Part 9 (1/2)

Grandma stood behind me, clearing her throat. I glanced over at her. She raised her eyebrows, urging me to say something.

Well, I sure wasn't going to talk to him in front of her.

”Okay. But let's go outside.”

Grandma frowned as I led Isaac out the front door. Even though it was morning the air was warm. A hummingbird buzzed next to the feeder, its beak darting inside. I watched it as I moved to the porch swing and sat down. Too bad my life couldn't be that simple. Just fly around and eat food people left out for me. No more of this relations.h.i.+p junk. Isaac followed me and sat down so close our legs touched. I scooted as far away as possible. Keeping my eyes glued to the ground, I rocked the swing gently and waited for him to talk.

”I just wanted to come by to say sorry.”

I turned to him, shocked. ”For what?”

”For whatever I did to upset you.”

I bit my lip.

”Look, I've thought a lot about our last conversation.”

Shame burned through me as I recalled my last words to him.

He continued, ”I know you've been hurt by guys in the past and that's why you're pus.h.i.+ng me away. But I really like you, Kenzie. I'm not promising to never hurt you because I know that no matter how hard I try I'll end up breaking it, but I do promise to never intentionally hurt you. I just want you to give me another chance.”

Seriously?

”Why do you even bother?”

”What do you mean?”

”I just can't understand why you're going to so much trouble for me. I can't figure out your angle.”

Isaac chuckled. ”That's because there isn't an angle. I just like you.” He grabbed my hand, taking my tiny one in his large calloused one. As he folded it over my fingers a strange sensation ran through my arm. I felt protected, safe. ”I don't know what other guys have done to you to make you so untrusting. I don't know why you can't see how amazing you are. But please believe me when I say that I'm not playing a game here.”

I pulled my hand away. ”You didn't do anything to me.”

”Then why are you so upset?”

”I was upset about what Brooke said.”

”What did she say?”

”She said that you have a rescue complex. That you prey on girls in need and then get bored of them and move on to the next one.”

Isaac narrowed his eyes and shook his head. ”I can't believe she told you that.”

My stomach tightened. ”So it's true?”

”No, not at all. Brooke is just jealous. Our relations.h.i.+p was entirely different than yours and mine.”

”But you did have a relations.h.i.+p.”

”Not the way you're thinking. We were just friends. When I realized she wanted more I stopped hanging out with her. I wasn't interested in her that way and I didn't want to lead her on.”

”Isn't that what we are? Friends?”

”Yeah, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be more.”

My heart leapt in my chest.

”What do you say? Can I have another chance?” He shot me a dimpled smile, sealing my fate.

”So it looks like you and Isaac made up,” Grandma said over dinner as she spooned noodles onto her plate.

My cheeks warmed.

”See, I told you everything would work out.”

I stuffed a forkful of pasta in my mouth and chewed, not wis.h.i.+ng to spill the details of my conversation with Isaac to her. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure it really happened.

”So, what are your plans for tomorrow?” Grandma asked, lifting a gla.s.s of iced tea to her coral lips.

”During the day I thought maybe I'd hang with Rhiannon but tomorrow night Isaac and I are going out.”

Grandma smiled, raised her brows. ”Really? Where are you going?”

I shrugged. ”Not sure. Dinner probably. He's picking me up at six.”

”What are you and Rhiannon going to do?”

No way could I tell her what we did. She'd flip. I couldn't let Isaac find out either. He'd never understand. But it was something I just had to do. If there was even a remote chance that Wesley was my dad I had to pursue it.

”Um, just hang out.”

”What does that mean?”

”Just, you know, talk, listen to music. Chill, you know?”

Grandma chuckled. ”Okay, well have fun chilling or whatever.”

Intently, I studied my food praying she wouldn't ask any more questions about it.

Setting down her fork she said, ”Mackenzie, I wanted to talk with you about something.” She squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. ”I've thought a lot about our conversation this morning about your dad.”

I nodded and held my breath as I waited for her to continue.

”You were right. He's your dad. You have a right to know about him.”

My mouth dropped in shock. No adult had ever told me I was right before.