11. Eliza #2
After all, he still had twenty-seven ish days left.
Yes, I knew he could very well pretend for the whole duration, but surely, he had to crack sometime in the month if anything festered underneath, it would crack through in that time.
Besides, there was no faking his connection with Asher.
One look in both their eyes was all I needed to know; everything between them was wholly genuine from deep within their very beings.
A short while later, all of us were fed and full. Surprisingly, Adam managed to feed Asher in record time. Not gonna lie, I was a little jealous at how fast he managed to feed my little man. But it was the playful kind of jealous, not the scathing kind.
Once we were all done, I tried to clean up and do the dishes, but Adam wouldn't let me. He was insistent on cleaning up his own mess and giving me some time to myself and Asher. So, I was effectively barred from the kitchen and dining area until he had the place spotless again.
While he was a busybody in that part of my home, I played with Asher for a good while before giving him his nightly bath. When he was all clean and smelling good, I got him dressed up in his pajamas and was ready to settle him in his car seat to do my nightly delivery runs, but Adam stopped me.
He plucked Asher out of my arms, making me look up at him with a scrunched-up face.
"Nope, no late-night runs for you while I'm around, or at least, no taking Asher out with you," he said rather definitively with a stubborn look.
"If you have to go out, then go. I'll be here with Asher and make sure he gets to bed and everything. "
Huffing and scoffing, I crossed my arms and glared up at Adam. "I can't afford to not do my other job and putting Asher into a new routine won't be healthy for him if you won't be around after you're done with me," I snapped, turning my head away in shame when I realized the last bit that came out.
Yes, I still had my doubts, but I couldn't be blamed for it.
Seeing the broken look shatter Adam's eyes did little to ease the shame and guilt which threatened to drag me down to the depths of darkness.
The knife only dug in deeper at his dejected sigh, and when he reached out and grabbed me by my waist, I thought that this would be it…
Until he spoke, "Eliza, I will never be done with you, not even when we draw our final breaths in this world. "
Jerking my body up against his, his shadow crowded me as he leaned down and nudged my head with his.
"I'm going to be honest. Even after the thirty days are done, I'm still going to be hanging around you every single day.
Even if you try to lock me out of your home and life, I will still be there every morning with breakfast ready for you, be there to take care of Asher for you because I love the little dude. "
I didn't know what to say. All I could do was stand there like a stupefied idiot and stare at him as he continued, "Every night, you will come home to a home-cooked meal that will leave you more than satisfied.
" His hard head continued to lightly nudge mine until our eyes were locked.
"And if you refuse my help and keep your second job as a delivery driver, then I will stay the night with Asher until you come back. "
"W-what happened to taking things at my pace?" I squeaked with a hitched breath. "You already seem pretty sure about everything and how you want to take over my life." Which, not gonna lie, kind of appealed to me.
It was a broken bridge, but maybe it might be okay to cross again one last time. I mean, Adam wasn't a bad person, right? He just wanted to take care of me, so where was the harm in that? Besides the fact that it all sounded too good to be true.
Sighing softly, Adam looked at me with conflicted eyes as his arm tightened around my waist. "You are in control of everything but me in your life.
I already swore to you that I won't harm you, and I won't. Me being present in your life, making sure you eat, take care of yourself, and have quality time with Asher doesn't harm you in any way.
" His convincing smile had me lowering my walls involuntarily.
"And just because I am present doesn't mean I'm going to cross any boundaries.
I won't touch you without your permission or do anything that will make you overly uncomfortable. "
Damn him for hitting all the right things and being such a charming asshole. God, there was no way out of this for me.
As if I wanted a way out.
Taking all he said into account, and really thinking about it, it wasn't all that bad, honestly.
Relenting with a sigh, I leaned into him, resting my head against his chest. "I'll just be a bit." I didn't want to go out without Asher, but I really couldn't afford not to pick up a few deliveries.
Sure, I could take Adam up on his offer of providing a little for me, but I couldn't do that to him. It didn't feel right, nor did I want to be indebted to him.
Looking up at him with a wary smile and chuckle, I asked, "You really aren't going to leave me alone, are you?"
Giving me an amused chuckle in return, he shook his head. "No, I'm not." The way his voice gained a possessive edge, with a slight darkening in his eyes sent shivers down my spine.
Did I make a grave mistake?
If I hadn't feel like trapped prey before, then I definitely did then.
The wild look on his face was fleeting, enough that I questioned whether it was real. If it weren't for the dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one that told me to shove him away and run—an instinct I knew came from my time with James—then I would've thrown my doubts away.
My string of thoughts snapped at the feeling of his warm lips pressing against my temple.
"Be safe out there, alright?" The genuine concern that warmed his eyes into molten steel made my paranoia feel stupid as I forced it away.
"And, if you're hungry and want a late-night snack when you get back, then let me know so I can whip something up, alright? "
God damn you, Adam. I'll find something distasteful about you sooner or later.
Humming, I nodded my head in response before kissing Asher goodbye and hugging Adam briefly. "He likes the book—"
What came out of his mouth next should have been a blaring red sign. "I know, the one with the farm animals and the sounds."
How on earth did he know that?