Read Online Distractions (The Rebound Series) by Emilia Winters - Free Book Online
Authors: Emilia Winters
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unease as Olivia wrapped her arms around the little girl, who couldn’t have been more than five or six years old.
“Stop growing, Grace,” Olivia commanded, feigning awe. “You must be at least a foot taller than when I saw you last.” The little girl giggled and then her curious, bright eyes were drawn to Alex. He shifted in his spot, smiling. But the truth was that Alex had always been uncomfortable around children. He reasoned it was because he was one of the youngest of his entire family. There had been no children after him and he had interacted with very few in his life.
“Is this your boyfriend?” the girl asked, with a mix of curiosity and disgust that only a child could muster.
Olivia brushed aside the question easily by asking, “Don’t you have a boyfriend yet, Grace?”
“Yuck, no!” protested the little girl and she forgot her first question. Alex didn’t know how he felt about Olivia’s obvious deflection. Even though they had agreed on only seeing each other, the idea of boyfriends and girlfriends seemed so juvenile to him. And it was something they hadn’t really discussed.
“Whose at the door, Grace?” yelled a voice from farther inside the house and Grace turned to run back down the hall, gone as quickly as she came.
“Come on,” Olivia murmured, her warm eyes studying him. If his discomfort showed on his features, she didn’t comment on it.
Alex was quickly led down the hall into a well-lit kitchen. There were fewer people in the kitchen than Alex had originally thought, maybe only a half dozen.
“Oh, Livy, that was you,” an older woman exclaimed when they appeared in the doorway. Right away, Alex figured she was Olivia’s mother. They had the same bright blue eyes and even though this woman had silvering blonde hair, they shared very similar features. Those blue eyes slid to Alex, observing the way her daughter’s hand was connected to his own and their proximity to one another. “And you must be Alex,” she said, smiling, rounding the counter to come greet them. “My daughter didn’t tell me what a looker you’d be.”
Alex’s smile came easy as he gazed down at the petite woman who stopped in front of him. “I can say the same about you,” he replied smoothly, giving her a small wink.
“Oh, stop it,” she said flushing lightly as she reached out to give him a welcoming hug. When she pulled away, she said, “I’m Lenore. It’s nice to meet you, honey.” She turned around to the rest of the group in the kitchen and announced, “Everyone, this is Alex.” Alex nodded his greeting as various people called out.
Lenore turned to her daughter and gave her a hug and a kiss. “Hi, baby,” she said, wiping the lipstick print she left behind on her daughter’s cheek. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
“You just saw me a couple of weeks ago, mom,” Olivia reminded her.
“That’s too long!” Lenore decided definitively. Olivia glanced up at him in exasperation, but Alex was thinking that it had been almost four months since he had last seen his own mother. It had been more than seven months since he had last seen his father, but that was another matter entirely.
Lenore pulled them both outside to the noisy backyard. It was a smaller backyard, but it made the celebration more intimate. Alex took in the small playground set with swings and a slide for the children, perhaps the very set Olivia herself had played on when she was younger.
Children laughed and ran around, chasing one another. There were perhaps two dozen people total, who were either lounging on lawn chairs or seated around plastic tables. Alex spotted Miles at one of the tables, seated between a dark-haired man and a blonde woman.
Alex could smell the grill and its enticing smoky aroma. Lenore called out to the man tending to it, “John! Come here.”
“Hold on, woman,” grumbled the tall
“Stop growing, Grace,” Olivia commanded, feigning awe. “You must be at least a foot taller than when I saw you last.” The little girl giggled and then her curious, bright eyes were drawn to Alex. He shifted in his spot, smiling. But the truth was that Alex had always been uncomfortable around children. He reasoned it was because he was one of the youngest of his entire family. There had been no children after him and he had interacted with very few in his life.
“Is this your boyfriend?” the girl asked, with a mix of curiosity and disgust that only a child could muster.
Olivia brushed aside the question easily by asking, “Don’t you have a boyfriend yet, Grace?”
“Yuck, no!” protested the little girl and she forgot her first question. Alex didn’t know how he felt about Olivia’s obvious deflection. Even though they had agreed on only seeing each other, the idea of boyfriends and girlfriends seemed so juvenile to him. And it was something they hadn’t really discussed.
“Whose at the door, Grace?” yelled a voice from farther inside the house and Grace turned to run back down the hall, gone as quickly as she came.
“Come on,” Olivia murmured, her warm eyes studying him. If his discomfort showed on his features, she didn’t comment on it.
Alex was quickly led down the hall into a well-lit kitchen. There were fewer people in the kitchen than Alex had originally thought, maybe only a half dozen.
“Oh, Livy, that was you,” an older woman exclaimed when they appeared in the doorway. Right away, Alex figured she was Olivia’s mother. They had the same bright blue eyes and even though this woman had silvering blonde hair, they shared very similar features. Those blue eyes slid to Alex, observing the way her daughter’s hand was connected to his own and their proximity to one another. “And you must be Alex,” she said, smiling, rounding the counter to come greet them. “My daughter didn’t tell me what a looker you’d be.”
Alex’s smile came easy as he gazed down at the petite woman who stopped in front of him. “I can say the same about you,” he replied smoothly, giving her a small wink.
“Oh, stop it,” she said flushing lightly as she reached out to give him a welcoming hug. When she pulled away, she said, “I’m Lenore. It’s nice to meet you, honey.” She turned around to the rest of the group in the kitchen and announced, “Everyone, this is Alex.” Alex nodded his greeting as various people called out.
Lenore turned to her daughter and gave her a hug and a kiss. “Hi, baby,” she said, wiping the lipstick print she left behind on her daughter’s cheek. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
“You just saw me a couple of weeks ago, mom,” Olivia reminded her.
“That’s too long!” Lenore decided definitively. Olivia glanced up at him in exasperation, but Alex was thinking that it had been almost four months since he had last seen his own mother. It had been more than seven months since he had last seen his father, but that was another matter entirely.
Lenore pulled them both outside to the noisy backyard. It was a smaller backyard, but it made the celebration more intimate. Alex took in the small playground set with swings and a slide for the children, perhaps the very set Olivia herself had played on when she was younger.
Children laughed and ran around, chasing one another. There were perhaps two dozen people total, who were either lounging on lawn chairs or seated around plastic tables. Alex spotted Miles at one of the tables, seated between a dark-haired man and a blonde woman.
Alex could smell the grill and its enticing smoky aroma. Lenore called out to the man tending to it, “John! Come here.”
“Hold on, woman,” grumbled the tall
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