Chapter 16
16
Lenore stood on her back patio, watching Evie sing at the top of her lungs as she kicked her legs joyfully in her swing. The swing set, a fixture in the yard when she'd bought the house, had been thoroughly inspected for safety and sturdiness by a local handyman.
After having a detailed tour of her home's new security features with Dalton, Todd, and Sisco—including visible cameras, hidden cameras, window and door alarms, a panic button, cameras on the outside that covered the entire property, and having learned the new security alarm code—she felt a sense of relief. With these measures in place, she was finally ready to let her mind drift away to something less stressful. Watching Evie on her swing set was the perfect activity, and she reveled in the beauty of her daughter enjoying the evening.
“Your house is really nice.”
She turned and smiled as Sisco stepped out of the back door and stood beside her. His hands held two glasses of lemonade. She'd offered him a drink, but he insisted he get them while she checked on Evie. Taking one of the glasses, she inclined her head to the chairs. Once settled, she said, “Thank you. About the house. Well, and for getting the lemonades.”
He chuckled, and hearing the deep laughter that was becoming so familiar, she couldn't help but smile at him.
“You're welcome… for it all. But your house is a real home… an extension of you and Evie.”
“We like it.”
“Did you have it before… um…”
“Before the divorce?” she clarified. Shaking her head, she replied, “No. This is one hundred percent me and Evie. William never had a stamp on this place.”
“It's none of my business, but I couldn't help but notice there aren't pictures of him around. Is he not part of Evie’s life at all? Does he even pay child support?”
From anyone else she'd only met a few days ago, his questions would've felt intrusive. But now, she was talking about her past to someone who truly cared. “Yes, he is very dutiful when it comes to child support. When we divorced, we sold the home and divided the proceeds in half. With that money, I was able to make a substantial down payment on this house. My mortgage payments and regular bills are easily handled with the money I make as a teacher. We were on his insurance, but now we're on the insurance through my school system, which is surprisingly good. His child support is great for helping me with medical co-pay expenses and putting some aside for Evie's future. A framed picture of William, me, and Evie when she was about two years old is on her nightstand. It's important to me that Evie knows who her father is and that he provides for us financially. You probably didn't see the picture because it's generally covered in stuffies.”
He laughed again, and she reveled in the sound that warmed her straight to her bones. “You have a nice laugh.”
His brow rose, and his smile beamed toward her. She never thought she'd be attracted to a man with tattoos, a short military haircut, and a thick beard. But she was drawn in from the moment she locked eyes with Sisco. With that look, his eyes conveyed more than William had been able to tell her in words over all the years they'd been married.
Maybe because eyes don't lie. Her grandmother used to say that when Lenore navigated friendship woes in middle school. Her grandmother would always tell her to look into someone's eyes when she spoke to them, and she could tell if they were trustworthy. She certainly found it true over the years, and with Sisco, she believed everything she saw in his eyes.
“I'd like to say that I was surprised by William's inability to remain steadfast in a difficult situation. I suppose, at first, I was. But then I realized that things had always come easy for him. Whether it was college, which he always described as easy, or his job, which he said wasn’t challenging, but because he was so good at it, it was rewarding. And I'd like to think I wasn't a difficult wife to get along with. So, in truth, William has never faced a difficult situation. I have no idea how he would've done as a father of a healthy child because, let's be honest, any child can make you feel as though you're completely out of control most of the time. But…” She shrugged. “We'll never know. Because we had Evie, who's perfect the way she is, but with her medical issues, he had no idea how to handle things when life got tough.”
Shaking her head, she scoffed. “I can't believe how much I tell you, Sisco. It's not that I'm a closed book, but I've never given so much personal information to a stranger?—”
“Hey, I'm no stranger!”
Seeing his indignant expression, she laughed. “That's true, but we’ve only known each other for two days.” Her brow furrowed, and she searched his face. “Or maybe it's only been a day and a half! I have no idea right now!”
“I don't think it matters how long we've known each other.”
She held his gaze, feeling the intensity of his eyes, seeing straight into her soul. Nodding slowly, she agreed. “You're right. I knew William for a couple of years before we had Evie, and she was two when she was diagnosed with cancer. After all that time, he disappointed me on the most basic level.”
“The level that says a man… a real man, takes care of what has been gifted to him.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “You said gifted. I always thought a more alpha man considered protecting what is his , implying ownership.”
He laughed again and shook his head. “My sister reads romance, so I know what you're talking about.” He sighed, looking out over the yard, his gaze resting on Evie as she continued to swing and sing. “My dad was a fierce protector of my mom and sisters… and us boys, now that I think about it. But he firmly believed that a man's duty was to protect his family, and he taught my brothers and me that we needed to look after the women in our family. Not because they belonged to us but just because we had been gifted with them in our lives.”
Sisco turned and pinned her with his gaze again, and she suddenly found the air difficult to pull into her lungs.
“We may have only just met, Lenore, but I'd lay down my life for you and Evie.”
The air now rushed in as she sucked in a sob. Clamping her hand over her mouth, she swallowed painfully several times to avoid bursting into tears.
“Come here,” he said, reaching over to tug on her hand.
Despite her reticence, she stood and allowed him to guide her to sit on the lounger between his legs with her back pressed to his front. His arms encircled her, and while the scene could have been awkward, she felt her body relax from her neck to her toes. They sat in silence, watching Evie until she finally tired of swinging and raced over to the patio. Lenore started to shift out of Sisco's arms, but Evie just sat between her legs, so the three of them were tucked together on the lounge chair.
“We fit like pieces of a puzzle,” Evie chirped.
Lenore sucked in a breath and then felt Sisco’s chest move as he inhaled sharply, too. She had no idea how he might feel about Evie's declaration, but for herself, she had to agree with her daughter. They simply fit.
Just when Lenore was afraid the moment might become weird, Evie hopped up and declared, “I’m hungry!”
“Go in and wash your hands. I'll be right in to fix tacos.”
“Yay, I love tacos. Can Sisco eat with us?”
“If he wants to and has the time.”
“I wouldn't miss tacos with the two most beautiful women I know.” He helped Lenore stand, then swung Evie into his arms and carried her inside, setting her down so she could wash in the bathroom.
He turned to Lenore. “I'm a world-class taco fixer. Put me to work.”
She walked to the refrigerator and began taking out the ingredients. As she placed them on the counter, she looked over her shoulder. “World-class, huh?”
“Well, I don't have any awards or medals for tacos to show you as proof, but my little sister used to proclaim me as taco king.”
She walked closer, leaning her head back to hold his gaze. Stopping just in front of him, she grinned. “Taco king. I like knowing I have the world-class taco king in my house.”
He bent and kissed her lightly. “This king will be here any time you want for as long as you want.”
As he leaned back, her lips still tingled from the simple kiss. Before she had to think of an appropriate reply… or an inappropriate one, Evie came barreling into the room.
“Taco king! Yay! Can I be the taco princess?”
“Baby,” he said, swinging her onto a barstool next to the counter where the packages of cheese, already chopped tomatoes, and lettuce were sitting. “You can be a princess any time you want.”
Evie giggled and began expertly filling the little bowls with the taco mixings while Sisco heated and seasoned the ground beef in one pan and the chicken in the other. The conversation during dinner flowed easily, but Evie began to yawn by the time they'd had ice cream and leftover pie for dessert.
“All right, you need a bath and then hit the bed, Evie girl,” Lenore said, standing to gather the plates.
Sisco reached over to take the dishes from her. “If you'd like, I can clean the kitchen while you take care of her bath. Then we can hang out more.”
She stared for a second, surprised at his offer but excited that he might want to spend more time with her.
Her silence must have given him the wrong impression as he offered a little smile. “I'm sure you're exhausted, so let me clean up here, and then I'll say goodbye and get out of your hair.”
Shaking her head quickly, she rushed, “No. No, please stay. I'd love for you to stay.” Looking down the hall where Evie disappeared, she sighed. “Although bath time will go quickly since she's so tired, her bedtime routine with at least two stories might be longer than you want to wait.”
“I'll gladly wait as long as it takes.”
As they stood by the kitchen table, their gazes held. “What is it about the way you look at me?” she wondered aloud, then blushed at her admission.
“I don't know, but I feel the same way.”
“Mommy!”
Lenore jumped and then laughed. “Okay, Taco King. I will gratefully turn the kitchen over to you for cleanup while I deal with the princess.”
His laughter followed her as she hurried to help Evie with her bath time, and the sound wrapped around her once more. I could get used to this.