Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Presley
I step out of the tub and wrap a towel around me. Picking up a second towel I start to dry my hair and step over closer to the door listening for the sounds of Grayson making crash sounds like he normally does when he plays trucks. Only I am met with silence.
Quickly I dry off completely before slipping into my pajamas and opening the bathroom door. Finding the living room empty I look in my room and then Grayson’s at the end of the hallway. My apartment is not big, in fact it’s tiny so there aren’t many places they could be.
I notice the covers move on Grayson’s bed and step inside his room to find him asleep in his bed. Standing at the side, I stare down at his sleepy face, so relaxed and calm.
It normally takes me three books and promises of an extra goodie for the next day to get him to agree to go to sleep.
I tuck the blankets up around him. Carefully I kiss his forehead and tiptoe out of the room, pulling to door closed behind me.
Making my way back to the living room, I hear dishes clanking in the kitchen and peek around the corner. Standing at the sink with his back to me, is Zac, doing my dishes.
“What are you doing?”
“Dishes,” he says as if it’s not the strangest thing to be cleaning my plates and cups.
“Stop that.” I hurry over and try to take the plate out of his hands, but he turns his body toward me, blocking me. “Zac, I’m serious.”
My phone starts ringing in the next room and he tells me I might want to get that. All while continuing to wash and place the now clean dishes in the drain board. I have no idea what in the hell is happening but I’m too exhausted to try to figure it out.
Picking up my phone I see Grant’s name lit up on the screen and instead of answering it, I toss it onto the cushion. It bounces once, then falls to the floor and ends up under the edge of the coffee table.
“Spam?”
I tense realizing Zac has now joined me.
“No worse.” Turning, I sit down on the couch. “I’m starting to think this little person growing inside of me is an energy sucking slug.” Laying my head back I close my eyes and yawn.
Zac’s chuckle fills the air around me just before I feel the cushions give at my side.
“Seriously.” I peek at him. “I don’t remember being this tired with Grayson.”
“I don’t know if I should be offended that you just referred to our kid as a slug.”
I smile, because I’m too tired to debate this. I also know he’s only teasing me as he smiles back.
“So what’s with the surprise visit, the groceries, and insisting I needed a nap or shower?” I once again settle my head against the soft cushions. “Should I be offended that you basically told me I looked dirty and exhausted?”
“Yeah if that is what I actually said then you should have been offended. But neither of those things came out of my mouth so.” He shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re feeling, but what I do know is that the least I can do is show up with some shit you like, play with Gray while you rest or take a relaxing shower, and rub your feet if you need them rubbed.”
“You are not rubbing my—” But before I get the chance to finish my sentence, Zac is grabbing one of my feet and rubbing the soles. “Oh wow!” I mumble forgetting all about my need to be independent and pretend I am all good, by myself.
My eyes roll back, and I bite my lip to keep from moaning. His thumb is making circular motions in the center of my foot.
“Feel good?”
“No,” I say with a smile, refusing to admit that it’s better than good.
“Okay, well I will just sit here and keep giving you a shitty foot massage and you can keep hating it.” I nod, and he chuckles.
When he shifts to the top of my feet, then my ankles and eventually my calves, I do nothing to stop him. My entire body slowly relaxes, giving into the exhaustion I have.
Later and I am not even sure how long, I wake in my bed, tucked in with only the light of a night light from the hall illuminating the dark space. Laying in the darkness I feel a single tear roll down my cheek as I accept that maybe not all guys are terrible.
* * *
“Did he buy out the ice cream section?” Aurora says as she stands in front of my now opened freezer looking over the contents inside. “He did well.” She smiles, lifting up one after the other and reading over the flavors.
“So this was you?”
“Oh no, this was me telling him you have a sweet tooth, much like I do and that it has multiplied by pregnancy.” She glances back, still holding one of the small containers in her hand. “He’s been banging his head against the wall, trying to figure out how to be here for you, when you keep fighting him.”
“Because I can take care of myself,” I assure her. “I’ve been doing it for years.”
“And you don’t need to take this on all yourself.” She closes the freezer, grabbing a spoon, and sits down at the table. “Zac is an incredible guy. So maybe the two of you hooked up and it resulted in a pregnancy. I can without a doubt say one thing for certain. Zac is loyal, he’s the kind of guy that sticks. Even if there was no baby, he’s an amazing man to have in your corner. He was there for me when I needed someone the most. He held me up when all I felt like doing was crawling into a hole and disappearing.”
Aurora found herself in some dark times after Luna’s crazy stalker caught them all off guard.
“Let him be here, because yes you can do it on your own, but you shouldn’t have to.”