Chapter 23 - Cole
Iwalked into the house almost three hours later, both physically and mentally drained and ready for a nap for the ages.
Emergencies like that always took such a toll on me; trying to save a building from the ruthless grasp of fire.
Especially when there were lives at stake.
People’s history or their livelihoods. It could be devastating and so taxing knowing it was all up to me and my teammates to save it all.
The first one to notice my arrival was none other than Honeybee, who came rushing down the stairs to greet me and beg for head scratches. I had no choice but to oblige.
“Have you been a good girl, Honeybee? Have you been good to Samir—” I cooed and stopped as things clicked in my head despite the fuzziness from exhaustion. “Oh, shit. The guys left you home. And Samir is here.”
I took the steps two at a time, Honeybee chasing after me thinking it was a game, and I saw him when I reached the top.
My heart stopped, my stomach dropped, and terror washed over me.
He was laying still on the couch while Ella slept with her head on the cushion on the other side. I approached Samir and bit my lip as I shook him.
“Samir?” I whispered, and when he didn’t react, I raised my voice.
Nothing.
“Fuck!” I cursed, and Honeybee climbed on Samir’s lap before I could stop her. “Honeybee, no! Off.”
She obeyed and returned to the floor, laying down on the rug, and looked up with her huge eyes and a hint of a sniffle. The poor thing thought she’d done something bad.
For all I knew, she had.
Samir was allergic to dogs. And I’d sent him right into the hornet’s nest.
Something stirred beside me, and I jumped.
“Oh my God, you’re alive,” I gasped when I saw Samir sit up.
He yawned and rubbed his eyes before he looked at me.
“Is that surprising?” he asked.
I sat down next to him and held his hands, relief making me deflate.
“I thought maybe you went into anaphylactic shock,” I said and glanced at Honeybee.
Samir’s jaw dropped but he closed it back up again, squeezing my hands back and smiling.
“Oh no, silly. I’m so sorry I scared you. I just fell asleep. Your dog didn’t kill me.”
“But you’re allergic.”
He laughed.
“Yes, to their saliva. And even then, the worst that happens is I get hives all over my body. I don’t drop dead on sight. At least, not so far.”
“Well, that’s good.” I put my hand to my chest and sighed with a chuckle.
Samir looked around him then bent over and picked something up from the floor. His phone.
“Oh wow. It’s been a while. Are you okay?” He inspected my face, and I instinctively touched my cheek. There was soot in my fingers when I removed my hand.
“Ah. Yeah. I-I’m fine. There was a big fire we had to deal with.”
Samir gasped.
“Is everyone okay?”
I nodded.
“Everyone is fine. We managed to put it out, but we still had to inspect everything and file reports and stuff. I’m sorry I left you alone with Ella for so long.”
Samir pulled my hand back to him and he covered it with both of his.
“Don’t be silly. We were fine. We got on like a house on fire.”
I smiled.
“And I even got on with your dog. Though I did have to raid your medicine cabinet for some antihistamines because she wouldn’t stop licking me.”
I frowned and glanced at Honeybee.
“Really? She rarely licks me.”
“She must like the taste of my skin then. Or she was actually trying to kill me with affection.”
I laughed. Samir laughed too.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t even think to warn you.”
He shook his head.
“Don’t worry. We figured it all out in the end. Didn’t we?” he said and reached for Honeybee who tried to boop his hand and lick it, but he was quick and pulled back before she did.
“Sneaky little devil.” He chuckled, then turned to me. “You must be starving. Do you want to go have a shower, and I’ll get your food ready?”
“Food? What food?” I raised an eyebrow. “There was no food when I left this morning.”
Samir smirked.
“There is now.”
I bit my lip and tried to contain my smile, but I didn’t think it was possible.
Gosh, this man. How could I ever doubt him? He had looked after my daughter and dog, he’d cooked for me and was always there ready to help out in any way he could, like he’d done at the Grill. How could I have ever thought he wasn’t right for me?
I hated to admit it, but he fit into my life like the missing, but crucial, piece of an intricate puzzle.
Was it possible he wanted to be part of this puzzle that was my life?
I knew he’d said he felt the same way I did, that he wanted to date me despite how scary it was that we felt so strongly so quickly, but still, this was something else.
Something more. Did he really want to sign up to be not just part of my life, but part of Ella’s too?
“Go on. Get.” He patted my knee, and I did as told.
I retreated to my bedroom, stripped off my clothes, and jumped in the shower where I could wash away my worries and fears along with the ash and soot. When I came back out, I felt refreshed. Tired but refreshed.
As soon as I walked into the kitchen, there was a hot plate of risotto and hot coffee waiting for me on the kitchen island, and Ella was in Samir’s arms.
“Hi, sweetie—” I started but she just leaned against his shoulder and slept again, completely ignoring my presence and my greeting.
“Should I put her in her bed? Do you have a monitor so we know when she wakes?” he whispered.
I nodded.
“It’s clipped on her bed so I don’t forget to take it with me when I put her down,” I whispered back, and he walked off to my bedroom as if he’d done it a hundred times before. As if it were part of his routine.
He returned with the monitor and a happy smile.
“She’s so sweet. She wanted to wait for you, so we were watching TV and played with her toys a little. She nodded off a little before you came back. And so did I, apparently.”
I smiled.
“Did she wipe you out?”
“No.” He laughed. “I think the warmth of the house and Honeybee’s body inspired me to nap.”
“This is delicious, by the way. You didn’t need to go through the trouble.”
He waved me off.
“No trouble. I was hungry and so was Ella, so it made sense.”
Gosh, this guy.
“You must be desperate to get back to work,” I said. “If you want to go, I’ve got it here.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
I dropped my fork and grabbed his hand.
“No! Of course not. I want you to stay. But don’t feel like you have to. I know you have a store to look after.”
“I want to stay too,” he said. “If you want me.”
I nodded, and he gave me a fleeting kiss on the lips, then got up to pour himself some coffee.
I inhaled the risotto in the meantime, and by the time I was done, I was so heavy I could barely keep my eyes open.
“I think I need a nap.” I yawned.
“Of course. I’ll leave you to it—” He started to get up, but I reached for him and took his wrist in my hand.
“You… you can join me if you want,” I said.
He paused and stared at me for a moment, and I waited with bated breath for his reply.
“I… s-sure,” he mumbled.
I smiled and pulled him into my arms for another kiss before I led us to my bedroom, and we got into the bed.
Of course we kept our clothes on. This hadn’t been an invite for sex. After all, Ella’s bed was in the room, and that was never going to happen with her sleeping a couple feet away. Not that, if she hadn’t been there, I was ready for that.
I knew we’d have to tackle that part of the equation eventually, but I wasn’t ready for it. I didn’t know if I would be ready any time soon. I mean, I barely even jerked off anymore. Having sex with someone else wasn’t something on my mind at the moment.
I just hoped Samir was okay with waiting.
I rearranged my pillow and looked at him. He was so beautiful lying in my bed. So stunning. He fit in there like he had into the rest of my life. And I didn’t think I’d mind waking up to that view every morning.
We stayed like that for minutes, hours, God knew how long.
Maybe it was weird. Maybe it wasn’t. I had no clue, but it was precious to me.
Because it told me we didn’t need words or awkward small talk to be comfortable with each other.
We could just exist in each other’s company in utter silence, utter stillness, and still feel connected.
I didn’t know what I’d been scared of all this time. Why I thought my feelings for him were wrong or bad. There was nothing bad about feeling like that for someone else, especially for someone like Samir. He made everything that should be hard, easy.
Maybe I would have felt like that if I’d dated anyone else, yet somehow, I doubted that. Samir was special. I could feel it in my bones. Maybe special enough to fall in love again. Maybe special enough to build a life. Maybe special enough to grow old with.
Maybe…