Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
It took me several seconds to realize he was talking about us hanging out at the restaurant with Steff. He wanted to make sure I was okay. I grinned. “Kris, it’s fine. Really. It’s been years. I’m not still hung up on that.”
Kris nodded. “You may not be, but I saw the way he was looking at you yesterday. He may be thinking he can restart whatever you guys had before. I don’t want him trying to hurt you again is all.”
How had he looked at me? What had Kris seen? A pleasant tickle went up my spine at the thought, and I quickly quashed the thoughts before they could do more than skirt the periphery of my mind.
Kellan walked in with a platter of cooked food. “Time to eat.”
That snapped Kris and me out of the awkward conversation we were having. I turned and helped set out the buns and fixings, which kept my mind off Kris’s words. A few minutes later, we were seated around Kellan’s table, digging into the spread.
Finishing a bite of his burger, Kellan turned to Aiden. The look on his face was pensive and a little sad. “Hey, buddy?”
“Yeah, Dad?” Aiden answered, grabbing a handful of chips.
Kellan sighed. “I know your coach told you about that baseball camp he wants you to go to.”
Aiden’s eyebrows rose in anticipation. “Yeah?”
“Well, I really want you to go to it, and I do think it’ll make you a better player, but it’s too last minute. I didn’t have the time
to budget for it. Maybe we can do it next year? That will give me time to save up the money.”
Aiden’s face fell slightly, but to his credit, he didn’t pout or whimper. Instead, he nodded. “It’s okay. It’s no big deal. They have it every year. I can go next summer.”
“How much?” I blurted before I could think.
Kellan blinked at me in surprise. “Uh, well.” He glanced around at everyone, obviously uncomfortable. “It’s almost a thousand dollars. It covers the camp and lunch each day. It’s more than I have to spend right now.”
I waved a hand at him. “I’ll cover it. I’ll write you a check before I leave tonight.”
Aiden’s eyes bulged, and he almost vibrated in his seat from excitement. Kellan held up a hand. “Wait, no. April, you don’t need to do that. I don’t want you to think we need you to pay for everything.”
I didn’t want to hear any of that. If I could use all the money I’d made over the years to give my nephew something like this, no one could stop me.
“Listen, Kellan. Will this camp be fun? Will it be beneficial for him? Is it something you’d love for him to do?”
“Well, yeah, but?—“
“No
yeah but s. That settles it. Yes is the only answer I need. Plus,” I held up a finger, “we’ll call this a make-up for all the birthdays and Christmases I missed over the years.”
Kellan shook his head, but a slight smile starting to appear on his lips. He glanced over at Kris and Chelsea who were studiously eating their food, trying to conceal smiles of their own.
Kellan pulled his phone out. “Okay, I’ll sign you up right now. Steff sent me an email with the link.”
Aiden raised his arms above his head in victory. “Yes.” He jumped up from his seat and ran to me, wrapping his arms around my neck. “Thank you, Aunt April.”
I gave him an awkward side hug and laughed. “That’s what family does. We help each other.”
“Oh my gosh, I can’t wait,” Aiden said, plopping back in his chair.
While typing on his phone, Kellan said, “I’ll get a hold of Coach Steff. The camp is almost an hour’s drive each way. He said he’d give you a ride if I decided you could go.”
“Seriously?” I said, raising an eyebrow.
Kellan nodded. “He sees a lot of promise in Aiden. Told me he’d be happy to do it.”
My eyes cut across to Aiden. I didn’t want him knowing all the background. “Uh, are you okay with that? After… you know, everything?”
“He’s a good coach, and Aiden looks up to him. It’s not something easy to forgive, but it isn’t really my place to forgive him, right?”
“He’s right,” Kris added.
To say I was surprised was an understatement. They’d hated Steff from the moment he dumped me. Now, they were sitting here extolling his virtues and letting him drive Aiden to baseball camp. It was a complete one-eighty.
“Besides,” Kellan said, “I believe he’s got Aiden’s best interests at heart. A person can only hold a grudge for so long. Would I still like to”—he pantomimed punching his hand multiple times—“yeah, sure, but it’s been years. I think it’s finally time to bury all that. At least for me and Kris.”
Kris nodded his assent. I was a little taken aback by that. They’d been my backbone and my support system when Steff destroyed me. They’d been as angry and as hurt as I’d been. Now, it looked like everyone was moving on and leaving all that