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Authors: Colleen Houck
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back and forth gently and stroked my hair. Sighing, he whispered only one word, “
Kelsey.
”
5
Return
W rapped in his arms, I listened to the beat of my heart, which swelled and pounded in my chest. Like the Grinch, my heart had shrunk until it was two sizes too small. When Ren touched me, all the emotions I’d been holding back spilled out and flooded through my body, slowly filling the emptiness.
I felt myself blossom and grow with new vigor. Ren was the sun, and the tenderness he showed me was life-giving water. A dormant part of me burst into pulsing life, stretched deep rooty fingers, opened thick green leaves, and shot curling tendrils outward drawing us closer together.
Sarah called out from the kitchen, reminding me that a world existed outside the two of us. “Kelsey? Kelsey? Who is it?”
Snapping back to reality, I stepped away. He let me go, but slid his hand down my arm and laced his fingers through mine. I was mute. My mouth opened to answer, but I couldn’t form a single word.
Ren sensed my plight and announced his arrival. “Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Neilson?”
Mike and Sarah both stopped mid-stride when they saw him. Ren smiled in his devastating way and extended his hand.
“Hello. I’m Mr. Kadam’s grandson, Ren.”
He shook hands warmly with Mike and then extended a hand to Sarah. When Ren turned his smile on her, she flushed, nervous as a schoolgirl. It made me feel better to know that I wasn’t the only female to lose all sense of reason around him. He had a mesmerizing effect on women of all ages.
Mike said, “Huh, Ren. That’s a coincidence. Hey, Kelsey, wasn’t that tiger—”
I rushed forward. “Uh, yeah. Funny thing, huh?” I looked up at Ren and hooked my thumb at him.
“But,
Ren
is actually just his nickname. His given name is . . . Al.” I punched him on the arm, “Right, Al?”
His eyebrows drew together in amused puzzlement. “Right, Kelsey.” He turned to Mike and Sarah again. “It’s actually Alagan, but you can call me Ren. Everyone does.”
By this time, Sarah had regained her composure. “Well, Ren. Please come inside and meet the children.”
He smiled at her again and said, “I would love to.”
Sarah responded by stifling a girlish giggle and patting her hair. Ren stooped to pick up several large packages that he’d stacked by the door while I made a beeline for the family room.
While Mike helped Ren, Sarah found me and whispered, “
Kelsey
, when did you two meet? For a minute there, I thought I was finally meeting Li. What’s going on?”
I stared straight at the Christmas tree as I mumbled, “That’s what I’d like to know.”
The men entered the living room, where Ren removed his charcoal herringbone trench coat and draped it over a chair. He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved gray zip polo shirt that clung to his chest and arms.
“Who’s Li?” Ren asked.
My mouth dropped open. “How did you—” I snapped my mouth shut quickly. I’d forgotten about his tiger hearing. “Li is . . . umm . . . a guy . . . that I know.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything.
Ren watched me closely, politely waited for me to sit, and then sat down on the couch next to me. The minute he sat, the kids were all over him.
“I have presents for the two of you,” he said conspiratorially to Rebecca and Sammy. “Can you open them together?”
The kids nodded their heads seriously, and he laughed and shoved a large box over to them. They frantically opened it and pulled out a set of Dr. Seuss books. The books looked strange to me at first. I took one out of the set and figured out why.
I whispered to him, “You got first editions!
For kids
? Those are worth probably thousands of dollars
each
!”
He tucked some hair behind my ear and leaned over to whisper, “I got you a set just like it at home. Don’t be jealous.”
My face turned bright red. “That’s not what I meant.”
He laughed and picked up the next gift. Mike
Kelsey.
”
5
Return
W rapped in his arms, I listened to the beat of my heart, which swelled and pounded in my chest. Like the Grinch, my heart had shrunk until it was two sizes too small. When Ren touched me, all the emotions I’d been holding back spilled out and flooded through my body, slowly filling the emptiness.
I felt myself blossom and grow with new vigor. Ren was the sun, and the tenderness he showed me was life-giving water. A dormant part of me burst into pulsing life, stretched deep rooty fingers, opened thick green leaves, and shot curling tendrils outward drawing us closer together.
Sarah called out from the kitchen, reminding me that a world existed outside the two of us. “Kelsey? Kelsey? Who is it?”
Snapping back to reality, I stepped away. He let me go, but slid his hand down my arm and laced his fingers through mine. I was mute. My mouth opened to answer, but I couldn’t form a single word.
Ren sensed my plight and announced his arrival. “Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Neilson?”
Mike and Sarah both stopped mid-stride when they saw him. Ren smiled in his devastating way and extended his hand.
“Hello. I’m Mr. Kadam’s grandson, Ren.”
He shook hands warmly with Mike and then extended a hand to Sarah. When Ren turned his smile on her, she flushed, nervous as a schoolgirl. It made me feel better to know that I wasn’t the only female to lose all sense of reason around him. He had a mesmerizing effect on women of all ages.
Mike said, “Huh, Ren. That’s a coincidence. Hey, Kelsey, wasn’t that tiger—”
I rushed forward. “Uh, yeah. Funny thing, huh?” I looked up at Ren and hooked my thumb at him.
“But,
Ren
is actually just his nickname. His given name is . . . Al.” I punched him on the arm, “Right, Al?”
His eyebrows drew together in amused puzzlement. “Right, Kelsey.” He turned to Mike and Sarah again. “It’s actually Alagan, but you can call me Ren. Everyone does.”
By this time, Sarah had regained her composure. “Well, Ren. Please come inside and meet the children.”
He smiled at her again and said, “I would love to.”
Sarah responded by stifling a girlish giggle and patting her hair. Ren stooped to pick up several large packages that he’d stacked by the door while I made a beeline for the family room.
While Mike helped Ren, Sarah found me and whispered, “
Kelsey
, when did you two meet? For a minute there, I thought I was finally meeting Li. What’s going on?”
I stared straight at the Christmas tree as I mumbled, “That’s what I’d like to know.”
The men entered the living room, where Ren removed his charcoal herringbone trench coat and draped it over a chair. He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved gray zip polo shirt that clung to his chest and arms.
“Who’s Li?” Ren asked.
My mouth dropped open. “How did you—” I snapped my mouth shut quickly. I’d forgotten about his tiger hearing. “Li is . . . umm . . . a guy . . . that I know.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything.
Ren watched me closely, politely waited for me to sit, and then sat down on the couch next to me. The minute he sat, the kids were all over him.
“I have presents for the two of you,” he said conspiratorially to Rebecca and Sammy. “Can you open them together?”
The kids nodded their heads seriously, and he laughed and shoved a large box over to them. They frantically opened it and pulled out a set of Dr. Seuss books. The books looked strange to me at first. I took one out of the set and figured out why.
I whispered to him, “You got first editions!
For kids
? Those are worth probably thousands of dollars
each
!”
He tucked some hair behind my ear and leaned over to whisper, “I got you a set just like it at home. Don’t be jealous.”
My face turned bright red. “That’s not what I meant.”
He laughed and picked up the next gift. Mike
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