Lucky: A Love Lane Short Read Online Free Page B

realize I was holding while listening to him
talk. “She sounds like she was an amazing woman.”
    “ She really was. She would
have really liked you, Kate. You both have similar personalities:
fun loving and kind.” At that, my hearts breaks a little for
Henry.
    How did I go six months
working side-by-side with this man and not know anything about his
personal life? Part of me feels kind of crappy for not making the
effort to get to know him better. Regardless of my own failing
relationship, it would have only taken minutes to ask about his
day. I am here now, though, and the more I get to know Henry, the
more I see that his beauty goes much deeper than just his blue
eyes.
    As he continues talking
about his mother, I have the sudden desire to show him some
comfort. Reaching out, I take hold of his left hand with my right.
He stops briefly, looks down where we are joined, smiles, and then,
without a missing a beat, continues to walk and talk.
    “ She was worried about me
toward the end, knowing her passing was going to be hard on me. She
didn’t want me to be alone,” he says with a squeeze of my hand.
“She kept trying to convince me to go out and find someone, but it
wasn’t the right time, and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind,
anyway.
    “ I don’t want to sound too
much like a momma’s boy, but I liked that it was just the two of us
at the end, just as it always had been growing up. I used that time
to not only say my goodbyes, but to also thank her for everything
she had ever done for me. She gave up her youth to raise me, and I
don’t think I can ever repay her for that,” Henry ends; his eyes
shimmering with unshed tears.
    “ I can’t even imagine how
tough it was for you. I come from a big, Irish-Italian family on
Long Island where family gatherings are more like a three ring
circus than a quiet evening in. It’s loud and exhausting and
loud.”
    “ You said loud twice,”
Henry replies as he gives me a shoulder bump.
    “ Yeah, well, it’s really
loud, so it needs to be said twice for effect,” I respond and Henry
laughs.
    “ Sounds like a lot of fun
to me.”
    “ For the most part, it is.
Believe me, I wouldn’t trade any of them, but being the youngest of
five sisters, I would have loved the undivided attention of my
parents, even if it was just for a day. I was treated like a baby
for most of life. Even now that I am living on my own, my older
sisters still feel the need to give me unsolicited advice on
everything from who I should date to how I should dress,” I finish
right as a new thought pops into my head and out of my mouth
without hesitation.
    “ Oh, hey, you should come
with me to my parents’ house. They host a monthly family dinner
with everyone: all my sisters, their husbands, and my twelve nieces
and nephews. It’s mass chaos, but it comes with cake and coffee at
the end of the evening, so it’s totally worth it.” I chuckle. “The
next dinner is in two weeks, and my mother cooks enough food to
feed a small army. They would love having you, and I would love
having some backup when dealing with my sisters.”
    Henry now has the hugest
smile on his face. “That sounds really great, Kate. I would love to
come.”
    Stopping at the next corner,
our official ‘tour’ completely forgotten in place of getting to
know each other, Henry turns to face me. His deep blue eyes feel as
if they are penetrating my soul. I am suddenly very nervous, and I
hate to admit it at such an inopportune moment, but I am also a
tiny bit turned on. He looks so serious and so very sexy right now
with the bright sunshine illuminating him from behind.
    I bring my coffee cup to my
lips since I honestly have no clue what to do as Henry begins to
speak.
    “ I just wanted to say thank
you for listening. I haven’t really spoken about my mother since
she died, and this was really nice, so thanks.”
    Swallowing my mouthful of
coffee along with my lust, I respond with a barely audible