Page 64 of Crying in the Rain
“Makes sense,” Kris said, still curious about what Adehadn’tsaid.
“And I think we should both spend some time practising being a little less concerned about everyone else and being more attentive to our own needs.”
Kris couldn’t help grinning at that. “To borrow a phrase from my daughter, bossy much?”
Ade laughed. “You know it!”
“Will you be checking in with Shaunna to make sure I’m sticking to the programme?”
“Do I need to?” Ade affected a stern expression, then ruined it by taking a huge bite of toast and chewing in an exaggerated fashion, which was when Kris registered what Ade had said earlier.
“You called me babe.”
“I did, didn’t I?”
“I like it.”
“Then we should keep it.” Ade leaned forward and kissed Kris on the cheek, then swiped the spot with his thumb. “Marmalade looks good on you.”
Kris laughed. “How’s the toast?”
“Cold.”
“You don’t have to eat it.”
“You didn’t have to make it.”
“True, but just because I did, doesn’t mean—”
Ade took another huge bite, once again chewing laboriously, while Kris fought the urge to offer to make some fresh toast, if only to prove to Ade he didn’t always pander to everyone else, although he’d do it in a heartbeat if Ade asked him to.
“And rubbery.” Ade kept chewing. And smirking. He swallowed. “Not a good word for me, that.”
“What?”
“Rubbery.”
“Oh.” Kris nodded sympathetically, which set Ade off snorting with laughter. Unfortunately—or not for the dog—he wasn’t attending to his toast, and Casper whipped it out of his hand.
“Hey, I was eating that!” Ade protested through his giggles. “Sort of.” He winked at Kris. “Should we let him eat the rest?”
“No!” Kris grabbed a piece of toast from the plate and tore a bite from it. “Mmm,” he nodded, “very rubbery,” and had to swallow it in a hurry so he didn’t spit it out when he caught Ade’s giggles. Casper saw his opportunity and dived for the tray, but Ade was quicker and lifted it out of the dog’s reach. Kris took it from him and set it on top of the chest of drawers. When he turned back, Ade was serious again.
“I definitely want to give us a go,” he said.
Kris nodded. “Me too.”
“It’s going to take time for us both to lose the habit of our previous relationships.”
“Yeah.”
“Promise me you’ll try to be patient with me. If I tell you I miss Ferg, don’t take it to heart. It’s just so hard to leave it behind when there’s a big part of me thinks that’s all I’m worth. I still love him…well, no, I don’t. I love who he was, or who I thought he was. But I want him out of my life.”
“OK,” Kris said. Ade looked as if he was waiting for the ‘but’. “OK,” Kris repeated.
“You believe me?”
“Why wouldn’t I believe you?”
