We Could Be Amazing Read Online Free Page A

Kiona hadn’t noticed before, wrapped the painting when it was dry, and handed it to Ridge. Kiona shook her head laughing.
    “Satisfied?” she demanded.
    “Yes.” He handed the painting to her, and she gasped.
    “Really?”
    “Yes.”
    She hesitated then took it. She knew just where she could hang it around the holidays, and when the winter season was chinchy with the snow, she’d enjoy studying her painting. Hopefully, it wouldn’t also bring up memories of today with Ridge.
    They stopped by the car to put the gift in the trunk and headed for the wharf. As they approached the little rock statues that couldn’t be any bigger than two feet, Kiona watched her son’s eyes grow rounder.
    “Mommie, it’s a dinosaur,” Alex exclaimed.
    Feeling nervous that her son drew too close to the walkway’s edge, Kiona followed. The two of them marveled over the way the creator had strategically piled rocks until they formed the dinosaur, and ahead of him another figure had been done to look like a man running away.
    “More,” Alex whooped and dashed along the walkway to see the other statues. A man stood in a yoga pose, and another performed a hand stand. When Alex had his optical fill of the statues, he glanced up and seemed to newly discover the many boats moored along the pier. Her baby went still taking them all in, until Kiona rubbed his red cheeks.
    She turned to Ridge. “I think we should go inside somewhere for a while.”
    “Of course.”
    Over the next couple of hours, they explored the small shops, some with cool knickknacks, others with clothing, and more with antique furniture. At one point as they passed a narrow passageway, Kiona was taken by surprise to find a shop lay at the end of it. A clothesline, fashioned toward the top of the walls, displayed Christmas decorations, and lights hung amid the clothes.
    “Interesting,” she murmured.
    “I’m hungry,” Alex sang.
    “Lunch?” Ridge suggested, and she agreed.
    Kiona soon found herself in a cozy little restaurant with her son and her ex-husband. Just sitting across from Ridge brought to mind the time they dated and how he’d spend so much energy trying to woo her.
    “This reminds me of the occasion I tried to impress you by having flowers delivered to our table while we were out eating,” he said.
    She laughed. “Get out of my head. To give you credit, it was a great idea, but you couldn’t know how allergic I am to wildflowers.”
    “I felt like an idiot when your throat closed, and you had to get an epi shot.”
    Kiona pursed her lips nodding. “Uh-huh, you should feel guilty. You almost killed me.”
    Ridge groaned. “No compassion at all?”
    “None.” She grinned at him, and he met her gaze. For a moment, she was lost staring into his warm gray eyes, but then she forced herself to look away. Ridge might have loved her back then, but it wasn’t enough. He betrayed their vows, and she couldn’t forgive that no matter how much she ached for him.
    She bent to check out the children’s menu for Alex, and Ridge studied his own. She chanced a peek at him through her eyelashes and thought she caught a flash of sadness. Kiona steeled her heart. This man made his bed, and they both had to lie in it. There was no going back because she couldn’t trust him.
    “Hotdog,” Alex announced, pointing to the picture on the menu.
    “How about chicken nuggets and fries?” she suggested.
    “Hotdog and fries,” Alex compromised. Kiona shook her head in surrender. Along with the meal, she ordered hot tea for herself, and Ridge and Alex both chose hot cocoa with whipped cream and a candy cane.
    Kiona glanced across to Ridge and laughed. “I can’t believe you got something other than coffee, and you’ve got whipped cream on your cheek.” He gave it a swipe with his napkin, and on impulse Kiona leaned across and cleaned the cream off with her thumb. She’d stuck it into her mouth before she realized what she’d done. Ridge’s arrested stare sent