Page 31 of Falling for the Unexpected

She shivered. “No?” she asked, sounding confused.

“Yeah, I know,” I said dryly. “I date a lot but not as much as Trent.”

She snickered. “Uh-huh.” She bumped into me again. “So what’s got you hiding out from the female population?”

Again, I had to laugh at her teasing and how comfortable I felt around her. “I don’t know… a lot of things, I guess.” I paused. I couldn’t tell her that lately she was the only woman I seemed to notice. Instead, I blurted out the other thought that was weighing heavily on my mind. “Tomorrow is the anniversary of my mom’s death…” I said to her, rather bluntly surprising myself that I was sharing this information with her.

Simone gasped, stopping the stroller and facing me. “Kyle—I’m… so sorry,” she whispered.

I shrugged. “It was a long time ago, Simone, but Addie said something earlier today… it made me think, reassess.”

She gave me a hug, one that I savored and one that I missed when she let go. It was never long enough. She held my hand and looked up at me with sympathy in her pretty brown eyes. “Losing a parent is never easy. I know, believe me. If you ever need to talk about it, I’m here for you, okay?”

I didn’t know why, but those words, from her hit me square in the chest. The look in her eyes, the sadness in her voice, her sympathy for what happened to me long ago… it tugged at me hard. I pulled her back in for another hug; emotional in ways I hadn’t been since finding my mom’s body. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and held Simone to me like she could somehow save me from my own demons. Demons I’d never acknowledged before and tried to sweep aside—and I was good at it. Her arms were around me, holding on just as firmly, and it was everything I needed in that moment.

Addie had asked what I’d ever risked?

The answer was ‘nothing’.

Simone let me hold on, much longer than necessary, but it felt good and her presence was comforting. I really needed to stop touching her, I just couldn’t help it. When I released her, some deep, dark part of me knew I’d risk anything when it came to her and Stella. I pushed that thought away as soon as it’d entered my mind because Simone saw me as a friend, her lawyer. After things were finalized, she wouldn’t have any reason to need me. Knowing that kind of hurt.

“Thank you,” I finally said at last, “I appreciate it, and I might take you up on that someday.”

“Good,” she said, sounding pleased. When Stella made a slight noise in her stroller, it broke the moment. It was a good kind of a break.

It allowed me to compose myself. “So, have you thought much of the future?” I asked, as we resumed our slow walk toward her apartment. “What you want to do?”

“I want to finish college,” she said with certainty. “I’m trying to save up enough money so I can take a couple courses this fall.” She frowned, and I could tell she was a little apprehensive about that plan. “I’m trying to get an online class and Marla offered to watch Stella a couple times a week if I have a regular class.”

She hated to ask for help so I knew that’s where her hesitancy stemmed from.

“That would be great. Have you decided what you want to major in?”

She nodded. “Yeah, early childhood education. I would love to teach kindergarten someday,” she answered.

I loved learning new things about her. Simone was really an exceptional woman and I was happy to see her working toward her dreams.

“What made you want to be a teacher?” I asked, wanting to know even more.

“Well, growing up the way I did, I never had much stability, but my teachers were the one constant in my life. A couple did the bare minimum to get through the day, but a majority of them truly cared about their students.” She paused, the memories bringing a smile to her face. “The ones that took an interest in me made me feel like I could do anything I wanted, like I was worthy of something better. I want to be able to make the same kind of difference in the lives of other kids who might be struggling like I was.”

“That’s really amazing. I know any student of yours would be lucky to have a teacher like you,” I said, hoping she heard the sincerity in my words.

She gave me a big smile then a sly look in my direction. “So. Why did you become a lawyer?” she asked, turning the tables on me.

I took a deep breath. I didn’t often share personal things about myself but I liked that Simone was curious. “Honestly, I like being able to help people when they feel they’re most vulnerable. A lot of my clients need to feel like someone is in their corner and I like to be that person for them. My mom went through a lot when my dad left. She started using drugs around that time. My grandmother told me she blamed the stress of the divorce for her turning to heroin. I never want anyone to feel that lost, that desperate. That’s also why I volunteer at the recovery center on Second Street.”

“I didn’t know you volunteered there,” she said with a look of surprise on her face. “I think that’s a really great thing.”

“When you mentioned Brad’s possible substance abuse, it made me see red. I wanted to make sure you and Stella were protected,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “I grew up with a drug addict. The damage that comes from that never completely goes away. I wouldn’t want Stella to go through what I did.”

When I looked back over to her I could see her eyes glassy with emotion. “Wow,” I heard her mutter under her breath as she looked back down at the stroller.

I reached over to move the lock of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“I am. It’s crazy that we had such similar upbringings. I’m lucky to have somebody in my life who can understand some of what I’ve been through,” she said quietly but with feeling. “Makes me feel less alone.”

“Yeah.” It was all I could say since the emotion of our conversation was getting to me.