Blink Of An Eye

Chapter 10

I finished putting together my mom's famous lasagna and placed the dish in the oven to bake. I took that moment to sit down and rest for a minute, my exhaustion finally catching up with me. Makenna had woken up for a moment, but had fallen back asleep before I even got to her, and was taking a longer than usual nap. I guess that was good since she would be less likely to be cranky for our company this evening. I just hoped she wouldn't be up all night because I really needed some sleep. I promised Ryan I'd at least try.

I then found myself thinking how he held me in his arms when I broke down earlier, and how good it felt, and of course the kiss. The kiss caught me completely off guard. It was brief and sweet, and of course I wanted more. Did it mean anything to him though, or was he just trying to comfort me.

Almost on cue, I heard Makenna wake up from her nap. However, Ryan got to her before I did.

"Hey pretty girl. Did you have a good nap?" He spoke softly to her and she squealed in delight. She adored him so much. Then, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. He used to call me "pretty girl." Was it some kind of flash of recognition, or did he call every female pretty girl?

He really seemed to be bonding with Makenna, and that warmed my heart. I just wish he felt that comfortable with me. He turned and saw me standing in the doorway, and the smile he flashed me nearly knocked me to my knees. It was the same smile I knew and loved. I thought again about the kiss. Although it had been sweet, it was more friendly than anything, and that caused my spirits to sink a little.

"She probably needs to be changed. I'll take care of it." I said, taking Makenna from him and placing her on the changing table.

"I would say I've never changed a dirty diaper in my life, but I'm sure that's not true." He said, still smiling.

His mood seemed so much more relaxed now, and it put me a little more at ease. "You've changed your share of dirty diapers over the last few months, but you gag over every single one of them." I teased.

He gave a hearty laugh. "I'm sure I do."

I heard the timer on the oven go off, so I handed Makenna back to him while I went to check on the lasagna. The cheese had not completely melted yet, so set it for another ten minutes while I placed a load of garlic bread in the oven with it and began getting the ingredients for a salad out.

"Smells delicious." He commented as he walked into the kitchen with Makenna in his arms.

"My mom's lasagna. It's one of...it was one of your favorites." I replied.

"Do you need help with anything?" He asked.

"No. Just waiting on it to finish." I replied.

Suddenly, the awkward silence was back. We made forced small talk, mostly to Makenna. I almost breathed a sigh of relief when the oven timer went off again. This time the lasagna was cooked perfectly. I took it out of the oven and sat it on the mat in the center of the table, then returned to take out the bread, which I placed on a cutting board.

The food provided a brief distraction, and I thought we would be back to the awkwardness again, but were luckily interrupted by the doorbell. Our guests had begun to arrive. "I'll get it." Ryan said, before I could move to the door.

I guess he was feeling it too.

I just prayed tonight would not be too much for him. As with all guys when they get together have a tendency to cut up, I just hoped they were fully aware of the impact of Ryan's injury.

It was Bubba and Amanda at the door, with Carly and Chase not too far behind, and Nicole and Alex pulling into the driveway. I looked at the clock, six on the dot. They were right on time.