Chapter Eleven
Nick
I take Aurora and Leah home from the hospital in the car I rented at the airport.
I know it’s too much to hope my little chatterbox will fall back asleep so her mother and I can have a serious conversation.
Instead, we talk about Leah’s adventures at the hospital, her sore throat, and the fact that her arm still hurts from the IV needle.
I have a feeling she’ll be milking that one for weeks.
Aurora remembers she has a lollipop in her bag and hands it to Leah, which keeps her quiet for a few minutes.
Then she leans closer to me. Her lingering vanilla scent tortures me and my cock jerks like fucking Pavlov’s dog. After our night together, I don’t think I’ve ever not gotten hard at the intoxicating smell.
“I was impressed with how you handled Mark this morning,” she says quietly, so little ears won’t hear.
I stiffen at the surprise topic. “I know he lives next door. It would have been stupid for me to start an argument with him, even though it gutted me that he was here when I wasn’t.”
Admitting the truth isn’t easy, because Aurora doesn’t like my trips and she doesn’t need a reminder of them. But I’m Leah’s father. I should have been around.
“I know,” she says. “And I also realize how much it took for you to accept what he did and thank him. I appreciate it.’
“That doesn’t mean I didn’t want to punch him,” I mutter.
She lets out a surprised laugh, causing me to grin.
“What’s funny?” Leah yells from the backseat, and of course, starts to cough.
“I need to buy an SUV with the screens in the headrest,” I say to Aurora. “Nothing, Leah. Just grown-up stuff.”
“I hate grown up stuff.”
I glance in the rearview mirror in time to see her stick the lollipop back in her mouth. My lips twitch and a quick side glance tells him Aurora is holding back a chuckle, too.
No sooner do we arrive home before Leah announces she’s starving. I take one look at Aurora and make an executive decision.
“I’m going to make you something to eat.
Your mommy is going to take a nap and then have a long, hot shower.
Or a long hot, shower and then a nap. Whatever she needs.
” I meet Aurora’s gaze and she treats me to the most appreciative smile I’ve ever seen, one that causes my heart to beat faster and makes me think that she just might be coming around.
“How’s that sound?” I ask Leah. But my gaze remains on Aurora’s face.
“Can you make grilled cheese?” Leah asks.
“I can manage that.”
“And tomato soup,” she demands.
“No problem.”
“With milk, not water.”
I grin, and Aurora does, too.
She walks up to me, places her hands on either side of my face and pulls me in for a long kiss. No tongue, but I’ll take it.
“Why are you kissing?” Leah asks, her face scrunched as she watches us.
Aurora grins. “Because Daddy just did a very nice thing for me. Now you be good for him, okay?”
Leah nods.
Aurora glances at me, gives me a smile I can’t interpret, and heads to her room to take a much-needed nap, leaving me alone with my kid.
I make us lunch, we talk about her friends, their names, Leah’s favorite color, animal and other things I want to know.
After we finish, I take a good look at my daughter. She has orange tomato stains around her mouth, her hair sticks out every which way, and she needs a bath. But I’m not sure how to handle that challenge.
I pick up our dishes and take them to the sink, cleaning up as she watches. “Are you up to a bath or a shower?”
“Shower! I like showers. Mommy lets me come in with her sometimes, or I take one alone and she helps me rinse my hair.”
I nod. “Daddy can help you clean up in the shower and your mom can give you a good washing tomorrow.”
Her eyes light up, and she nods.
An hour later, I set Leah in front of the TV. I clean the water-soaked bathroom floor, which means I have to throw a load of soaking wet towels in the washing machine. But I take care of all the shit I can, so Aurora will be able to focus on Leah. Then I collapse on the couch beside my daughter.
I have a new respect for Aurora as a single mom and am more determined than ever to do right by her. My phone buzzes. I glance at the screen and answer the call. “Asher, how are you?” I ask my oldest sibling.
“I’m calling to find out how my niece is. Harrison told me Leah was in the hospital?” Asher asks.
Asher missed meeting Leah at our parents’ house but that doesn’t make him disinterested .
“It was a bad case of croup. It was scary as hell but it’s under control now and she’s home.
At her mom’s.” I glance at Leah, happily sitting cross-legged beside me, watching something on her iPad, and ignoring the television I put on.
Kids’ music sounds so I’m not too worried. “Where are you?” I ask Asher.
“I got back from the island last night, and I visited with a friend this morning. I’m about half an hour from where you said Aurora lives.
Mind if I drop by so I can meet Leah and Aurora?
” My brother has a house on Windermere Island, near the Bahamas.
It’s connected to Eleuthera, private and secluded.
“Aurora’s asleep. She was up most of the night at the hospital, but sure. Come on over. I’ll text you the address.”
I peeked in on Aurora earlier and she’s out cold in her bed. She obviously needs the sleep, and I doubt she’ll care if my brother visits.
About forty minutes later, I let Asher into the house. He has a big box in his hand. “Jesus, what did you do?”
“Asked my secretary what a five-year-old girl would want. Someone needs to be the cool uncle.” He grins, and I roll my eyes.
“Zach bought her Unicorn Poo. Think you can beat that?” I lead him inside and introduce Leah to her Uncle Asher, who spends fifteen minutes talking to her, an amused smile on his face as he nods, not getting a word in edgewise.
When she opens her gift—an American Girl doll with blonde hair just like Leah—she jumps up and down with excitement.
“Thank you!” she screeches, and I wince, putting a finger over my lips.
“Indoor voice.” I repeat what I’ve heard Aurora say, knowing she also needs to be kept calm after her stint in the hospital.
Leah holds her doll in her arms and nods.
Asher glances at me. “See? Cool uncle.”
I feel a tug on my pants and glance at Leah. “What’s up, princess?”
“I’m tired.”
I pick her up and carried her to her room. “You’ve had quite the experience and nobody sleeps well in a hospital. How about you take a nap, like your mommy?” I ask, putting her down on the bed.
“I want to sleep with Mommy,” she says.
I shrug. “Does she let you?”
“Duh!” She grabs her doll and runs out of the room.
I pad down the hall to Aurora’s bedroom and glance in. Leah has already climbed beneath the covers and curls into her mother’s arms. There isn’t a sound from either one of them. I want to join them, but I have to console myself with, maybe someday .
I step out and return to the family room, dropping into the sofa beside Asher.
“You’ve got your hands full with that one,” my brother says, but the smile on his face tells me he is as smitten with Leah as I am.
“No kidding.” I stretch my legs out in front of me, lean my head back and groan. “But it’s been a long fucking night and day.” I could use some sleep myself. I raise my head and glance at Asher, who watches me silently.
“How are you handling all this?” Asher finally asks.
“Better than I would have thought,” I admit. “I took one look at her and I was all-in. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I want to be an active part of her life.”
“It’s a big change. I’m glad you’re happy.” As the oldest, Asher likes to manage things. I wonder how my brother will handle what I have to say next. “It’s a huge change… and I’ll need my job to adjust with it.”
Asher straightens in his seat. In his suit and tie, he reminds me of Linc Kingston, the businessman, even when dealing with family. Then again, he brought Leah a doll she’s heard of and it’s made her happy. There is a beating heart in there somewhere, I think wryly.
“Meaning what?” Asher asks.
“I want to hire someone to do the traveling when we have issues at the hotels. Being away and getting a call my daughter was in the hospital? That’s not something I want to repeat.
I want to be there for everything important.
” I’ve been thinking about this the entire plane ride home.
“And Aurora? Well, she needs me to have a home base.”
Asher’s eyes open wide, his expression stunned. “You want to change your entire life for a chick you knocked up over six years ago?”
I stiffen and glance back to make sure Aurora isn’t walking down the hall. “Watch it,” I warn the brother I respect. “She’s not just some chick . And she’s not just Leah’s mother to me, either.”
Asher eyes me seriously. “You don’t answer to me, Nick. The hotels are your domain. Dad’s around, if you need guidance. So am I, but you know more than we do at this point.” He crosses one leg over the other. “He groomed you for the hotel business.”
I grin. “Because I followed him everywhere, wanting to be just like him.” We all have a share in the hotels, but I am the most hands-on.
Asher laughs. “That, I remember. If you want to hire someone to train, then go ahead. Now tell me about Aurora.”
Once again, I glance towards the still empty hall, then begin drumming my fingers on the soft sofa. Asher can be trusted with my dark secrets. And I know my brother will love Aurora, too.
“If you think our family has crazy in it, you have no idea what she’s been through,” I say, keeping my voice low.
Asher raises an eyebrow, waiting.
Although a part of me still hesitates about revealing Aurora’s private pain, the only way my family will understand her is if they know. So I spend the next few minutes telling Asher about her past, and explaining the way it is impacting her ability to open up to me now.