and Sheldon entered the kitchen, and I only just realized they had been outside the entire time. Sheldon’s expression was nervous while Dash’s was grim. I met his stare from his perch at the door. He seemed to be searching or waiting for something from me. If he was expecting a goodbye or to wish him a nice day, he was delusional. After another few seconds of staring, he finally left, and I could breathe again.
“I’ve been ordered to take you shopping.”
Before I could decline, Keenan grumbled, “That’s my cue to leave.”
“Baby, I need you to watch Ken for a few hours, and by watch I mean watch her.”
“I do watch her.”
“Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the ketchup on her half-eaten pancakes?”
“I don’t know, Shelly. You were on pancake duty this morning.”
“Yes, but you left the ketchup out.”
“It could be worse. She could have thought your birth control pills were candy,” he snapped.
Whoa. Tension.
Sheldon’s amber eyes seemed to glow as she glowered at Keenan. “What does that have to do with any of this?”
“Nothing. Forget it.” He picked up Kennedy and stormed from the kitchen. Sheldon stared after him on the verge of crying.
“God, he can be such a dick,” she cried.
I risked hugging her because she needed it more than I needed to keep my distance. “Am I missing something?”
“Keenan is trying to get me pregnant.”