16. Chapter 16
At the crack of dawn, I am up and ready to go to Carlee. Suddenly, I’m seeing a whole life I never knew I needed. I go right to the dining room and eat. Then I wait in the lobby ready for when Noah gets here. Even though I suspect that seven-thirty a.m. is probably a little too early to go to Carlee, I”m ready anyway. I don’t want to waste any time. When Noah walks into the lobby at eight thirty, he does a double take when he sees me, but then acknowledges me with a smile.
We will leave here at nine. I want to make sure her niece is at school before you show up. I also got you this phone. It”s part of the plan for your recovery here, and it will make communication easier. It”s up to her to give you her number, but mine, Easton”s, and your doctor’s numbers are already programmed in, he says, handing me the phone.
Right away, I know this phone will be a godsend. I”m excited that I’ll be able text Carlee whenever I want. Having a way to contact her when she isn”t here to make sure things are okay, will be a big relief.
Thank you.I tell him as he nods and goes off to check on things or whatever else he does.
At nine o”clock on the dot, he is back in the lobby.
Ready? he asks.
Nodding, I follow him out to his car.
Even though the drive is short, it seems to go on forever because every minute away from her is torture.
Once we pull into her driveway, Noah turns to me again.
I”ll wait and make sure she lets you in. Then I”m going to get back to Oakside. Text me when you are ready to leave and I will come get you. No matter how long you stay here today,at night you have to come back to Oakside. It’s our policy, he says.
All I can do is nod my head and stare at the front door. Until now, that she might not want me here didn”t even cross my mind. But I’m here for her now and I’m not going anywhere. So I get out of the car, walk up to the front door and knock. A moment later, Carlee answers. She is in black cotton shorts and a t-shirt, with her hair pulled up in a messy bun. Though she doesn’t have on any makeup, and she has bags under her eyes, she”s never looked more beautiful. When she sees me, her eyes go wide in surprise. I know then she had no idea I was coming. I would have thought Noah or Lexi would have told her.
Noah told me what happened. If I had known, I would have been here sooner. But I’m here now.
She shakes her head but doesn”t say anything.
Why didn”t you tell me?I ask her.
Opening the door, she points to the couch. Before I sit, I give a nod to Noah who starts backing out of the driveway. Then I sit on the couch and wait for her to join me. But she doesn”t sit next to me, instead she takes the chair by the couch. In more ways than one, I hate the distance between us.
If anything were to happen to them, my sister and brother-in-law named me to take care of Liz. Of course, I didn”t even have to think about it. Though in my wildest dreams, I never thought it would happen. There is no question that I will raise her and care for her. But you said you never wanted kids and I”m now an instant family. I figured you wouldn”t want any part of all this.
She starts rambling and only stops when I pick her up and place her on the couch with me.
I never said that I don”t want kids. Just that I hadn”t ever considered it. But when I learned you couldn”t have kids, I didn’t give it much more thought. When I talked with Noah last night and he told me about your niece, for the first time I really thought about it, I say, waiting to see her reaction.
What did you come up with?
Well, I saw you and me on the porch of that house you painted. Liz is there playing with a dog, as we all watch a storm roll in. The idea of a family with you is something I never knew I wanted, but now I want it with everything in me.
Hoping I’m not scaring her off by coming on too strong, yet I also don”t want her to doubt where I stand either.
She doesn”t say anything, so I keep going.
I want what I pictured and I want us, all of us, more than anything. Even though you should be with someone your own age, there is no way in hell I can let you go to find someone else. The thought of another man touching you makes me want to kill.
Her beautiful eyes go wide, then she smiles and kisses me. I soak her in. The feel of having her lips on me for the first time in a week soothes my soul and calms me in a way I never knew was possible.
You aren”t too old for me. You are perfect because you are mine. She kisses me again, stroking my face with her fingers.
While I want nothing more than to sink into her and love on every inch of her body, I know that isn”t what she needs right now. Her next words confirm my thinking.
I want to stay here and kiss you all day, but I have to clean up and get dinner going. While Liz is at school, I have to do my painting. Oh, and the laundry.Then she starts listing things.
Grabbing her hands, I stop her and wait until her eyes meet mine.
Baby, you need to rest. Go take a nap or a long hot bath. I can start laundry and do some cleaning. I can even start dinner because yes, I”m actually a decent cook. Let me take care of you please,I plead.
She smiles at me. A nap sounds great and maybe a shower after.
Standing her up, I point down the hallway.
Go get some rest and let me worry about this.
She nods, kisses my check and leaves me to my tasks. I look around and decide to start the laundry first. Once that is going, I head back to the living room and straighten things up. It”s just messy and obviously a young kid lives here.
Next is the kitchen. After I get a load of dishes going, I check to see what she has food wise. Pulling out stuff for dinner, I put it in the slow cooker so it will be ready. Then I make a game plan for lunch because Carlee will need to eat when she gets up.
After switching out the laundry, I start another load. Seeing that there are towels in the dryer, I fold them and put them away. Then I sit down for a minute and look around. I need to give some thought to my future. Right now, I don”t know what my life after the military is going to look like. I don”t know what I”m going to do. But I know without a shadow of a doubt, it involves the people in this house and the woman sleeping down the hall.