Free Love Comes Silently(Senses 1) by Andrew Grey Page A

promise,” she said before adding, “even if you decide to kiss Daddy.” She added that last part in her version of a stage whisper before bursting into a fit of giggles. Patrick smiled as well before setting Hanna down, and Ken saw him to the door, part of him wishing Patrick would take Hanna up on her offer and kiss him. He wanted to kiss Patrick and hold him in his arms, but he wasn’t sure either would be welcome, so he opened the door. “Thank you for joining us and for telling me your story.” Ken touched Patrick’s shoulder as he passed. “I know you don’t explain that to many people, and I appreciate the courage and trust it took to tell me.” Patrick nodded and half smiled before walking out the door.
    Ken closed the door and leaned against it, thinking. “Daddy, can I have some more juice?” Hanna asked from the other room, and he hurried in, scooping her up off the sofa to giggly protests.
    “Yes. I’ll bring you juice, and you can work with me in the studio,” Ken said, and he carried Hanna to the kitchen, grabbing a plastic cup and the juice along the way. Hanna was still giggling as he set her down in front of where she’d been doing her drawings. They hadn’t been in the studio in quite a while. Ken turned on the heat, listening to the registers ting softly as they heated up. Hanna settled and began to draw as the room warmed, and Ken began opening the drawers behind him, pulling out tubes of paint after he’d set a canvas on his easel. The white canvas was already gone, colors and shapes already filling his vision. The rest of the world around him faded to the background, and Ken felt the usual tingle as the vision of what he wanted to do came into focus. That hadn’t happened in such a long time that he barely recognized the feeling as his heart raced and the blood pounded through his veins. Reaching for a brush, he began to apply paint directly to the canvas.
    Often with his ideas, he sketched and worked out his thoughts thoroughly before actually placing it on the canvas, but the feeling was so strong and the image so clear, he simply began to work.
    Ken lost all track of time as he continued working. The only person outside of himself that he was aware of was Hanna, and she worked quietly at her table, drawing and coloring. After a while, she said she was hungry, and Ken got her something to eat, remaining in a bit of a fog until he got back to his canvas. Eventually, Hanna curled up on the old sofa, and Ken covered her with a blanket and kissed her on the forehead before returning to work. He continued working, and it wasn’t until he heard Hanna stirring that he cleaned out his brushes and put everything away. Sometimes, when he worked this way, he worked as fast as he could because he was always afraid his vision would fade, but this one was so strong and rich that he knew he’d remember it for months. When he had everything cleaned up, Ken glanced at the clock, surprised that he’d been working for most of the day. “Come on, sweetheart. I’ll make you some dinner, and we can watch television together.”
    Ken took Hanna’s hand and led her to the kitchen, where he made a simple dinner that he somehow managed not to burn, and then he settled with Hanna on the sofa. Together they watched one of the DVDs until it was time for Hanna to go to bed. Ken helped her get ready and then tucked her in. “What story would you like?”
    “ Madeline ,” Hanna said excitedly, and Ken began to wonder just how many times he was going to have to read her this story before Hanna had it memorized, but he grabbed the book and sat on the edge of her bed before opening the book and starting to read. Tonight he made it all the way through the story with Hanna wide awake. Ken turned out the light and then kissed her good night.
“Sleep tight, and I’ll see you in the morning.” Ken kissed her on the forehead again. “I love you, sweetheart.”
    “I love you too, Daddy,” Hanna said as she