10. Beck
BECK
“Ava,” I called from the kitchen. “Come on! We need to go!”
I slipped my tumbler of coffee into my bag and fumbled for my keys. Our mornings were always a scramble, but this one felt especially chaotic. When I didn’t hear her coming down the hall, I sighed and went to find her. “Ava, what are you doing?”
When I got to her bedroom, I found her sitting on the floor, stuffing her toys into her backpack. Her brows were furrowed as she tried to decide between her stuffed giraffe and the battered plastic dinosaur, and it was like a losing battle. “Ava.”
“I’m coming.”
“You can’t take them all.”
“But Momma...” She looked up at me with those big, brown eyes and pouted. “I need them.”
“You already have plenty,” I said, crouching down beside her. “And you have tons of toys at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”
“But not these.”
“Okay, then, pick one more and let’s go.”
She clutched her giraffe to her chest. “But they will miss me.”
“Yes, I’m sure they will, but they’ll be okay for one day.” I bit back my smile and tried to stay firm as I told her, “Besides, you won’t have time for all these toys. You’ll be busy playing with Grandma.”
Her little face scrunched up as she thought about it.
Then, reluctantly, she started putting some of the toys back in her toy box. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Great, now let’s grab your coat and get in the car.”
Ava zipped up her backpack and dragged it behind her as we rushed down the hall to the kitchen. I helped her put on her coat, and after I grabbed my bag, we rushed out the door. I put Ava in her car seat, and as I closed her door, I found myself glancing over at Thomas’s house.
My mind immediately drifted to the night we’d shared together. My cheeks warmed at the memory of his touch and how he kissed me like he had all the time in the world. He was rough and tender all at once.
I smiled when I thought back to the low rumble of his laugh as we whispered in the dark, and the way he whispered my name made me feel like I really meant something to him—just like he meant something to me.
I had no idea where things would go from here, but the thought of seeing him again left me with a big smile on my face.
I drove Ava to my parents’ place, and I’d barely parked before Dad rushed out the front door and made a beeline for her side of the car. I got out and watched as he unbuckled her from her seat and lifted her into his arms, settling her on his hip.
Like his one and only daughter wasn’t standing right in front of him, he looked down at Ava with a big smile and said, “Hey there, squirt. You ready for some bacon and eggs?”
“Um-hmm,” Ava nodded excitedly.
“I thought so. Let’s go grab you a plate before Grandma eats them all.”
“Good morning, Dad,” I grumbled. “Nice to see you, too.”
“Morning, kiddo.” He started towards the house. “We’ve got our girl covered. Have a good day at work.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
I shook my head as I got back in the car and started out of the drive. I was about to pull out onto the road when Mom stepped out the front door and waved at me.
“Have a great day, sweetheart,” she called out as I smiled and waved back, then continued my drive to the hospital. As soon as I got there, I parked and headed upstairs. It was my second week there, and I’d had more training than I would ever need, but I was still feeling a little out of place.
I didn’t know many people, and I was struggling to figure out my way around. Thankfully, it was a busy Monday, and nobody seemed to notice that I had no clue where I was going. I just kept walking down one hall after the next, hoping that I’d eventually figure it all out.
I didn’t mind that I was lost. It gave me a chance to daydream about my night with Thomas.
It was everything I’d hoped it would be and more.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so alive and excited for what was to come.
It was that feeling that had me smiling ear to ear as I made my way down the hall.
I’d finally found my station and was on my way to see my first patient when Gloria, one of the nurses, said, “Good morning, Rebecca.”
“Good morning, Gloria.”
She had a warm smile and quick wit, and she had an uncanny ability to read people better than anyone I’d ever met. So, I wasn’t surprised when she said, “You seem to be in a mighty good mood this morning.”
“I guess.”
“Um-hmm.” Her lips curled into a mischievous smirk. “Spill it. Who’s the fella that put that smile on your face?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” She cocked her brow. “You’re walking around here like you have a secret.”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing like that.” Heat crept up my cheeks as I started shuffling through the papers on my clipboard. “I’m just having a good morning.”
“Um-hmm.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “You’re not fooling me. Some fella has done put that smile on your face.”
I tried to play it cool, but my growing smile was betraying me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Honey, you might be new here, but I’ve been around long enough to recognize that look.” Her laughter echoed softly. “You’re smitten and smitten bad.”
“Maybe a little.”
“I thought so.” She smiled. “Alright, now. You can go on and do your thing. But don’t think this conversation is over.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I continued down the hall.
I tended to my patient and took the necessary scans, and in a blink, I had seen six more and was about to go on my lunch break.
I’d just made it to my office when my cell phone chimed with a text.
I took it from my scrub’s pocket and smiled when I looked down at the screen and saw it was a message from Thomas.
Thomas:
Hey.
How’s it going?
Me:
Not too bad. Just a busy Monday.
But I’m officially on my lunch break, so halfway over.
How about you?
Thomas:
Definitely a Monday.
Getting ready for our run mid-week, and nothing is going as
planned.
Me:
That doesn’t sound good.
Thomas:
It’s all good. We’ll get it. We always do.
You and Ava wanna have dinner with me over at Rooster’s place?
Maggie is making dinner and bought hot cocoa and the Polar Express for the kids.
Me:
That sounds great.
Thomas:
Good deal.
I’ll pick you up at six.
Me:
Great. See you then.
Hey-
Thomas:
Yeah?
Me:
I really enjoyed last night.
Thomas:
That’s good cause there’s more to come.
Lots more.
Me:
Looking forward to it.
That night, Thomas picked Ava and me up, and we all spent a wonderful night together.
And over the next couple of weeks, Thomas and I spent more nights together than we did apart.
Thomas took me to the clubhouse, where we enjoyed the company of the brothers and several of their old ladies.
I had such a great time being back with everyone.
Even more so, I loved watching Thomas in his element. I loved seeing him laughing and having a good time with his brothers, but most of all, I loved how he made me feel like I was the most important person in the room.
It was always like that when we were together.
When we went sledding with Rooster and Maggie’s kids, he helped Ava down the hill time and time again, but it was me that he doted on and kissed when no one was watching.
He raced Rooster down the hill more times than I could count, but his eyes always found their way back to me.
And when we took Ava to the movies, he bought her popcorn and treats, but it was my hand that he held in his lap. He took such good care of Ava, making sure that she was comfortable and having a good time, and she loved every minute of it. That meant more to me than anything else.
I had no idea what the future held for us, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like I had something worth holding onto.
Christmas was just a few days away, and things couldn’t have been better.
I was starting to get the hang of things at work, and Ava and I were settling into our new routines with Thomas and the club.
And one of those routines was our morning goodbyes with Thomas.
I had just gathered my things when there was a familiar tap on the front door.
It eased open, and Thomas appeared with a coffee for me in one hand and a Santa cookie for Ava in the other. “You’re going to have to stop spoiling us like this.”
“Not gonna happen.” He would slip in once Ava was in bed and slip out long before she got up, but he always returned with coffee and a special treat for Ava. He walked over and gave me a quick kiss. “I like spoiling my girls.”
I loved it when he called us his girls. There was something about it that warmed my heart and made me want to wrap myself in his arms. I smiled as I told him, “Well, we like you spoiling us, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”
“I don’t do things I don’t want to do, babe.”
“Point taken.” I took a sip of my coffee before asking, “So, the run’s still on for today, right?”
“Yeah, we’ll be heading out in a bit.”
“And you’ll be back tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, we should be back at the clubhouse around six... seven at the latest, so I should be back here no later than eight.”
“Great. I’ll fix us dinner. What would you like?”
“How ‘bout some chili or some of that chicken spaghetti you made a couple of weeks ago.”
“Sure, I can do that.” I slipped my arms around his neck and eased up on my tiptoes, kissing him briefly before saying, “Please be careful.”
“Always.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me soft and tender. There was something about his touch that had me aching for more, and that ache only grew stronger when he removed his mouth from mine and said, “I’ve gotta get going. I’ll text when I can.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Count on it.”
Thomas helped me get Ava to the car, and then we were all on our way. I dropped off Ava with my folks, then headed to work. I hadn’t been there long when I got a text from Mia asking if I’d like to go last-minute Christmas shopping with her and Londyn.