Chapter 11
The next day was Saturday so there was no need to go to the office, but I needed to go home and get cleaned up.
I hated like hell to leave them but I was a mess. I rushed home and took a quick shower before changing into jeans and a tee shirt.
Then I thought of her in the same clothes as yesterday and made a quick stop in the city before going back to her.
“Did he come yet?” Those were my first words to her when I entered the room.
“No not yet. What’s all this?” I looked down at the bags in my hands.
“I got some stuff for you to clean up and get changed.” I passed her the bags and she looked inside before staring at me with her mouth open wide.
“Are you insane? You bought me three hundred dollar jeans?” She clutched at her chest like she was about to have a heart attack.
“Here I can’t accept this it’s too much.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bathroom where there was a little shower cubicle.
I turned on the water before turning to her and starting to remove her clothes. She swatted at my hands. “What are you doing?’
“What I’m not doing is arguing with you. If you won’t take care of yourself then I will.” I tugged at her shirt and she fought me. “Get off you maniac.”
“Are you going to shower and change?” She looked around me to the bed where Amber laid sleeping.
“Would you keep your voice down?”
“No!”
“What do you mean no?”
“What don’t you understand? Now hurry up. That specialist should be here any minute and I don’t want him in the room while you’re in the shower.”
She looked at me like I was crazy and since she was taking too long to do what I say I tore the damn blouse in half. If her eyes got any wider they’d fall out of her head.
She gritted her teeth and folded her little fists over her chest. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. Fuck, wrong move. Wrong place, wrong time.
My cock went full throttle, all eleven and a half inches and my head felt like it would explode. She struggled against me but I refused to let go.
My tongue forced her lips open and she melted against me, then she bit me. “You little…” I wiped the blood away with my thumb as I looked at her.
“I’m going to make you regret that. The day’s going to come when you can’t bear for me not to kiss you.”
I put my hand behind her neck and pulled her in. I kissed her forehead before turning her away from me and with a smack on her ass ordered her to shower and change.
She’s a fiery little thing and way too fucking cute for her own good. I stood outside the door and heard her cussing up a storm. Every other word damned me to hell.
I smiled and walked away when she started muttering about what she’d like to do to me. I’d moved up from an inconsiderate asshole to an unreasonable jackass. Progress!
The specialist showed up an hour later and we both questioned him since she seemed too nervous.
“I don’t see any obstacles to her complete recovery. This new medicine we use helps to strengthen the lungs, which is her primary problem. The asthma and allergies are just a result of this.”
“I’m guessing she was premature.”
“Yes sir she was and they told me then that her lungs weren’t fully developed.”
There was such misery in her voice and I knew from her tone that she was blaming herself. I put my arm around her shoulders to offer comfort and she relaxed a little.
By the time he left we had a much better outlook on things. “Aren’t you happy I didn’t listen to you? Now we don’t have to worry anymore.”
“Thank you.”
“Say that again.”
“I said thanks for the specialist, as to the other stuff…” I walked away and left her talking to herself.
She called me a very unkind name under her breath. “I heard that, I’m keeping score. One of these days your ass is going to pay the price for your mouth.”
I left her and went to sit on the bed with Amber who was finally awake and playing with the stuffed animals her uncle had bought her. Her uncle, huh.
I didn’t have the first clue what to say to the little angel so I let her take point. That’s how I ended up playing teatime with bears and one bossy little bit of a thing.
Shit, she’s her mother’s daughter. “Not like that uncle Evan, do it this way.” Where the fuck did Gavin find bears that wear diapers?
Her mother the sneak was sitting off to the side snickering at the way her daughter ordered me around like a lackey.
She had no fear the little one. She was sweet and open and her disposition made what she was suffering all the more heartbreaking.
When she grew tired and crawled into my lap I thought I’d break down in tears. I looked over her head at her mother who looked torn.
I guess she didn’t expect her child to accept me so readily and I have to admit to being surprised myself.
I’d always heard that children were very perceptive. Could she sense my earlier feelings towards her? I hope not.
Now as I held her little body in my arms my heart hurt and I felt shame. I pulled her little frame into my chest and held her close, being careful of the tubes.
As I held her my mind cleared of everything else and nothing mattered but getting her well enough to go home.
I wanted to see her out of this place and running around my apartment wreaking havoc on my hardwood floors.
My apartment, more like my bachelor pad. I’m gonna have to do something about that. That reminded me that I didn’t even know where they lived.
I’ve been playing it so safe that I hadn’t found out a damn thing about her. All my energy had been focused on breaking down her defenses.
I fell asleep sitting up on the bed with Amber in my arms and woke some time later to find my annoying brother and his girl in the room talking to Gia.
They were speaking in hushed tones so as not to wake us and I saw there were more toys and balloons in the room.
“Hey bro, you’re up. Mom’s gonna be here soon.”
“Mom?”
“You should’ve expected that after you called her for help.”
I grew nervous as hell. I haven’t had a chance to talk to mom about this yet and I wasn’t sure how she was going to feel about my interest in a widow with a child.
I’m not in the habit of going against my mother’s wishes but if she didn’t approve I’m afraid this would have to be the first time.