Invisible Strings

Chapter Fourteen

Delaney's POV:

The kids and I were just walking into the ice cream shop on the corner of main street– the same one that I used to go to every Friday night after the football game– when my phone chimed from the back pocket of my denim shorts. When I pulled it out and saw that it was Brantley that was texting me, my steps faltered, and my heart began to race. All day, all I had been able to think about was the way he had kissed me in the middle of the library. All day, the memory of his lips pressed against mine, the feel of his hands on my body, the desire to know what those hands would feel like on other places, had plagued me, making me daydream more times that I could count.

I hit the button on the side of the phone to silence the ringer, making the device vibrate as I led Chloe and Colton to a table near the front window, wanting to get them settled before I allowed myself to chat with the man who made my heart skip a beat. I could feel the eyes of the people sitting inside looking in my direction, mostly because a few of them were probably talking about how I had come back to Jefferson to lick my wounds after the divorce. A few of them were probably wondering if I was just biding my time until I could high-tail it out of town again. Gotta love the rumor mill that makes Jefferson spin 'round.

Unfortunately though, by the time I got the kids settled, the vibrating device stopped before I could answer. Now I was stuck with the dilemma of if I should return his call.

"Who are you kidding? You know damn well you are going to call him back." There goes that voice in my head again. I didn't even bother trying to argue with that harpy little shit in my head because I knew she was right.

Before I had a chance to think about it further, I tapped the missed call notification and connected the call, putting the phone to my ear. Brantley answered within seconds.

"What are you doing right now?" he asked, he sounded breathless and my currently-stuck-in-x-rated-mode mind immediately thought of him being breathless as he made passionate love.

"Umm, the kids and I just sat down at Scoopin' Good." I said, hoping that not even the tiniest amount of what I was thinking came through in the tone of my voice."What's up?"

"Good. That works."

"Okay... Why does that work?" I asked curiously, not following what he was getting at.

"Because I was actually calling to see if you wanted to get the kids together and carry them to the park or something," he explained. "They are itching to play with other kids and since the other day, all I have heard about is Chloe and Colton."

"I know what you mean." I said, looking at my twins, a loving smile coming over my face. They too had talked non-stop about Barrett and Braylin and how much they wanted to go play with them again even though they were younger than them. "Tell you what, how about we meet you at the community park after we get ice cream? I'm sure these little ones of mine will need to burn some energy if this ice cream is as sweet as it used to be."

"I can do you one even better than that." said Brantley. "How about I meet you there. Barrett and Bray love that place. And the ice cream is just as good as it was years ago. Maybe even better."

"Y-you want to be seen in public?" I said, keeping my voice low, a flare of panic taking hold in my gut.

Brantley laughed, before replying. "Sweetheart, we just as well be seen in public. We've already been caught... Well, I don't have to tell you what the rest of that sentence is. Little ears ask big questions...."

And he was right. He didn't have to tell me that he was referring to the kiss. A blush crept over my cheeks then. He didn't admit it but I could tell by the way he said it, he had been thinking about that kiss too; or at least I hoped that he had been thinking about it too.