Chapter Thirty
Anastacia
I wake up alone, the other side of the bed already cold.
The sun is bright, peeking through the curtains.
Dorothea is sound asleep in her bassinet beside me.
Last night was rough. She cried a lot and wouldn’t go to sleep, even though I could tell she was tired.
She’s asleep now, and I don’t want to wake her, so I quietly get out of bed, throw on some sweats and a T-shirt, then head into the bathroom.
Voices come from the kitchen, so I head that way, figuring Tommy and Kelsey are chatting over breakfast. I don’t hear Kelsey’s voice, though.
I hear Tommy and Grizz—I smile as I walk faster because he’s usually gone when I wake up these days.
But something has me stopping before I get to the corner to turn into the kitchen. Something in Tommy’s voice.
“—outside last night?”
“No, why the hell would I be outside in the middle of the night?”
“I could have sworn I heard someone walking around.”
“Probably just a deer.”
The conversation doesn’t quite match the tone of Tommy’s voice. It’s probably just me being half-asleep still, so I continue into the kitchen.
“Yeah, but there were foo—” Tommy’s eyes flick to me and he stops talking. “Uh, yeah. Probably just a deer.”
“Morning, Angel,” Grizz says, giving Tommy his back and coming over to kiss me. He smells fresh, like he took another shower, his hair still slightly damp.
“You’ve been up a while?” I question.
“Always am.”
He’s warned me that he’s an early bird many times, and I don’t doubt it for a second. I haven’t woken up before him once, not unless it’s the middle of the night because Dorothea is crying.
I walk over to the cabinet to grab a mug for coffee but stop in front of the sink when outside catches my attention. “It snowed!”
I whirl around to face Grizz, who is grinning.
“I knew you’d be excited.”
“I am,” I say as I stare at the winter wonderland. Everything is covered in snow. The trees, the garden, the bench they put up. There has to be at least three inches out there.
“I was just about to go outside and shovel,” Tommy says, taking the last sip of his coffee and putting the mug into the sink. I bring mine to the table, and Grizz sets down a plate in front of me.
“I’ll help you,” Grizz says.
“No, it’s fine. Sit with your girl.” Tommy winks before heading into the foyer. A few moments later, the door opens and soon after the scrape of the shovel against cement can be heard loud and clear.
“Did you sleep okay?” Grizz asks.
“As good as can be.”
“Make sure you nap today.”
“I always do,” I answer with a smile.
He leans back in the chair, watching me as I eat. We chat about this and that, and he tells me he’s going to head to the club soon, once the driveway is shoveled and the roads are clear enough.
“It’s a good thing you put your bike away a few days ago,” I say as I go to the sink.
“I knew it was bound to snow soon. It usually does by now.”
As I wash my plate, I spot Tommy out by the woods, looking around like he’s lost something.
“What is he doing?” I ask.
Grizz gets up, stopping behind me to look out the window.
“No idea. But I’m going to find out,” he says seriously.
I watch Tommy as I wash my dish. Grizz leaves the room, and I spot him putting on his boots and thick thermal jacket.
He kisses me quickly before heading out the door.
Dorothea is fussing, so I head into the room to pick her up.
She needs to be changed, so I change her quickly, then go to the kitchen to see what the guys are doing through the window.
They’re both by the woods now, not far from the garden but deeper into the yard.
Tommy is talking, pointing from the woods, along the ground and toward the house.
Grizz’s face has a stern look on it, and he’s staring at where Tommy is pointing.
His head jerks up, frowning at Tommy. Then his eyes widen, and he looks back toward the house, then back at the woods.
He starts talking now, but I can’t hear anything he’s saying, not with the windows closed, and it’s too cold to open them.
I bounce Dorothea as I watch them share a few more words before turning back toward the house.
They both look mad when they walk inside, but Grizz school’s his face when he sees me standing in the kitchen, staring at them both.
“Everything okay?” I ask carefully as Tommy heads up the steps.
Grizz takes off his boots, leaving them by the door, and hangs up his coat.
“Of course.”
He comes over to us, kissing me on the head, then Dorothea.
“Why do I feel like you’re lying to me?” I ask, hating the feeling in my chest.
I feel like he’s not being truthful. It’s just a feeling, I have no proof, but I don’t like it.
He gives me a reassuring smile. “Everything is fine, Angel. Do you need anything before I go?”
I shake my head, not liking what’s going on—because something is going on, but I don’t know what it is.
When he leaves, I go back to the window and stare at the spot they were standing in but can’t figure out what they could have been talking about.
Maybe something with the garden? An animal?
Bear, maybe? I guess that could be an issue, but wouldn’t they have told me to watch out for one if that’s what it was?
Dorothea’s fuss turns into a cry, and I rock her as I make my way into the living room to nurse her.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” I say as I sit in the recliner—my favorite place to feed her. It’s the easiest place to get comfortable with her in my arms.
I turn on the TV with the remote that was left on the end table and find something to watch while Dorothea eats.
This is typically what we do throughout the day, so we’re not stuffed away in the bedroom.
I’m not worried about nursing her in front of others, and Kelsey and Tommy aren’t weird about it either. Neither is Grizz, thankfully.
“Morning,” Kelsey says when she comes downstairs, still in her flannel pajamas.
“Good morning,” I say. “You feeling okay? You’re usually up by now.”
“I don’t know,” she says, sitting on the end of the couch closest to me. “Just tired. Maybe I’m getting a cold or something.”
“Change of season will do that to you,” I say. “Make sure you rest.”
She goes into the kitchen and comes back a short time later with a mug of tea. She pulls the blanket from the back of the couch and lies down.
“What are we watching?” she asks.
“Some cooking competition show.”
Tommy comes down a short time later. “I’m going back out to shovel. You ladies need anything before I head out?”
Kelsey looks to me, and I shake my head.
“We’re good,” she tells him, reaching for her mug of tea.
She blows on it then takes a small sip before returning it to the table.
Tommy puts on his jacket, boots, gloves, and hat then goes outside.
The garage opens, then the snowblower starts up.
He’s out there for over an hour because the driveway is huge.
Wide enough to fit three cars and stretches all the way to the main road.
I’ve walked it plenty of times before it got too cold, just to get some exercise.
Dorothea falls back to sleep, so I cover myself up, shift her around to get more comfortable, and watch TV. A while later, Tommy comes in with the mail and hands me a letter.
“What’s this?” I ask as I take it.
Dorothea sighs in her sleep, her little fingers grasping at my chest.
“Not sure,” he says. “It’s illegal to open other people’s mail.” He grins, and I can’t help but laugh. He kisses Kelsey—who is also sleeping—on the head and then goes upstairs, probably to shower.
I open the mail, trying to do it quietly, but almost squeal in excitement when I see that my application for financial assistance was approved. I should receive a card in the mail soon, and the funds should be available by the time that happens.
My excitement over this isn’t just about the money, it’s about the freedom and independence of having my own money.
Grizz has told me money isn’t an issue for him, and he will get me and the baby whatever we want or need—which he has.
But it feels good knowing that I can contribute, even if it’s only a little.
The best part? Each day, I feel a little more human.