Frog

Chapter 2 #3

“My brother knows you,” she interrupted.

“And I see how you are with my boys firsthand, and I have never seen them take to anyone so fast, especially…” She widened her eyes, motioning to Micah.

“I could drop them off every morning, and you can have my car, and I’d be here between five thirty and six every night to pick them up…

Starting Monday, I’m in trouble. I don’t have the time to find someone I trust, and I can’t afford not to work, definitely not now that I’m a single mother. ”

I stared at her.

“I just… I need a break.” Her chin quivered.

“I mean, I have the money. I could hire some stranger, but these are my kids, you know? I could run to my parents, or here to my brother, or even to my older brother and my sister-in-law if they weren’t going out of town for the holidays”—she was rambling—“though Rachel’s perfect and I’m not—but the fix would still end up being a stranger because they all work and my folks live too damn far away! ”

“Mom, you’re not supposed to use that word.”

“I know, Tris.” She took a breath, clearly willing herself not to break down. She closed her eyes a moment, and when she opened them, they were red but there were no tears.

Jesus, what the hell was I supposed to do?

“Let me go make a call,” I said softly. “Because I gave my word to a friend, and I need to find out if I can delay my arrival there.”

She nodded quickly, and I turned to Cy.

“I already made it clear that when you’re here, whatever is mine is yours,” he said pointedly. “So please don’t ask me about using the phone.”

I smiled at him, then her, before bolting for the bedroom.

Once there, I fished my tiny address book—ancient and wrapped in rubber bands—from my backpack, then took a seat on Cy’s bed, picked up the phone, and called Aidan’s brother, Seth, in Alaska, who…

was surprised to hear from a friend of his brother’s, and even more so that I was coming to work for him.

Apparently, Seth had made no plans to hire me or anyone else, for that matter.

December and January were his slow season.

He thought there might be a job in the spring, on a friend’s fishing boat, but couldn’t say for certain.

I thanked him for his time and hung up. Turned out, I’d crossed the country on a maybe instead of a for sure and could have kicked myself for taking Aidan at his word.

The man had wanted to get into my pants, and that was all. I really was not that bright.

Putting the phone down, I saw a face peeking around the corner at me.

“I am so stupid, little man,” I told Pip.

“No, you’re not. Lizzie in my class, she’s stupid. She eats her boogers. You don’t do that. I’ve been watching.”

I smiled and stood up, and he reached me quickly, lifting his arms. Picking him up, I carried him with me back to the kitchen, and the second Pip and I stepped into the room, Lyn rushed over. Cy was right behind her, slipping in next to me, hand on the small of my back.

“It seems I’m needed more here, by this nice lady standing in front of me, than some guy in Alaska.” There was a lump in my throat suddenly as it occurred to me that every time I was around Cy, only good things happened.

“I don’t want to send my boys someplace I don’t know or leave them with someone I don’t trust. Please say yes, Weber.”

I turned to Cy.

“Don’t even look at me,” he grumbled. “For once you can’t accuse me of plotting. It’s not my fault her piece-of-crap hus—”

“Don’t,” I cut him off, scowling. “We do not speak ill of people’s parents, ever.”

He huffed out a breath, his hand sliding between my shoulder blades.

“Weber?”

I looked at Lyn.

“It’s only for two weeks, and then Tristan and Micah will both go back to school, and Pip’s preschool will reopen as well. I just need a temporary fix.”

“I wouldn’t feel right takin’ money from you for watchin’ your boys. It would be my pleasure to do so.”

“Yes, but it’s hard work.” She sighed. “It is. How does twenty-five hundred sound?”

“Like not enough.” Cy was indignant.

“That would be more than enough,” I told her. “And far too generous.”

“No,” she assured me. “Cy’s right. If you made twenty an hour and you have an eight-hour day, then—”

“How ’bout a thousand and I won’t feel quite so crappy takin’ you up on your kind offer.”

“Oh, Weber, a thousand is—”

“I’ll do it for that and not a penny more.”

She gasped. “Really?” Suddenly she was verging on tears, but they were the good kind. “You will? You’ll watch the boys for me?”

“Yes, ma’am, it would be my pleasure.”

“Ohmygod, thank you!”

I looked at Cy. His fingers, which had been tangling in the hair at my nape, had stilled as he held his breath. “Would that be all right if I stayed two weeks? Would you be okay with me bein’ here that long?”

He glared at me. “You have known for the past three years what I would really like, so don’t ask stupid questions when you’re already crystal clear on the answer.”

I gave Pip a squeeze and put him down, then told Cy, “Come here,” taking his hand and walking him through the great room to the glass doors.

The first time I saw the giant wooden frames, I was confused.

But you pushed on one side, and it angled open.

When I turned to face him, I noted his smile.

“Listen, I don’t know what you had planned, but that would put me here through Christmas, and I don’t want to cause any—”

“Just stay. Please.”

I grabbed him and hugged him, burying my face in the side of his neck, pressing a kiss there as his hands fisted in my T-shirt.

“Okay,” he said, sucking in his breath. “Now come eat already before you pass out.”

I followed him back to the kitchen and ate standing up, the boys chattering at me as their mother looked on.

Afterward, I had them help me wash the dishes, and they all formed a little assembly line.

Lyn told me I was an angel straight from heaven, and when I explained that I was actually from somewhere else, she laughed really hard.

I was tired, and it was getting late, at least for me, who normally was up before dawn, and I also wanted to give Cy and Lyn time to talk. She kept glancing at him, so I knew she could use some alone time.

Returning to Cy’s bedroom, I stretched out on the bed, and a moment later Pip scrambled up beside me. It was really nice that he liked me so much already.

“You wanna get the TV remote?” I asked him, pointing at it maybe four feet away.

“Nope. You wanna get it?”

“Nope.” I yawned.

“Call Micah.”

Such good ideas he had. I yelled for Micah, and he was there seconds later. We both pointed at the remote, and he grabbed it and then got on Cy’s enormous California king with us. Tristan joined us soon after, his Nintendo Switch with him, playing something as he lay down beside Micah.

“What’re your mom and Uncle Cy doin’?” I asked Tristan.

“Drinking tea and talking.”

I made a noise of disgust, and Tristan nodded. “I know, talking…ugh.”

When I smiled, he smiled back, and then I turned on the TV. It was on ESPN, and before I could hear the complaints, I changed it. I flipped channels until I got to Animal Planet and River Monsters was on. Tristan said it was good, so we all gave it our attention.

At first, I was leaning my cheek on my closed fist, and then my head was on my folded arms. Once Pip climbed on my back and put his head down on my shoulder, I started to fade.

Tristan moved so he was leaning on my right side, and Micah was on the left, tucked in tight.

They were all keeping me warm, and I was a goner.

I woke up what felt like minutes later and realized the TV was off, as were all the lights but one. The boys were gone, and instead there were lips kissing slowly up my spine. I made a noise of appreciation, feeling the T-shirt pushed up between my shoulder blades.

“Lyn took the boys home—after much protesting, I might add. They all wanted to stay and sleep with you, but I explained I had first dibs.”

I grunted. “How long was I asleep?”

“Couple of hours.”

Rolling onto my back, I looked up at him in the low light.

“You should get under the covers and go to sleep, Web. You’re exhausted.”

When I lifted my hands to his face, he turned his head and kissed my palm. “Thank you for asking your sister to take pity on me.”

“I didn’t, you know I didn’t. She decided all on her own that you were to be trusted.”

“You’re mad.”

“Of course I’m mad. Because you won’t just stay with me and let me take care of you.” He squinted down at me.

“Nope,” I agreed.

He moved to pull away, but I held him tight, our eyes locked together.

“Let go, Web.”

I shook my head and eased him down slowly until our foreheads were pressed together, the two of us now with closed eyes, just quietly breathing.

When I lifted toward him, his lips slanted over mine, and I let everything fall away as I kissed him.

Really, if I had anything to offer the man at all, I would lay claim, and no one but me would ever have him ever again.

But as it was, all I could be was a diversion until he realized he could do so much better.

He was a neurosurgeon, I was a homeless drifter, and this wasn’t a fairy tale.

“Weber,” he gasped, parting our lips. “Stop.”

But this was what I had to offer, all I was good for. “Doc,” I growled, tugging at his clothes. “Take these off.”

“No!” he yelled at me, yanking away, pointing toward the pillows. “Get under the damn covers so I can hold you while you sleep.”

I looked at him and was surprised to find no desire there at all, no lust riding him, simply furrowed brows and dark, flashing golden-brown eyes. I got under the covers as the light was turned off and the room plunged into semidarkness. “Come here, Cy.”

He was tangled around me in seconds, and as I tucked his head under my chin and held him tight, I felt him tremble.

“No one but you ever holds me like this.”

“Dumb fuckers,” I assured him. “They’re missin’ out on somethin’ great.”

“You’re the only one who knows I love it because you’re the only one who ever made me do it.”

The man was a natural snuggler, loved to be cuddled and nestled in beside me. I’d been surprised the first time when he’d tried to squirm away. But as I’d held him pressed to my heart, I’d felt him surrender, felt him clutch me back, tremble in my arms, and whimper softly.

“You’re the only one who had the balls to try and make me submit.”

“That’s right.” I smiled in the dark, rubbing my cheek in the silky waves. “You didn’t want to do this at all the first time, did ya.”

“No.” He sucked in his breath. “Because I was the dumb fucker back then.”

I chuckled, and he pressed tighter.

“Thank you for wanting to hold me, Weber.”

“Thank you for lettin’ me, Cyrus.”

His sigh of pleasure made me smile as my eyes drifted closed.