Chapter 10
TEN
Play Time
Jack
“Brush my teeth before bedtime...” Faith rolled her eyes once the door shut. “I know, Mom.”
“I think we’ll get along great.” I grinned down at the smart kid and gave her a pat on the back. “Don’t you think, kiddo?”
“Of course we will, Mr. Timber.” Faith smiled up at me. “We’re neighbors.”
Christ, Faith was damn intelligent. Unlike her mother, who mumbled to herself all the way to her damn car.
Good. I struck a nerve with little Elle.
She deserved a door in the face after she had tried the same thing on me moments before.
I loved crawling under her skin, where I didn’t belong, and leaving her uneasy.
Goddamn squeamish and weak in the knees.
The same way she had responded to me back in the kitchen earlier while I stared down into those cinnamon eyes and made the mistake of getting far too close to her.
Her sweet scent had filled my nostrils, and I wanted to bury my face in her hair.
I’d never want to come up for air, drowning in wave after damn wave of her locks.
Tangled up in her until I died in her arms.
Fuck.
I needed a drink.
“Do you got any beer, kid?” I asked.
Faith scrunched up her nose like her mother does when she’s pissed off at me. “Beer? What is that?”
Right. Faith was eight. Little Elle played everything safe with her child. She probably didn’t even know what an alcoholic beverage was.
“It’s an adult drink.” I shook my head. “Never mind.”
“Oh, those!” A light bulb blinked to life in those innocent eyes. “Daddy calls them that.”
Damn bastard. Faith’s father sounded like a real winner. A true dickhead, who had cheated on Noelle and disrespected his family.
I knew the whole backstory. I didn’t give a shit, but Logan Lancaster was scum.
He gave me the urge to deck him one too many times for everything he had done.
I might hate Elle, she may get to me, but she was my best friend’s daughter.
Nobody messed with the people I cared about, especially not with this sweet child, who didn’t ask for a careless father who only thought about his damn self.
“He does, does he?” I grumbled.
“Yep.” Faith popped the P. “Mommy has some. Don’t worry, Mr. Timber. I’ll get you one.”
Shit, Elle will kill me. Abort.
“Ah, no thanks, kid. I’ll take an apple juice on the rocks,” I said.
“What does on the rocks mean?” Faith asked.
I’m an idiot. I sucked at this kid stuff.
“Crap, ah... I mean... Shoot.” I rubbed my temple nervously. “On the rocks means with ice. You got apple juice and ice?”
Faith beamed. “We do.”
Faith went toward the kitchen. I followed her lead as she opened the fridge door and got a stool to reach the cupboard.
I watched her take a glass, place it on the countertop, and get the apple juice.
The carton was harder for her to manage, so I took it out of her tiny hands and poured the juice for her while she gathered some ice cubes.
“Jeez. You do this often?” I asked.
Faith impressed me thoroughly.
“When my mommy lets me.” Faith plopped in some ice and juice spilled on the counter. “Oopsie daisy. Let me clean that up or else Mommy will find out.”
“My lips are sealed, kiddo.” I swore secrecy.
I couldn’t rat on such a cute face. Sure. Fucking children got on my nerves, but this child was different.
I took a sip of the apple juice, and the refreshment hit the spot.
Faith cleaned up her mess, and she waved at me to follow her.
She took me straight toward the living room, where she sat down on a couch and let her legs sway.
Back and forth her feet with unicorns on the socks went while she stared at me.
I plopped down across from her on a leather recliner; the material groaned with every movement I made and echoed in the silence.
The quiet wasn’t awkward, and there was a hint of challenge in the airwaves between us.
I placed my drink down on the table, my gaze never wavering from Faith, and realized this had turned into some sort of weird staring contest. A fucking competition of who had the best stare of all time where if either of us blinked that person was the sore loser, but I didn’t lose to anyone.
I went along with Faith’s game and watched her closely as her little nose wrinkled. Even her eyes squinted at me, but she didn’t turn away. Damn. She was good.
Faith raised her eyebrows and opened her sweet colored raisin specs while she tried to psych me out. I couldn’t fucking believe this damn kid! Holy shit. Genius move on her part.
Faith stuck out her tongue at me, fully focused, without a single blink. Smarty pants. Game on, kiddo.
I crossed my eyes and saw two expert girls in front of me. Faith and her double never flinched but, fuck, man. I was dizzy.
I uncrossed my glare and went back to staring at Faith. Tears collected in my eyeballs, blurring my focus, and as quickly as this competition started, it was over. I fucking lost.
Faith leaned back, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and cracked a wide grin. She rubbed her win in my face. Christ, she was cocky, but she wouldn’t stop staring.
“What?” I shrugged.
“You’ve got gray whiskers.” Faith pointed at me.
“Yeah. So?” I rubbed my beard. “I’m old.”
“Why don’t you have kids?” Faith asked me.
I was too grouchy for little shits running around was the answer I wanted to give Faith. The response was the harsh truth, but inappropriate for a third grader. Kids repeat everything. I had to be careful or else her mom would come banging on my door.
“I never wanted kids,” I answered.
Faith narrowed her eyes. “Why not?”
“Why the twenty questions?” A moment passed, but Faith kept the pressure on, and I sighed. “I never found the right woman to raise children with.”
Suddenly, the mood in the air tensed. Faith peered down at the floor, and she stopped swinging her legs. Something was wrong.
“My mommy and daddy had me, but they aren’t together anymore.” Faith pouted as her eyes glistened, and she gazed back up at me. “And Daddy never has time for me. He’s always working or busy on his phone.”
Crap. My big, dumb, honest mouth. This poor kid was going to cry, and it wasn’t even my fault. Her lousy excuse for a father got me into this damn predicament, and I had to be the one to get myself out of this shitty situation.
I stood up and took a seat beside Faith.
I patted Faith on the back a few times. “There. There.”
Jesus. Pathetic. Could I be any more goddamn lame?
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“He’s always too busy for me!” Faith cried as she stared straight ahead.
Too busy being a fucking loser.
“I’m sure he’ll change as time goes on,” I reassured Faith, but I was a dick for fibbing.
“He’ll never change. Never!” Faith sobbed louder.
Unexpectedly, Faith fell against me. The closeness caught me off guard, and I didn’t know what I should do with my damn arms. I felt like an idiot seated next to her with my arms outstretched in the air, and I did the only thing I knew to do.
I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tiny body close.
She sobbed against me, and my heart sank while she wailed for a father she had always wanted but had never received.
In an instant, something changed inside of me. The bitter organ I had kept closed off burst wide open for this small human, and I gave a shit about her. I fucking cared. I honestly felt awful, and I wanted to make everything right.
Faith’s sobs quieted.
I asked, “Feel better?”
Faith lifted her head and peered up at me.
“Yes.” She hiccuped. “Thank you.”
It was Faith’s turn to wrap her arms around me, and she squeezed me into a bear hug.
The comfort of her innocent embrace sent warmth through me, pushing all the bitterness aside for a couple of seconds, and she smiled up at me.
Her big brown eyes were bloodshot from crying, but she wiped her tears away and pulled back.
There was a giant wet spot on my shirt.
Normally, I’d curse. I’d throw a fucking fit and slam a fist down, but I didn’t. I didn’t give a rat’s ass because this harmless child had given me something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Affection.
Faith had opened me up like a gift, giving me the time and tender care I had been missing when I hadn’t realized I needed it. She was an incredible child. I couldn’t let her down.
“Come with me, kid.” I took her hand in mine.
Faith let me guide her toward the kitchen. Her long waves of brown bounced with each step she took, and her cheeks were rosy from being seated by the fireplace. She had placed her trust in me, which few people did because I could be extremely grumpy. Especially if someone got on my bad side.
Faith asked, “What are we doing?”
Every tear was gone. Good. All Faith needed was a distraction to forget all about her egotistical jerk of a dad.
“I have a special surprise for you,” I replied.
“Seriously?” Faith opened her mouth into a gigantic O, and her eyes twinkled.
“Yep.” I popped the P.
I grabbed a green sticky note along with a pen and wrote numbers onto the paper.
“Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!” Faith bounced up and down in excitement.
I couldn’t help a chuckle escaping me because Faith was a freaking cutie pie. I wanted to buy her every single one of her favorite baked goods. Within an hour, this little girl had me wrapped around her damn finger.
Crap. I was in trouble.
Faith was not only good at games; she was a heart bandit disguised as a sweet angel. She took me under her wing and robbed me blind. The moment I walked through the door of her house, she stole my ticker and wouldn’t give the damn thing back.
“On this sticky note is a special number to reach me,” I explained as I leaned in close and stuck the paper on the fridge. “Call me anytime.”
Faith’s eyes went wide. “Even in the middle of the night?”
“Yes.” I smiled and tapped her nose. “Even when the moon is shining up high in the sky.”
Faith hesitated. “I don’t know...”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Mommy will be angry if she finds out,” Faith replied.
I shrugged. “Why?”
“Because I’m supposed to be in bed.”
Figures. Momzilla.
I waved my hands as if Noelle were no big deal. “I’m sure Mommy will understand because she cares about you, and I do too.”
Faith admired my number and whispered, “Thanks, Mr. Timber.”
“No problem, kiddo.” I opened the refrigerator door. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Let’s see what we’ve got to eat.”
I pulled some weird beans out of the packed fridge, but Faith shook her head. “I hate the taste of those. Mommy enjoys them because they are healthy.”
Fair enough. I put the crap Faith didn’t want back on the shelf. Those brown beans resembled rabbit shit.
“Next up...” I popped off the lid of some noodles with tomato sauce. “Spaghetti with no meatballs.”
Faith smelled the leftovers and made a gross face. “Yuck.”
“Expired.” I tossed the bland pasta into the garbage can.
Noelle had a ton of leftover food, but the selection was boring for a kid. Even I lost my appetite staring at the unappealing food selection. Faith deserved something fun to eat for dinner, and I had the perfect solution.
“How about we make chocolate chip pancakes?” I asked.
Faith stared up at me, puzzled. “But Mommy said those are for breakfast.”
Well, Mommy was too fucking overbearing, and she needed to take a goddamn chill pill. Every kid should experience a fucking milk chocolate stack of deliciousness at suppertime.
I lifted Faith up onto the countertop beside the stove.
“We’ll keep this our little secret.” I held up my pinkie finger. “Deal?”
Faith peered at my finger and wrapped her smallest limb around mine.
She smiled. “Deal.”