All Consuming

by Jaci Burton

  She laughed. “I can imagine that probably happened a time or two.”

  “Damn straight it did. We were all hardheaded boys. And she was right—we were happy for the first time in our lives. Once we adjusted, we started knocking one another around like real siblings. And then Mom or Dad would step in and we knew we were in deep shit. We’d get sent to our room and have nothing to do but stare at one another. It wouldn’t take much time before we were all laughing and hanging out together again.”

  She could feel the love that Kal had for Jackson and Rafe. She’d seen that herself when they had been dating. Kal had been close with his brothers even then. She could only imagine that bond had deepened over the years.

  Their pizzas arrived, so Hannah gathered up the kids, who scrambled to the table like voracious velociraptors.

  “I’m so hungry,” Oliver said.

  “I’m hungrier than you are,” Jeff replied.

  “Nuh-uh.”

  Hannah looked over at Kal, who said, “I’m bigger and hungrier than both of you. And I’m gonna eat all the pizzas.”

  Oliver gaped at Kal. “You could eat two pizzas?”

  “Easy.”

  “I wanna see you do that,” Jeff said.

  “Not me,” Oliver said. “I’m too hungry.”

  “Okay, fine.” Kal slid slices of pizza onto the plates. “Since you’re too hungry, I’ll share. This time.”

  Oliver giggled, and it made Hannah’s heart squeeze. She had no idea why that moment hit her, and she didn’t want to analyze it.

  After all, it was just pizza.

  Kal handed her a plate. The pizza smelled delicious, and her stomach grumbled at her to get eating, so she dived in, watching happily as Oliver and Jeff stuffed their faces.

  “What’s your favorite topping?” Kal asked the boys.

  “Pepperoni,” Jeff said.

  “Mine, too,” Oliver said. “And hamburger. And cheese. And mushrooms.”

  “What?” Kal gave him a surprised look. “You like mushrooms? What else?”

  Oliver lifted his gaze to the ceiling, something he always did when he was thinking hard.

  “Um . . . broccoli.”

  “No way. I like broccoli, too. But not on my pizza. How about onions?”

  Oliver shrugged. “Sure.”

  “Ew,” Jeff said, making a face. “Gross.”

  “No, they’re good,” Oliver said.

  “So you’d eat an everything pizza,” Kal said.

  Oliver chewed and swallowed and nodded. “I guess. But no fishy things.”

  “Yeah,” Kal said. “No fishy things. I’m with you on that one, buddy. But everything else.”

  Oliver stared down at his slice. “Okay. Next time we’ll have an everything else pizza.”

  Hannah was surprised at how easily Oliver said “next time,” as if Kal had already been accepted.

  Kids. They made friends so easily, and obviously Kal was a friend now. Then again, if he’d been a jerk and had ignored him, Oliver wouldn’t have been so eager to invite Kal to a “next time” for pizza.

  They finished eating, and their server cleared the table.

  “Now,” Kal said, “let’s go play some games.”

  Hannah went with them, laughing as she watched Kal play Skee-Ball with the boys, followed by pinball and a driving game. Hannah estimated he let them win at least half the games, which she appreciated.

  Soon, Oliver had grabbed Kal’s hand and dragged him from game to game, and at no time did Kal say he was too tired or didn’t want to play. But Kal did pull Hannah into a few of the games, making sure she had some time to play with her son as well. She had to admit, she had a good time, even though she lost on several occasions.

  They made it to the movie with plenty of time to get popcorn and soda. Kal sat on her left, and Oliver and Jeff on her right. The movie was cute, and the boys behaved themselves—all three of them. Kal didn’t even try to hold her hand, obviously respecting that they were there with her child.

  On the way home, Kal and the boys discussed their favorite games at the pizza place, along with their favorite parts of the movie. Oliver had always been a talker, but he and Jeff both were more animated than usual, and very engaged with Kal.

  Hannah couldn’t believe how easily Oliver had accepted Kal. Then again, Kal didn’t talk down to Oliver or treat him like a baby. He was easygoing with him, and he spent time with him. To Oliver, that was everything. It made it even more obvious how much Oliver had missed having a male influence in his life.

  When they got home, she walked Jeff next door to his house. Becca thanked her for taking him to dinner and said she and her husband had a quiet, restful evening.

  When she got back home, she didn’t see Kal or Oliver. She found them both in Oliver’s room.

  “And these are my trains.”

  “Wow. Those are awesome, Oliver. I like how you have them up on a shelf.”

  “Thanks. Mom and Grandma put the shelves up for me when we moved here.”

  “They did a good job. And the trains look great up there.”

  Hannah leaned against the doorway listening to Oliver tell Kal all about his trains. He’d always loved them from the time he was little, so every birthday and Christmas Hannah had been buying him new pieces for his set.

  “Okay, Oliver,” she finally said. “Time to get ready for bed.”

  “Aww, Mom. I want to stay up for a while.”

  She shook her head. “You have an early game in the morning, remember?”

  “Soccer?” Kal asked.

  Oliver grinned. “Yup. I’m a halfback, and sometimes I get to play goalie.”

  “That’s pretty cool. Maybe I’ll get to come to your game sometime.”

  “Great. Mom doesn’t get to come because she works on Saturdays. But Grandma is always there.”

  That twinge of guilt hit her right in her stomach. She pushed it away because there was nothing she could do about it. She had to work. “That’s right, and your grandma loves watching you play. Now go brush your teeth and get your jammies on.”

  “Okay.”

  She and Kal left the room. As they made their way into the kitchen, she asked, “Do you want something to drink?”

  “I’m good right now, thanks.”

  “I’m ready, Mom,” Oliver yelled from the bedroom.

  “He reads a chapter of his book to me before he goes to sleep,” Hannah said. “We’re on the Magic Tree House books right now. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. Go ahead.”

  She left the room and went into the bedroom, sitting down on the side of the bed to snuggle up next to her son.

  “Did you brush your teeth?”

  Oliver gave her a toothy smile. “Yes.”

  “Good. Okay, let’s read.”

  He pulled the book out. “Mom?”

  “Yes?”

  “I like Kal.”

  Her heart fluttered. “Me, too.”

  “Can he come over again sometime?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay. Good.”

  He started reading, and Hannah hoped it was the whole pizza and playtime thing and Kal being someone new that sparked Oliver’s enthusiasm.

  After all, it had just been tonight. And Kal was a nice guy. Everyone liked him.

  No big deal, right?

  Except it kind of had been, she realized after they finished the chapter. She kissed Oliver good night and turned off the light.

  Kal was in the living room playing a game on his phone. When she came in, he shut it off, got up and slipped his phone in his pocket.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I could have left so you could have had some quiet time with Oliver.”

  “It’s okay. It really was time for him to go to sleep. He was yawning whil
e he was reading.”

  “I can go now if you’d like me to.”

  “No. Let’s sit and talk for a while if you’re up for it.”

  “Sure.” He waited while she found a spot. When she did, he sat next to her on the sofa, making her body warm up in all the places it shouldn’t.

  “I had a good time tonight,” she said.

  “Is there a ‘but’ in there?”

  She frowned. “No. But there’s a ‘thank you’ in there. Oliver had a good time, too. Thanks for spending so much time with him.”

  “Hey, he’s a great kid. Hanging out with him wasn’t a chore.”

  “Most adults wouldn’t think so.”

  “Then most adults are dicks. Your kid is smart and fun. Who wouldn’t want to spend time with him?”

  He said all the right things, did all the right things, which was so unusual considering getting her ex-husband to spend any time with his own son had been an effort. And yet, it had seemed so easy for Kal.

  She didn’t understand it, but she wasn’t going to question it. Kal had seemed at ease with Oliver tonight, and she was grateful.

  “You’re a good guy, Kal.”

  He looked over at her. “Hey, thanks. What brought that on?”

  She shrugged. “No reason. Other than you’re nice.”

  “You know what they say about nice guys.”

  “That they finish last?”

  “Which could be a good thing in some cases.”

  She laughed. “Not at all what I’m talking about here.”

  “But you might want to bookmark it for future reference.”

  She leaned against him, pressing her body against his side. “Or, for now.”

  He looked down. “This isn’t the same sofa we made out on when we were in high school, is it?”

  “No. Mom got a new one a few years back.”

  “That’s too bad.” He pulled her toward him. “It was a pretty comfy sofa.”

  This close, she felt his heart pounding. Hers was, too. Their faces were so close all it would take was her leaning in and their lips would touch.

  She did, and he kissed her, his soft lips melting her. He took it slow and easy, just the way she liked it, sliding his arm around her waist to tug her closer. She sighed against his mouth and he uttered a groan and it was all she could do not to climb on his lap, but she was conscious of where she was. They weren’t alone. But she could indulge in a little kissing. And this was very good, reminding her of just how long it had been since she’d been thoroughly kissed.

  “Mom?”

  Kal broke the kiss so fast it made her head spin. He also got up and moved clear across the room.

  Hannah couldn’t help but smile at his quick moves. She stood. “I’ll be right back.”

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  She went into Oliver’s room. “What’s up?”

  “I heard a noise.”

  “Yeah?” She went to sit down on the side of his bed. “What kind of noise?”

  “I dunno. A noise. Like bumping against the wall outside.”

  “It’s windy outside. Probably that piece of guttering that’s loose. But I’ll go check it out, and you go back to sleep, okay?”

  “Okay.” He yawned, and she pulled the covers up, bent and kissed his forehead.

  “I love you, Oliver.”

  He was already falling back asleep. “Love you.”

  She came back into the living room.

  “Is he okay?” Kal asked.

  “He said he heard a noise outside. There’s some guttering that’s loose above his window, and sometimes when the wind kicks up it rattles. I’m sure that’s what it was.”

  “Want me to go look?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”

  “I’m gonna go check anyway. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.”

  He went out the front door and was gone for a while. When he came back in, he shook his head. “Nothing and nobody out there, just in case he wakes up again. But you’re right about that gutter. It’s loose.”

  “I’ll have it taken care of so it doesn’t bother him anymore.”

  “Okay.” He looked toward Oliver’s room. “I think I’m gonna go.”

  She didn’t want him to, even though she knew it was the right thing. “Sure.”

  He walked toward her and pulled her into his arms, giving her a brief brush of his lips across hers. “See you soon.”

  “Thanks for tonight. I had a good time. So did Oliver.”

  “Me, too. Good night, Hannah.”

  “Night, Kal.”

  She walked him to the door and waited while he left.

  “Lock the door behind me,” he said over his shoulder.

  She smiled. “Okay.”

  She closed the door and locked it, then sighed and went to her room, knowing she was going to be way too pent-up to sleep.

  She had a hot man on her mind.

  CHAPTER 10

  Kal got up early, went to the gym with Jackson, then they met Rafe at his house. Carmen had the day off, so she fed them a breakfast of huevos rancheros with tomatillo sauce. Kal could have downed that all day long.

  “How’s the new house coming along?” he asked as they sat at the kitchen table in front of the bay window.

  “It’s perfect,” Carmen said. “Since the house was new, there wasn’t much to do, but we’ve started to put things on the wall, added shelves and area rugs here and there. It’s starting to feel like home.”

  Rafe shot a smile across the table at Carmen. “It felt like home the minute you and I walked in here.”

  “True. And soon we’ll be married. That’s hard to believe.”

  “Yeah,” Jackson said. “Hard to believe anyone would be willing to marry this jackass.”

  “Hey. You’re the one who took forever to ask Becks to marry you.”

  Carmen nodded. “Sorry to say he’s right. What took you so long?”

  Jackson looked at all of them, then shrugged. “It was Becks. She kept saying she wasn’t ready.”

  Kal sputtered out a laugh. “Yeah, right. She’d have married you a year ago and you know it.”

  “No, seriously. I asked her several times if she wanted to get married, and she kept saying things were fine as they were. I think she was scared.”

  Carmen leveled a serious look at Jackson. “Scared of what?”

  “I don’t know. Things changing between us, maybe.”

  Kal nodded. “Okay, I get that. Our lives were always in flux when we were kids. Foster homes and being homeless. Maybe she was afraid of upsetting the status quo, of you changing your mind about the relationship.”

  “Poor baby girl,” Carmen said. “I’m glad you were patient with her, Jackson.”

  Jackson took another scoop of food onto his fork, then looked up at them. “Hey, I wasn’t going anywhere. She just had to come to that realization on her own time.”

  Kal loved that his siblings were both happy. And the women in his brothers’ lives? He couldn’t imagine anyone more perfect for them. Becks and Carmen were kind, sweet, beautiful and smart. And, more importantly, took no shit from his brothers. Both Becks and Carmen were like sisters to him.

  After breakfast, they all cleared the table and took the dishes to the sink. They started to help wash, but Carmen shooed them away.

  “It’s enough that you guys are helping Jackson build the backyard deck today. I’ll take care of feeding you and cleaning up.”

  “We have to help him,” Kal said. “Otherwise, how would we know he did it right?”

  Jackson nodded. “This is true. Everyone knows Rafe couldn’t build his way out of a wet paper bag.”

  “Fuck you both,” Rafe said. “And get your tools.”

  Kal laughed.
>
  They all grabbed their tools and met out back. Concrete had been laid where the deck was going to go. It was a decent-sized deck. Not ridiculously huge, but enough for the grill, a table and several chairs.

  “This looks good,” Kal said. “You can have some kickass parties out here.”

  “That’s the idea. And still leaving plenty of space in the yard for a pool, a swing set and stuff for the kids.”

  Jackson arched a brow. “Planning ahead, huh?”

  Rafe grinned. “We both want kids. Like, right away.”

  “I’m going to go ahead and speak for Jackson and myself and say we are so ready for nephews and nieces. So get started.”

  Rafe laughed. “First the wedding. Then the babies.”

  Kal could already imagine kids running around back here. Birthday parties and summers in the pool. He couldn’t wait to be an uncle. He’d had a blast with Oliver last night. Hell, he couldn’t wait to have his own kids.

  The thought hit him hard as he worked with his brothers to lay out the wood piles and get started on the deck. He’d never felt solid enough in his life to even begin to think about settling down. All he’d wanted to do was work and have fun.

  But now? Now those thoughts about establishing a foundation and starting a family had started to creep in. Maybe it was because Jackson and Rafe had both found love and were building a future, and those things he’d blown off before were beginning to make sense to him.

  First he had to find a woman to share his life with. Which brought his thought process back to Hannah, to last night, when they’d kissed.

  He’d wanted more. So had she.

  He wanted to take her out someplace nice, and then get her alone to see what could happen between them. For him, that spark was still there. From Hannah’s reaction, it sure felt like it had been there for her, too.

  He wanted to see if they could fire that spark up into a flame.

  And speaking of burning up, it was humid as hell out today. By the time they broke for a late lunch, they had a good half of the deck completed. The one good thing about Kal and his brothers was that they worked well as a team. There was no bullshitting when there was serious work to be done. They got in and they did it.