Chapter 13 #2
She frowned at him. “Can’t you at least give me a hint?” she asked with a pout.
“Nope.” Pid leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“I know deciding whether or not to stay in Hawaii is a big deal, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you don’t regret it if you do.
” Then he let his hands drop from her and turned for the hallway to the bedrooms before he did something crazy—like throw all his plans for the afternoon out the window to stay home and make out with Monica.
Two hours later, Pid watched as Monica sat on the floor of the Head Start Child Care Center and played with two little girls. The dimple in her cheek he always had to work so hard to coax out had been on full display since they’d pulled into the parking lot.
He’d explained that he’d called to see if the center needed any volunteers, and the manager had happily agreed to meet them. She’d been even more thrilled when she’d learned about Monica’s experience with children.
Pid had spent part of his time helping to build some shelves in one of the rooms—then he’d been handed a baby, probably around seven months old, who hadn’t stopped crying since he and Monica had arrived.
He wasn’t completely sure what he was doing, but after a few minutes of bouncing the infant and holding him against his chest, the exhausted child had finally fallen asleep in his arms.
Monica hadn’t even noticed him standing against the wall, and Pid didn’t bother her. It looked like she was in deep conversation with the little girls about the adventures their dollies had been on recently.
This was one of the best ideas he’d ever had.
Monica looked a hundred times less stressed than she’d been that morning.
It was obvious that being around children fed her soul in a way that nothing else could.
She clicked with them on a level he’d never seen.
She truly cared about their well-being, and her ease with them shone like a beacon.
As he observed her, still with the sleeping infant in his arms, she looked up and their gazes met. She stared at him for a long moment before mouthing thank you.
Pid nodded before one of the little girls tugged on Monica’s shirt, and she turned back to pay attention to whatever she was being told.
And just like that, Pid knew this was what he wanted. Monica playing with their two daughters while he held their son. It was a visceral yearning in his belly that he suddenly suspected he’d do anything to obtain.
This was his future—and he’d be damned if he let it slip through his fingers. He had no idea how to make it happen, except to continue trying to gain Mo’s trust so he could give her exactly this. Family. Love.
“She’s great with them,” Sylvia, the manager, said quietly as she approached.
“She is,” Pid agreed.
“And you’re not so bad yourself,” she replied with a grin, motioning to the boy in his arms.
Pid shrugged. “He was exhausted from crying. It’s not me.”
Sylvia shook her head. “You’d be surprised. He doesn’t take to many people. Trust me, I’ve shoved him in so many people’s arms, only to be crushed when he continued to scream no matter what they tried. You took him and it was…what, two minutes before he settled?”
Pid looked down at the child in his arms. His warm brown skin shone with health, his black hair standing out against the baby-blue blanket he was wrapped in. The child’s lips were pursed, and Pid imagined he was dreaming baby dreams. He was perhaps the prettiest baby he’d ever seen.
“I don’t suppose she’s looking for a job?” Sylvia asked.
Pid couldn’t stop the smile from curling his lips. “Maybe.”
Sylvia beamed. “Awesome. And if you want to quit your Navy job, we could probably find a slot for you too.”
It was obvious she was teasing. “I’ll keep that in mind,” Pid told her.
“You do that.” Sylvia got serious then. “I’ve been in this profession a long time.
I’ve worked with children almost my entire life.
And I’ve seldom seen someone connect with little ones as fast as your girlfriend.
She’s got that something special that children are just drawn to.
I can’t explain it, and I know some people would call me crazy for even thinking that’s a thing.
But I’ve seen it happen just a handful of times.
Monica definitely has that something special. ”
Pid had to agree. He’d seen it with the ambassador’s son back in Algeria and he was seeing it now.
The world was a better place because Monica was in it.
He didn’t know if it was because of what she’d been through as a child, or despite it.
But in the end, it didn’t matter. She needed children to thrive, just as they needed her.
Their conversation was interrupted when a woman entered the building, obviously to pick up her child.
Pid hadn’t planned on staying as long as they had, but he didn’t have the heart to take Monica away from the children.
So it was six-thirty before they left the Head Start building.
Monica had given Sylvia her email address when she’d expressed interest in sending her more information about volunteering or working at the center.
The contented look on Monica’s face was an expression Pid wanted to see more often.
“Hungry?” he asked as he held open the passenger door to his minivan.
She situated herself on the seat and nodded. “Starved.”
Pid didn’t move away from the door. He couldn’t. The smile on her face was so big, so different from what he was used to seeing, it blew him away.
“Stuart? Is something wrong?”
In response, he stepped closer, reaching up and palming the back of her neck. He rested his forehead against hers in an intimate embrace. “I should’ve seen how much you needed this before now.”
Monica pushed lightly against his shoulders, and he immediately moved back. She surprised him by cradling his cheeks in her hands. Pid thought it was maybe the second time she’d voluntarily touched him with her bad hand. “I didn’t know I needed it,” she countered. “How could you?”
Pid put a hand on her thigh, careful to keep it close to her knee, and the other he placed over her hand on his cheek. “I’m not so bad at this surprise thing, huh?” he teased.
Monica chuckled. “You’re two for two so far.”
Just then, he heard her stomach growl loudly.
He smiled, lifted her hand from his cheek, kissed the palm, and said, “Let’s get you fed. How do you feel about Vietnamese food?”
“I haven’t had it. But I can usually find something I like anywhere.”
“Good. There’s an amazing restaurant called The Pig and The Lady on the way home that we can get takeout from.”
“Sounds interesting,” she told him.
Pid closed her door and jogged around to the driver’s side. He couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and smoothing back a lock of her disheveled hair once he got situated.
Monica wrinkled her nose. “I probably look awful,” she said self-consciously.
“You’re beautiful,” he told her honestly.
She blushed, and Pid vowed to compliment her more often. He had a feeling she hadn’t gotten enough compliments in her life.
As he pulled out of the parking lot, she reached over and took his hand in hers.
His woman might be a little gun-shy, and they might be taking things slow, but he couldn’t deny that her touch made everything feel just right.