Free Flynn by Vanessa Devereaux Page A

time to give Emily her first knitting lesson.
    “I
didn’t get the hang of it the first time either,” she said. “Let’s give it
another try.”
    “Don’t
want to.”
    “You
can do it. I know you can.”
    “Cannot.” She
stomped her feet on the ground.
    “Emily,
you have to try.”
    “Don’t
want to. It’s stupid.”
    Emily
picked up the wool and threw it at Natalie just as Flynn walked through the
door .
“Hey, just what do you think you’re doing young lady?”
    “It’s
stupid. I can’t do it.’
    “No
one can do something on the first try, that’s why we have to learn,” said
Flynn.
    “I
won’t do it, I won’t do it.”
    She
picked up the needles and hurled them at her father. He ducked out of the way but
one caught his cheek and made it bleed. He wiped it with his fingers and looked
at it.
    “How
dare you do something as dangerous as throwing something sharp at a person. Go
to your room and stay there, okay. I’m tired and I don’t need your crap.”
    She
didn’t argue with him but stormed out of the room. A door slammed shut a few
minutes later. A painting fell from the wall to the ground. Flynn took a deep
breath and ran his hands through his hair.
    Natalie
guessed she’d been around long enough now to see all the frustration that Flynn
had to deal with as a parent. Everything she hadn’t while she’d gotten on with
her life and career. She suddenly felt guilty.
    “I’m
so sorry about that,” he said.
    “Nothing
to apologize about. All kids get frustrated, and she’s no
different.” Natalie stood and walked over to him. “Let’s get that cleaned up,”
she said pointing to the gash on his face.
    They
walked out to the kitchen and Natalie reached for a paper towel and ran it
under the tap and then dabbed it on his cheek.
    “I
guess it was my fault for being an awful teacher,” she said.
    “No,
she gets like that when she gets frustrated. She thinks she can do something
right the first time. Shit, none of us can do that, but she doesn’t understand
it and thinks it’s because she has Down’s. She wants to be like other kids and
can’t understand why she isn’t.”
    Natalie
swallowed the lump forming in her throat. This man had dealt with a lot yet he
was kind and patient. Maybe that’s why she was falling in love with him.
    Falling in love. Yeah, that’s what was happening.
    “Will
she be okay?” asked Natalie, trying to stay focused on the moment.
    “Sure.
She’s gotten a little worse since she started her periods. I think it’s getting
close to that time of the month.”
    Her daughter was already a woman.
    “Yeah,
I’ve been known to throw a few things when I have PMS,” she said.
    “Thanks
for warning me. I’ll get my safety hat and goggles ready.”
    They
laughed and he kissed her. He pulled the blouse out from her waistband and
pushed his hand up her back. The thought of them having sex again, excited her.
Her nipples hardened, her pussy pulled and…
    “Daddy.”
    They
both pulled away quickly like two kids caught by their parents.
    “Honey,
I told you, you had to stay in your room.”
    “I
wanted to say I’m sorry.”
    “Then
that’s different,” he said. “For that I’ll make an exception.”
    “Can
Natalie come to Gran’s café and teach me to knit tomorrow?”
    “That
sounds like a wonderful idea,” said Natalie.
    She
walked over to them and threw her arms around both them. For the first time the
three of them were together as one. A mass hug, her daughter, and the guy she’d
fallen for.
    “It’s
okay to kiss again because I’m going to my room,” said Emily.
    She
turned and simply walked away.
    “My
daughter says it’s okay to kiss, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do to
you,” said Flynn.
    ****
    Flynn
smiled when he entered his mother’s café the following day and saw Emily
holding up three rows of knitting to him.
    “Look,
I’m knitting,” she said. “Natalie’s a good teacher. She should teach everyone
how to