9. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Esmerelda
My heart flutters as I lock eyes with the deep green ones I have thought about all week, and yes, my breathing picks up a little as I eye his black T-shirt stretching over his chest showcasing his muscles that I would love to just… Crap no, no, no.
“Have dinner with me?”
I blink, break eye contact, and focus on the little boy in his arms who originally got my attention with his cuteness demanding a cupcake instead, trying to get my heart rate down and my dirty mind under control.
I declined Damian’s dinner offer. My life revolves around my dad and brother right now, and with dad wanting me to take this place over, I can’t have any distractions, though everything in me wanted to accept, something I didn’t think would happen, something that I regret daily not doing especially since I opened my big mouth and stupidly spoke to my dad about him, who then spoke to Cody. Both berated me for turning Damian down and have been on my back ever since. He is always on my mind causing butterflies to erupt several times a day with just the thought of him and now that he’s standing before me, my whole body feels like it’s lit up.
Damian…
Okay, I’m scared, I’m woman enough to admit that. I have never had this feeling with Cody or Mark, and it’s scary.
“Cupcake,” the little boy says again, and I grin as he eyes my counter full of goodies that I know will send him on a sugar rush.
He doesn’t look like Damian, but he is absolutely adorable with his brown hair and green eyes, not Damian’s kind of dark intense green, but still green.
Is he his father?
Is he still with his mother?
No, he can’t be, he asked me out unless he’s a cheater, but then he wouldn’t bring them here knowing I work here, right?
A little murmur echoes from behind the counter, gaining my attention from the cute little boy and I look over the counter and lock eyes with beautiful blue ones. A little girl, no older than a month old, looks at me, a little pink bow clipped in her small amount of red hair.
Oh my, she is gorgeous!
“I’ll serve them, Ess,” Trina says from beside me, a hint of desperation in her voice, and I swallow hard, the words to decline her just on the tip of my tongue but I keep them inside.
I turned him down…
I stand straight, nod, and turn to head back to the kitchen, knowing there is a pile of washing up to be done but I pause when Damian states, “Actually, Levi here has personally asked for you, Esmerelda. Isn’t that right, bud?”
I turn back and look with a raised brow as the little boy, Levi, nods his head and demands, “Yes!” and I can’t help but chuckle at his enthusiasm.
Clearing my throat while trying to ignore the feeling of my father’s eyes on me, I look at Levi and ask, “Is that so?” he nods again and smiles shyly at me, and I hum and ask, “What’s your favorite color, Levi?”
He thinks for a moment, his brows scrunching cutely before he says, “Orange.”
I nod and bend before opening the case. I look over the different cakes I have before I spot the bright orange frosted chocolate cake, and I smile. Grabbing it, I put it on a plate, then look at Damian, who is already intently looking at me sending shivers down my spine and causing my skin to tingle.
Damn….
He tilts his head, and without me having to ask, he says, “Blue. " I nod, grab a dark frosted blue cake, put it on a separate plate, and put them both onto a tray.
I clear my throat and ask, “Anything else?”
He smiles and says, “A chocolate milk and coffee, please.” I raise a brow at his please, but he just smirks and asks, “Could you bring it to the table in the back?”
I open my mouth to decline, knowing Trina can do it, but she speaks for me and says, “I’ll do it. Ess is busy in the kitchen, you know…”
I side-eye her, seeing her biting her bottom lip and twirling her hair in her finger. I swallow my growl of jealousy and look back at Damian, seeing him narrowing his eyes at her, his mouth pressed in a thin line.
Uh oh, someone is not happy which inadvertently makes me happy because he isn’t fawning over her like most customers do – double crap, I really want this man….
I open my mouth to confirm I’ll bring his order over, not wanting any arguments, but before I can say
anything, my dad walks over with my brother and hands him to me over the counter. I humph as he’s basically thrown into my arms, which, of course, my brother giggles at making me smile.
My dad states, “Actually, I think Mer should take a seat as well. She’s been baking all morning, besides, I’m sure this little boy would love a friend to play with.”
My mouth parts in shock, and my eyes widen as Damian snorts but coughs to cover it while my dad smirks and confirms, “I’ll bring you a latte over, sweetheart, and Trina can start washing everything up in the kitchen, ready for closing. I’ll man the counter.”
Trina huffs and walks away, knowing she can’t win against Dad, while I blink several times, unable to comprehend what my dad is doing. I mean, he’s just sided with my stranger, I mean uh…
Ah pickles!
Aiden puts his palms on my cheeks and squeezes them together, and demands, “Sissy, cupcake,” when I don’t snap out of my stupor quick enough. I grin despite him squishing my cheeks, and I mumble, “But you’ve already had one.”
Dad laughs as Aiden replies, “It’s suga fwee…”
I shake my head to loosen his hold and kiss his palm before looking at Damian, a complete stranger I’m pulled towards. He tilts his head to the back of the room, and the little baby murmurs again, and I sigh, knowing I can’t say no.
I’m a sucker when it comes to kids, no thanks to my little brother here.
Without a word, I walk around the counter and towards the back of the room with my brother on my hip. I grab a highchair and take it to the table Damian sat at last week. I put Levi inside, clicking him in and grabbing the attached table. I click it on, bop Aiden’s button nose, then walk and grab another highchair for Levi.
I set it up next to Aiden’s, and I turn and lock eyes with Damian, who has moved from the counter to the table. His eyes are intense and highly focused on me….
My nerves begin to fray, and the urge to run to the kitchen is strong and so is the urge to throw myself at him making me want to run to the kitchen faster, but I push them away, especially knowing my dad is watching me like a hawk and would drag me back by my hair and I hold my hands up to Levi.
I expect him to shy away, but he doesn’t, instead, he surprises me and leaps into my arms. I laugh as I catch him, then swing him around, making an airplane noise, which he giggles loudly at, and I plop him carefully into the highchair before clicking him in.
He gives me a wide grin as I click the table on, and I tap my finger on his nose before I go to the table in the corner of the room Mom set up for kids when I was about three or four.
I pick up two cups full of coloring crayons and some pictures and return to the table, putting them on the boys' tables. Instantly, they begin to color, making me smile before it slowly fades because now I have no excuse.
I clear my throat as I stand straight and lock eyes with Damian. He smiles and nods to the chair he’s pulled out. I give him a shy smile and round the table, taking a seat with Aiden to my right while he sits next to Levi before a little cry comes from the baby car seat, and Damian grins, making my stomach flutter.
Damn, that’s a good grin.
He bends down and unclicks the little girl, picking her up as I look over his figure.
I wonder how long his hair is. Yet again it is in a man bun thing but he looks good, really good.
I clear my throat for what feels like the hundredth time as Damian cradles the little girl with his big hands so her head sits safely in his large palms, her body in his arms, and he kisses her nose.
And there go my ovaries….
There’s something about a strong man holding a baby, or well, this strong man anyway. Whenever Cody held Aiden, I never got this feeling.
“Can you hold her for a second while I get her bottle ready?” Damian asks, and I nod without a second thought.
He passes her over the table as she begins to cry, our hands brushing, sending electric shocks through me and I suck in a breath at the feeling.
Damian smiles, and I swallow, trying to dislodge the lump forming while Dad brings a tray over. Trying to ignore everyone around me and the weird feelings that are filling me, I cradle the little girl in my arms and look down at her to see her wet eyes assessing me. I smile as I gently rock her while rubbing my finger carefully along her forehead, something I used to do for Aiden when he was this small. She settles instantly, just watching me.
“You’re like the baby whisperer. Normally, she won’t stop crying unless she has her bottle in her mouth,” Damian says quietly, and I just smile, not taking my eyes off the sweetheart in my arms.
God she is so perfect.
“My daughter has had a lot of practice with Aiden. Night feeds, it was normally her,” my dad admits, and I look at him smiling while he looks at me softly.
Damian clears his throat, and I know he has questions, but he doesn’t ask, knowing we don’t know each other but he does ask, “Do you want to feed her?”
I look his way and nod, and he grins, handing me her bottle. I ask, “Did you check it?” to make sure it’s not too hot, and he chuckles, “Yeah, I did,” and I place it in her mouth. She opens it instantly and begins to suck happily.
“I’ll be behind the counter if you need me, sweetheart,” my dad says as he puts the stuff on the table and I nod, not taking my eyes off the little girl.
“What’s her name?” I ask as Dad leaves, and Damian replies, “Hannah Louise… She has her daddy’s eyes and her mama’s hair and is perfect, though to be honest, her daddy is lucky he still has his balls after she was conceived.”
I look at him wide-eyed, and he grins and admits, “My best friend and his wife met eleven years ago but fell in love three years ago. Scar was adamant about leaving town, her home life wasn’t the best, and well, Ace wouldn’t have that…”
My mouth parts instantly, understanding what he means, and I gasp, “He trapped her?”
He confirms, “Yep, twice.” he nods to Hannah, “He wanted another kid after Levi was born, and instead of speaking to her about it, knowing her schooling had to come first, he changed her birth control pills.”
I wince, “Yeah, I’m surprised he still has them, too, though to be fair, this little one is gorgeous.”
He chuckles but nods as he hands Levi and Aiden a cupcake with orange frosting.
I clear my throat and ask, “So, you are their uncle?”
He hums and admits, “Not by blood, but yeah. I grew up with Ace, and every other weekend, I’ll take Levi for the night or even just the day to give Scar and Ace time to themselves, and now I take Hannah as well.”
I smile, “That’s really sweet.”
“And yet you turned me down for dinner.” He retorts, and I know my cheeks are heating up because the ass smirks.
“Okay, stranger,” I mumble and look down at Hannah as I remove the empty bottle. Without a second thought, I lift her over my shoulder and gently pat her back before looking at Levi and Aiden to see them happily munching away, orange frosting covering their faces.
“Tell me the real reason why you said no,” Damian demands gently, and I look his way.
Hannah lets out a soft burp, but I keep her over my shoulder, rubbing her back and I admit, “You scare me,” and he sits back in shock. I smile gently and explain, “I’ve never felt an instant connection with someone before. Cody was my first boyfriend, and while yes, he’s now my best friend, I never felt what I feel with you for him, and yet you are a complete stranger to me.”
His shoulders sag with relief, and he nods, “I understand. Believe me, I do. I watched Ace fall instantly for Scar and saw how scared they were.” He sits forward, putting his elbows on the table, linking his fingers, “We’re not in high school, we’re not kids, and I wasn’t looking at settling down, but when you know, you know, and all I’m asking is for a chance.”
My mouth parts at his words, and my stomach flutters.
Damn, man is good with his words I’ll give him that.
I swallow hard and look at the boys before looking at Hannah and something clicks. Looking back at Damian I ask, “Did you bring the kids knowing I’d melt at them?”
He grins and shrugs, not denying it, and I laugh before looking towards the counter.
My dad stands behind it, his eyes solely focused on me. He has a soft look on his face, and I recognize the look of hope in his eyes. At this moment, I realize he really does want this for me. Even Cody has encouraged me to accept Damian's offer, though I didn’t think he’d come back to the bakery after not seeing him for a week.
I tilt my head at Dad, and he lifts his chin towards Damian. I sigh before looking at the handsome man. His eyes are still on me, and while the boys giggle and color and Hannah snoozes on my shoulder, I whisper, “We’ll see how it goes.”
He smiles as he leans forward and gently places his hand over mine on Hannah’s back, sending electric shocks up my arm. He whispers, “We’ll see how it goes….”
My stomach flutters, and my heart races as we lock eyes, but something deep inside me settles.
He’s about to become my world, I just know it.