He uttered the word “baby”! Judging by his expression, I think he was as taken aback as I was when it slipped out.
No.
That’s a blatant lie.
I’m definitely the one more shocked here. Hearing him call me “baby” and then feeling his lips on my forehead sent a jolt through my entire body.
I know he has feelings for me, and he wants more than just friendship. I want that too, probably as much as he does, but the timing couldn’t be worse.
I was dying to kiss him and confess how much I wanted him, but then little miss perfect timing started shrieking for him from her car seat. I swear, she’s more smitten with him than she is with me.
I can’t help but compare my relationship with Kyle to my current situation with Michael. Ever since I filed for divorce, Michael has been nothing but a jerk.
Throughout the divorce proceedings, he was getting agitated because I wasn’t demanding anything from him. He was gearing up for a fight over alimony and the house, but that never came.
The only thing I was ready to fight him on was custody of Athena. I can’t understand why he’s contesting me for custody.
He barely pays her any attention, and I don’t think he genuinely wants her. But he knows I do, so he’s not going to make this easy for me.
The judge temporarily granted us joint custody, with me as the primary parent. He’s supposed to have her from Friday to Monday every other week.
But so far, he’s bailed on every single weekend he was supposed to have her. My lawyer advised me to keep all the text messages, voicemails, and emails where he cancels at the last minute.
We can use these against him when we go back to court for the final custody hearing.
I’m dealing with so much already, and it wouldn’t be fair to drag Kyle into this mess any more than he already is just by being around us.
Even though Kyle has repeatedly told me he wants to support us through this ordeal, I can’t do that to him.
I have no idea how Michael would react if he found out Kyle and I were romantically involved, and I’d feel incredibly guilty if he did anything to jeopardize Kyle or their new casino.
It’s best for Kyle and me to stay friends, and I told him as much.
He understood, but that doesn’t stop him from showing me how much he cares and patiently waiting for me to be ready to take our relationship further.
As Kyle guides Athena and me into the house to meet the rest of his family, Athena tightens her grip on my hand and starts to hide behind me.
Chelsea and Ashlie are the first to welcome us as we step into the living room where everyone is gathered. Rodney, Austin, Ethan, and Xavier follow suit. After greeting us, Ethan introduces his wife.
“Jana, I’d like you to meet my wife, Abbie,” he says with pride. Abbie pulls me into a tight hug, which takes me by surprise.
“It’s so wonderful to finally meet you!” She squeals so loudly and high-pitched that I see the older men wince.
She steps back and giggles. “I’m sorry. We’re all huggers here, so brace yourself for more hugs before the day ends.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Abbie,” I reply with a smile. “This is my daughter, Athena.”
I try to coax Athena from behind me to meet Abbie, but she’s rooted to the spot, hiding behind her frog toy, with only her eyes visible. Abbie squats down to Athena’s level.
“It’s nice to meet you, Athena,” she says warmly. “My daughter, Amelia, is outside playing with the other kids. We can take you to her after you’ve met everyone, okay?”
Athena peeks out from behind her frog and nods. Abbie stands up, gives me another hug, and steps aside to let the others introduce themselves.
When I look up, Xavier is holding hands with a stunning brunette.
They both approach me, and I suddenly feel a wave of anxiety. Kyle releases my hand, which I thought I was clutching tightly, and wraps his arm around my waist.
He gives me a gentle squeeze, and I can feel his thumb tracing circles on my side.
“Jana, this is Cassie, my wife,” Xavier introduces as they reach us.
Cassie’s gaze drops to Kyle’s hand, and when she lifts her eyes to meet mine, I see them glistening with unshed tears. Oh, no! She must despise me!
She releases Xavier’s hand and strides over to Kyle and me, enveloping us in a warm hug.
“I’m thrilled to finally meet you!” she murmurs. “You’re just as wonderful as Kyle described,” she adds, pulling back from the embrace.
I glance at Kyle and notice a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. When I look back at Cassie, she’s nestled against Xavier, who plants a tender kiss on her head and grins at me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Cassie,” I respond. “Kyle has shared so much about you.” Kyle tightens his hold on me, helping to soothe my jitters. Cassie steps closer and whispers in my ear.
“We’ll need to catch up later and exchange stories,” she suggests. “I have a feeling Kyle omitted some key details in his descriptions of us.”
She steps back, winking at me. I giggle and nod in agreement. She then turns to Athena, her smile warm and inviting.
“Could I have a hug, Athena? Kyle has told me so much about you, including how amazing your hugs are!”
Athena looks to Kyle, who grins and nods encouragingly. She steps out from behind me and wraps her tiny arms around Cassie’s neck.
Cassie holds her as a mother would, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. “He was right. That was an incredible hug.” Athena grins and pecks Cassie’s cheek before darting back to hide behind me.
Cassie hugs me once more before stepping back. She gestures to the group, beckoning some of them forward. Three more couples approach us, along with an older woman. Cassie turns to me, her smile radiant.
“Jana, meet my mom, Kathleen, my dad, Charlie, my stepmom, Sadie, my brother, Evan, and his wife, Mia, and my brother Leo and his wife, Donna, who is also Xavier’s sister.”
Donna rushes forward, pulling me into a tight hug.
“That makes me your cousin-in-law!” she exclaims.
“Donna!” Kyle exclaims.
“Oops! Sorry!” she giggles. “I couldn’t help it!” I join the others in laughter at her reaction and explanation.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Jana! We’re going to have a blast this week!” she exclaims again. I see Charlie rolling his eyes, a chuckle escaping his lips. He leans over to Kyle, pretending to whisper.
“You might want to limit Athena’s and her exposure to the Banshee Crew,” he advises. “We wouldn’t want them corrupted too soon.”
“HEY!” the girls protest in unison.
“Banshee Crew?” I question Kyle.
“I’ll fill you in later,” he chuckles.
Cassie’s family all embrace Athena and me before stepping aside to allow Xavier’s parents and his dad to greet us. Kyle had mentioned that Xavier’s parents were like a second set of parents to him.
Xavier’s dad and his dad were close friends, so their families were raised to be just as tight-knit.
Elena was like a second mom to him, especially after his own mother left their father for another man when Kyle was young. Xavier’s parents approach me first.
“Hello, Jana, I’m Jason, and this is my wife, Elena,” he introduces, opening his arms for a hug. I step into the group hug with him and Elena, feeling instantly welcomed.
Athena had retreated behind Kyle as Jason and Elena embraced me. Elena then turns to Athena, her smile gentle. She kneels down and extends her hand to Athena.
“Don’t be frightened, sweetheart,” she soothes. “We’re Kyle’s aunt and uncle.” Kyle turns to Athena, his smile reassuring.
“Remember when Lucas told you about my Tío Jason and Tía Elena?” he asks her. She grins up at him and nods. She then points to Elena and then to Jason.
“Tee Abeela.” She smiles and then points up at Jason. “Tee Abeelo.” I see both Jason and Elena welling up with tears.
“That’s right, sweetie,” Elena confirms. “I’m Tía Abuela and that is Tío Abuelo. Good job!”
Athena dashes into Elena’s welcoming embrace, her face lit up with joy. Jason steps forward, and she leaps into his arms, wrapping her tiny arms around him tightly.
I’m so engrossed in the sight of their affection for my little girl that I don’t even notice Kyle’s father standing beside me.
“So, you’re the lovely lady my son can’t stop raving about,” he says, his face breaking into a wide grin.
I turn to him just in time to catch him winking at Kyle. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Jana,” he tells me.
He doesn’t extend his hand or open his arms for a hug, leaving me unsure of how to respond. My nerves kick into overdrive, but I decide to extend my hand, hoping it’s the right move.
“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Montero,” I reply, offering him a smile. He bursts into hearty laughter and pulls me into a bear hug so tight I can barely breathe.
“No need for formalities, sweetheart,” he says warmly, still squeezing me. “Call me Matteo, or Matty…or dad, whichever you prefer.”
“DAD!” Kyle exclaims from behind me.
“What? I gave her options!” Matteo retorts, his tone dripping with sarcasm. I can’t help but giggle and return his warm embrace. “See!” Matteo points at me, addressing Kyle.
“She knows I’m just joking! Don’t be so dramatic!”
Laughter erupts from everyone, Kyle included. Matteo releases me with a kiss on my forehead and turns his attention to Athena.
Jason and Elena finally let go of Athena, who I hadn’t realized they were still holding. She stands there, clutching her frog and looking up at Matteo.
He kneels down to her level, his face beaming. “I’m Kyle’s dad, Matteo. Has Lucas told you about me?” Athena nods and grins widely.
“Papi!” She exclaims, pointing at him. I see Matteo’s lip tremble slightly as he stands and scoops a giggling Athena into his arms. He showers her face with soft kisses, making her giggle even more.
“That’s right, my little Princesa,” he says, holding her close. “We’re going to have so much fun getting to know each other.”
He starts walking towards the backyard, engaging Athena in a conversation about her favorite things. They seem to forget about the rest of us, lost in their own little world. Elena turns to me, taking my hand.
“I don’t think you’ll see much of your daughter this week while he’s here,” she chuckles. Matteo turns back to us, smirking.
“You mean for the rest of the month that I’m here,” he corrects her, winking.
“We want time with her, too!” Jason calls out. “You can’t hog her all the time!”
“Excuse me?!” Matteo teases his brother. “You have your own granddaughters to spoil. Let me spoil mine!”
With that, he heads outside to introduce Athena to the other children. Kyle approaches me, taking my hand.
“I’m sorry about him,” he apologizes, looking a bit embarrassed. “I told him we were just friends but, well…” he gestures towards his dad.
“It’s okay, Kyle,” I laugh. “He’s sweet.”
“Well, now that introductions are over, let’s eat!” Austin announces, clapping his hands together. Kyle lifts my hand to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on the back of it.
As we start to follow the others outside, Cassie approaches me, pulling me away from Kyle. She links her arm with mine, grinning.
“You don’t mind if I borrow Jana for a bit, do you?” she asks Kyle. Before he can respond, she’s already leading me towards the backyard. “I didn’t think so,” she giggles, then turns to me.
“Come on. You’re one of us now. We need to make sure you know how to handle the men in this family. They all come with warning labels, and you need to be prepared.”
I laugh and join the women at their table. As the day progresses and I get to know everyone better, I realize Kyle was right. I had nothing to worry about.
Being introduced to Kyle’s family was an incredible experience. They’re clearly a tight-knit bunch, and their mutual support was heartwarming. Their teasing and playful exchanges kept me laughing throughout the day.
Kyle’s sister, Cassie, was a sweetheart. She went above and beyond to make me feel like I belonged, even though Kyle and I are just friends.
Kyle was my constant companion, only stepping away when his sisters shooed him off. His disgruntled expression each time was hilarious. I reassured him that I was okay, but I could see the worry in his eyes.
I wasn’t sure if he was concerned about me feeling out of place or if he was anxious about his family embarrassing him. Either way, it was endearing.
My daughter, Athena, blended seamlessly with their kids. Xavier’s son, Damien, took her under his wing as if she were his own sister.
Watching him and Lucas fuss over her all day was adorable. They made sure she was comfortable and well taken care of.
I noticed how Kyle’s father, along with Xavier’s and Cassie’s parents, showered her with attention. It was clear that my little girl was about to be spoiled rotten.
With my parents gone and Michael’s parents absent, it was heartening to see her receive this kind of attention.
She might not be their grandchild by blood, but the love they showered on her would make you think otherwise.
