Because of Kian Read Online Free PDF

generally watching out for you.”
    I stopped short and turned to her , confusion twisting the thoughts in my head.
    “What do mean?”
    “I probably shouldn’t say anything. It’s sort of sweet, though.” She smiled a little and chuckled. “Lately, he’s been coming in every night, whether you’re there or not. He’s generally there long enough to have a beer with the guys, but he only stays longer if you’re there.”
    “That’s… that’s just some weird coincidence or something.”
    “No coincidence, trust me. He keeps an eye out for you. He’s antsy as hell until you show up. Jeff and Pete give him shit about it all the time. Then he sees you and he just relaxes. Well, until some guy starts hitting on you.” She chuckled a little. “He kinda waits for you to give them the cold shoulder, watching like a hawk. If they don’t back off, he pulls them from the crowd and makes sure they leave you alone. All but tosses the guy out on his ass.”
    My mouth dropped open, but no words came out. Here I thought I was just good at getting guys to back the fuck off, but it looked as though I had some help in that department. My mind frantically searched back for a time I was at Hyper recently and hadn’t seen Kian there. But I couldn’t think of a single one. The guys he hung out with weren’t always the same, but Kian was always there. Not since he’d stopped Evan that night had I been at Hyper without seeing him.
    That should have totally freaked me out.
    But, honestly, I wasn’t sure how it made me feel. Weirdly… I kinda I liked it.
    “Hey,” Sage said after a minute, “I’ve got a big pan of lasagna in the oven. I was just going to get some garlic bread to go with it. I have a horrible habit of always making way more than I need, then end up freezing a bunch, and it’s never as good that way. Would you like to come over and have some? Hang out for a bit?”
    For a moment I was torn. I didn’t really want to bond, in spite of how sweet Sage was. Ever since shit went south with Evan, I was wary of any relationship, even something as simple as a friend. It was just so much easier to go it alone. But, fried chicken suddenly didn’t sound that great. Plus, Sage strangely felt so familiar to me, like a long lost sister.
    And, to be brutally honest, I really wanted to hear a little more about my guardian angel.

    Mattie’s big blue eyes sparkled on as she chatted nonstop over dinner. About everything. Her ponies and her dollies. Her friends at preschool. Her gramma. How she wanted a kitten. How her friend Amanda had a kitten. Her daddy had bought it for her.
    “Maybe,” Mattie babbled on with a child’s innocence, “if I had a daddy, he’d buy me a kitty, too.”
    Sage immediately dropped her fork. “Mattie, honey,” she said softly, “why don’t you go get a couple of your ponies to show Brynn, hmm?”
    “Do you want to see my ponies?” the sweet little girl asked with wide eyes.
    “Um, I’d love to, sweetheart,” I smiled back as she scrambled off her chair and out of the room.
    “I’m sorry,” Sage said. “She’s suddenly starting to ask questions about that, and I’m just not sure what to tell her.”
    Thoughtfully, hoping that my words were tactful and benign, I sent what I hoped was a comforting smile. “I take it her dad isn’t in the picture.”
    “No… he’s, um… I don’t really know where he is. It’s sort of a long story.”
    “I’m a good listener,” I offered. “Plus, it helps me take my mind off my own shit.”
    Sage chuckled wryly. “He was my brother’s best friend,” she said after a thoughtful pause. “I’d loved him since I was a little kid, ever since he and Matt starting running around together. I worshipped him. When my brother died, he felt like it was his fault. He couldn’t stand to be here anymore, and he took off. I’m not even sure where he went.” She took a deep breath before she continued in a low voice. “We were only together once,