Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Eugene checked his phone for the fifteenth time.
Nothing.
He didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t like Natalie owed him a text to let him know how her kid was. Christopher wasn’t his, and he had no right to know. But still, he was worried. What if something had gone wrong? What if Christopher’s injuries were worse? He hadn’t texted or called because he hadn’t wanted to bother her, but it was now Sunday afternoon, and he couldn’t wait any longer.
“Fuck it,” he finally said. “I’m texting.”
How’s Christopher?
He kept it short so she wouldn’t have to read any worry in his text.
Surprisingly, she called. He punched the button.
“Hey. I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
“It’s okay. Your kid was hurt and that’s priority. Is he all right?”
“He’s fine. Stitches in his chin and he has a scratched-up face, but otherwise, he’s fine. They did a CT of his head and that was clear.”
Eugene’s heart stopped pounding. “That’s such a relief. I’m so glad.”
“Thanks. I’m so sorry about bailing on you abruptly last night. I owe you lobster pasta.”
“Hey. It’s your kid, Natalie. Your kids will always come first.”
“Thank you for being so understanding.” She paused, then asked, “Would you like to come over? It’s just Christopher and me. Cammie is still with her dad until later tonight.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m sure you and Christopher want to be alone.”
She laughed. “He’s already bored and definitely tired of me hovering over him. He could use a distraction.”
“I’d really like to see him. I was worried about him all last night.”
“Yeah, I should have texted you, but the whole night was so overwhelming.”
“Hey, Natalie. I understand. It’s really okay.” He could tell how much this had affected her. “Want me to pick anything up for you and Christopher?”
“No, but thanks. We’re good.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
They hung up and he made the drive over to Natalie’s house. Despite her saying she didn’t need anything, there was no way he’d show up without something for Christopher. He stopped at the store and picked up a cool-looking truck that had flashing lights and spun on its wheels. Hopefully Christopher would like it.
When he got to the house, he grabbed the bag and rang the doorbell.
Natalie answered, smiling. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.”
She led him inside. Christopher was on the sofa watching a kids’ show on TV. When he saw Eugene, he grinned.
“Hi, buddy,” Eugene said.
“Guess what? I fell down and hurt myself and now I got stitches.” Christopher stuck his chin out for Eugene to see.
Eugene took a seat next to Christopher and inspected his chin. He had a bandage covering the stitches, but his face bore several scratches “Whoa. You’re a mess. You look cool.”
“I know!”
“How many stitches?”
“Uh…” He looked at Natalie. “How many, Momma?”
“Seven.”
“Wow. You’re so tough. And, you’ll have a really awesome scar. I can’t wait to see it.”
“Me, too.” He looked down at the bag in his hand. “What’s that?”
“Well. When I heard you got hurt, I bought you a present.”
His eyes widened. “You did?”
“Yeah. I thought this might help you feel better.” He handed the bag to Christopher. He opened it and had the happiest look on his face. Eugene was glad he’d chosen right.
“Wow. Momma, look.”
“I see that. It’s very nice.”
Eugene helped him get the car set up, and showed him how to use the remote to move the car and make the wheels spin.
“This is so cool.”
“What do you say, Christopher?” Natalie asked.
“Thanks, Eugene.” He was already halfway down the hall.
Eugene laughed as he watched Christopher disappear around the corner, wheels screaming, colors flying.
“Thanks for getting my kid a loud, annoying gift.”
He moved close to her. “You’re very welcome.”
“Hey, I’m really sorry about bailing so fast last night. I never even gave you dinner. Or, anything else.”
He turned to face her. “You’re a mom, Natalie. Emergencies are gonna come up. I’m just glad Christopher is okay.”
“I’m shocked you’re so understanding.”
He frowned. “Really? Why? I come from a family of three boys. One of us was always in an urgent care or ER. It’s the price of growing up.”
“I guess. Maybe I’ll get lucky and Camryn won’t end up in an emergency room.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Hey, don’t count out girls. They can play rough, too.”
“Oh, thanks. That gives me so much to look forward to.”
Christopher came down the hall, his remote-control car running ahead of him. “Hey, Eugene. Come play with me.”
Eugene grinned. “Coming, buddy.” He turned to Natalie. “If you’ll excuse me, my friend wants me to play with him.”
She shook her head. “Fine. I’ll make us a glass of iced tea.”
He played with Christopher for about an hour. He liked the truck, then they played Legos for a while until Christopher started yawning. Eugene asked if they could read for a while, so Christopher picked out a few books. They sat on the floor, leaning against the bean bag chairs while Eugene read to him. Christopher sat next to him and laid his head against his chest, making Eugene’s heart squeeze as they read story after story, until he felt Christopher go lax against him. He looked down and saw he was asleep.
It was just then that Natalie came in. The way she looked at him was indescribable. Kind of a combination of awe and…hell, he didn’t know. It was some kind of sweet, maternal look, he supposed, and he was probably mistaking her looking at him. She was probably giving that warm look to her kid.
“Can you pick him up and put him in his bed?” she asked.
“Sure.” He laid the book aside and pulled Christopher into his arms, got up, and laid him in his bed. Natalie turned off the light and they left the room.
“He still naps?” Eugene asked as they made their way into the kitchen.
“Not really, but sometimes he just needs quiet time or he gets overwhelmed and overtired. He’s pretty much go, go, go from the time he gets up until he goes to bed, so a little downtime lets him recharge. If he falls asleep, great. If he doesn’t, that’s fine, too.”
She handed him a glass of iced tea, poured one for herself, too.
Eugene took a long swallow. “He’s a pretty awesome kid, Natalie.”
“Thanks. I think so, too. I was thinking of making a very elegant dinner of hot dogs, applesauce, and chips. Maybe some fruit. Are you interested?”
He arched a brow. “Interested? It’s my favorite food.”
She laughed. “Sure it is.”
“Seems kind of complicated, though. Anything I can do to help?”
“If you can handle the grill, I’ll open the applesauce and bag of chips. When everything’s ready I’ll wake up Christopher, because if he sleeps too long I’ll never get him to bed at a reasonable hour tonight.”
He nodded. “I’m on the grill.”
Eugene had expected a short visit, just to say hi and drop off the gift for Christopher. What he hadn’t expected was lively chatter, the kid’s exuberant laughter, and to have so much fun.
They ate food, then Christopher played with his new toy around the pool. He decided he wanted to go swimming, which Natalie said wasn’t allowed until after his stitches came out, so Eugene suggested they dip their legs in the pool instead. He found a couple of sticks, and they pretended to be fishing. Of course Christopher knew nothing about fishing, so Eugene explained how it would be when they went fishing for real, but for tonight, they’d have to pretend to catch the toys floating at the top of the pool. Christopher giggled and listened to Eugene talk about all the types of fish they were going to catch. Even Natalie seemed enthralled listening to Eugene tell stories of deep-sea fishing, though when he suggested a fishing trip, she shook her head violently and made it clear she had no intention of getting on a boat and going fishing. Ever.
That had seemed rather definite.
Eventually Christopher began to yawn, so Natalie dried him off and got his pajamas on. They all sat in the living room to watch a movie. Christopher fell asleep after thirty minutes.
“Should I put him in bed for you?” Eugene stood.
“No, I’ve got him. I’ll leave him on the sofa for a bit to make sure he’s fully asleep.”
“Okay. I’m going to head out.”
They both headed for the door. Natalie turned to face him, and that familiar tension that always seemed to surround them curled through his body.
“Thanks for staying,” she said, taking a step forward.
He knew if he kissed her, if he pulled her into his arms, he’d want more. And that wasn’t going to happen tonight.
So instead, he brushed her cheek with a kiss. “I had fun. Thanks for letting me hang out. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She smiled. “Sure.”
She closed the door, and he headed out to his truck. A car was pulling up as soon as he got to the driveway, giving him pause. He recognized Sean, Natalie’s ex, so after he got out Eugene waited, wanting to make sure Natalie was going to be okay. Then he saw a little girl climb out of the back seat and he grinned.
“Hi, Eugene,” Cammie said.
“Hey, Cammie. How’s it going?”
“Good. Did you know my brother got stitches?”
“I did. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Yeah. I haven’t gotten stitches yet.”
“Good for you. You’re too pretty for stitches.”
She laughed. “I’m gonna go see Mommy. Bye, Eugene.”
“Bye, Cammie.”
Sean said, “I’ll be right there, honey.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
He went over and held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Eugene Kennedy, a friend of Natalie’s. We met a couple of weeks ago at Christopher’s birthday party.”
Sean gave him the once-over. “Right. So you’re dating my wife?”
So that’s how this was going to go. “You know, I don’t think that’s any of your business. Anyway, nice to see you again, Sean.”
He walked away, not wanting to get into an altercation with Natalie’s ex-husband. Eugene pulled out of the driveway, lingering as he watched Sean go to the door, deciding to wait it out in case something went sideways. Natalie and Sean talked for a few minutes, and it was clear Sean wasn’t happy, but Natalie stood her ground. Finally, Sean went back toward his car and got in, started it up, and backed down the driveway, so Eugene drove off.
Well, that was awkward, but probably couldn’t be helped.
He just hoped Natalie was okay with it. The last thing he wanted to do was add more stress to her life, especially now, when things between them were just starting to get good.
He’d call her tomorrow to check on Christopher and see how she felt about everything.