More Than Friends (Kingsley #4) by Brandi Kennedy Page A

leaned back in his seat as he opened the text. It was from Drew, checking in to ask how Ev a’ s afternoon was going, and he had also missed texts from Harmony and Cameron. Opening a group text, he selected his father and all of his siblings, and began to type , “ All is well with Mom. Sh e’ s currently being beautified by Renee. Hope everyone else is having as much fun as we are . – M . ”
     
    Finished typing, he sent the text, opened another, and held the phone up quietly to snap a photo. Hoping the shutter sound on the camera was set to silent, Michael centered the camera frame around Renee. Her head was bent as she painstakingly painted a red nail polish heart on the outer ankle of Ev a’ s cast, her hair falling in a smooth curtain over her shoulder. Her lips were curved in a semi-smile as she painted, the tip of her tongue just touching her upper lip as she focused on the tiny piece of art. Too late, he caught his mother watching him, but Eva Kingsley was a woman of grace even as she was a strong and opinionated mothe r – she merely arched her brows at him, smiled to herself, and shook her head.
     
    “ Alright, all finished , ” Renee said brightly, twisting the cap onto the nail polish bottle. She sat up to admire her handiwork, grimaced slightly, and muttered ,“ Well, I never claimed to be an artist . ” Shrugging, she glanced up at Eva .“ What do you think? Maybe I could put swirls or something around it, but I only got the red . ”
     
    “ I t’ s fine, dear , ” Eva answered, bending to look .“ Very cheerful. But really, I love the red toes sticking out! They sure stand out against that purple cast, do n’ t they ? ” The toes in question wiggled gently, tentatively, and then stopped .“ What do you think, Michael ? ” Michae l’ s eyes shot up to meet his mothe r’ s, and she smiled deviously as she tipped her head toward Renee .“ Is this girl just a sweetheart ? ”
     
    Running the tip of his tongue over his teeth, he stared at Eva defiantly, embarrassed. Finally, she arched her brows and, forced to concede, Michael cleared his throat .“ She is , ” he said quietly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Renee stiffen slightly at the exchange, looking from Eva to Michael and back again, but when he spoke, she lowered her face to hide a smile. What was that?
     
    The rest of the day was just as curious as the afternoon had been, with Eva slipping not-so-subtle remarks into the conversation that filled the hours. Renee seemed amused, but Michael felt thin cords of tension tightening around him with each instance. He could n’ t put a label on his feeling s – until only recently, he had n’ t had feelings for Renee, not as anything more than friends. She was his confidant, his friend, part of his family circle. But had he completely missed the moment when she had become something more to him? And more importantl y … if she was here, was he something more to her?
     
    No. She was dating someon e – or would be. So she could n’ t possibly be thinking of him like that. Could she? He shook his head, staring out the window as twilight fell around the hospital. No. She could n’ t.
     
     

Chapter Fifteen
    It wasn’t until almost ten o’clock that night before Michael and Renee stepped out of the hospital together, with the knowledge that Adam would be staying with Eva and Drew and Cass would be staying in the waiting room just in case.
     
    “Uugh!” Renee gasped. “It’s so hot out here, especially after the hospital being so cold,” Reaching up, she gathered her hair into a loose ponytail, combing through the honey-brown strands with her fingers to hold it up from her neck.
     
    “I know, it’s like walking through a mister or something,” Michael laughed. “But I like it. Feels like summer’s coming.”
     
    “But I’m not done with spring yet,” Renee laughed, dropping her hair. It fell in a wave down her back, and she grimaced. “It’s coming up on