Chapter 15 Nobody’s Perfect
NOBODY’S PERFECT
A couple of weeks later…
“What are you doing here?” Giselle squinted at Heavy standing on her front porch, holding bags from several shops she was familiar with from the mall.
He’d asked for Harlee and Heir’s sizes and stored them in his memory so he could go pick out some things for them. Using the frame of the door to hold herself up, Giselle squinted at the sun. The bright light made her head hurt, and he frowned as she rubbed two fingers against her temple.
“Quit playing with me, princess.” He pushed past her inside, and she weakly closed the door.
Looking her over in the gray tights and white long-sleeved button up shirt, he noticed something off about her.
She’d been cold with him for weeks, and he’d been trying to get back in good with her ever since the dinner at Petal’s.
He hadn’t spoken to Viggo or Prischa, and not because they hadn’t reached out.
Both had been texting and calling, but he didn’t have anything to say to them.
Since Pierre had his own phone, he was able to keep up with him that way.
Things with Henna were at a standstill. He had no problems with Toussaint; his father still showed up to work regularly, and they talked.
He wasn’t even mad at his grandparents. They’d all made an effort to get to know Giselle and welcome her without judgment.
His sister was the one who wanted to stay on the bullshit.
Since she was as stubborn as he was, he didn’t expect to hear from her anytime soon.
“I texted you earlier and told you I was bringing some things by.” She stumbled past him to the living room where she’d set up shop on the couch because she couldn’t make it down the hall to her bedroom.
Her boss sent her home from work because she was pretty much useless since she could barely keep her eyes open. Grabbing the fleece blanket, she dropped onto the sofa and immediately covered her shivering body. Just getting up and moving to the door had her winded.
“But you knew I had to work.” She coughed and pulled the cover tighter around her.
“I also got your location and saw that you was home. What you lying for?”
“I didn’t lie,” she argued. “And why are you tracking my location?”
He sucked his teeth and dropped the bags on the table.
“Where the kids?” he asked, completely ignoring her question as if she didn’t know.
“With Crew and Maisie,” she muttered. “They’re on the way home now. For your information, I got sent home from work.”
“For what?”
Giselle was about to answer before she broke into a coughing fit.
“I wasn’t feeling well. It’s so cold in here.” She shivered under the blanket and wrapped herself tighter.
Frowning, Heavy stepped closer, his signature Dior Sauvage scent filling the space between them.
He pressed his hand against her head, and her weary eyes burned into his.
She’d missed him but refused to give him a chance to make things up to her.
It didn’t stop him from showing up and spending time with the twins, though.
If he wasn’t coming by, they would make sure Giselle called him to see why.
Harlee was even demanding her own phone, so she could call him whenever she wanted.
“You got a fever.”
“And I never get sick,” she pouted.
“Aight. I’ll run to the drug store and grab some stuff and come back,” he suggested.
“You don’t have to. I can just send Maisie or Crew when they get here,” Giselle argued.
No sooner than the words left her lips, car doors slammed shut, and the two of them listened as voices drew closer to the front door.
Heavy went to open up for them, and Crew and Maisie came in, toting a twin in each arm.
Still coughing and trying to catch her breath, Giselle sat up and immediately saw that her children weren’t feeling well.
“I guess somebody brought a bug home,” Maisie surmised.
“Mommy, I don’t feel good.” Harlee pushed her little lips together, and Crew set her on the sofa beside her mother.
“Me too,” Heir grumbled before coughing and turning red.
“Oh, my babies,” she cooed, hugging them both close, even though she felt like death herself.
The two of them rested their heads against her chest and shut their eyes.
“It’s probably the flu. It’s going around,” Maisie noted.
“Yeah, it spread over the store last week, and I thought I had avoided it. I guess not,” Giselle croaked. “Thank you for bringing them home.”
“You need anything?” she checked with her.
“I got ’em. I was about to run to the store now and grab some stuff,” Heavy chimed in.
Surprise marred Maisie’s face, and she hiked a brow in Giselle’s direction before looking Heavy over.
He seemed to constantly wear this mean scowl, with these ever-changing hazel eyes, one minute reflecting specks of green, and then going darker with a copper like hue.
She guessed they changed with his mood. Right now, the green sparkles were on full display.
“Okay then, daddy. I’ll call and check on you guys later. I hope you feel better.” She knelt to kiss the top of each of their heads, and Giselle smiled weakly.
“Thanks, Mais. Love you.”
“We love you too.” Crew also applied a peck before turning to Heavy.
Giselle was family at the end of the day.
He viewed her as a sister, just like Lou.
He was naturally very overprotective of all the members of the Knox family since he didn’t have one of his own.
It was obvious from the way Heavy was making his presence known that he wasn’t about to slack on being a father.
Crew respected him even more than he did before.
“Take care of them, homie,” Crew warned.
“Don’t even have to ask that.” The two shook hands, and Maisie and Crew strolled toward the door.
Sighing, Heavy took in the weariness on Giselle’s face as she hugged their children close, and they both moaned in pain.
He couldn’t take it, and neither could she.
Springing into action, he went into the kitchen and found a couple of bottles of water, crackers, and Ginger Ale.
He brought them all back to the living room and set them on the wooden table in front of them on the couch.
“Okay, this should hold you down until I get back.”
“I’m going to grab their pajamas so they can get comfortable and their favorite blankets. We can camp out right here in the living room. How does that sound?” Giselle checked with them, and they both nodded weakly.
She could barely move, and Heavy stopped her before she could even stand.
“I’ll get it. Tell me where everything is.”
“Um, top drawer of the big dresser in their room, you will find their clean pajamas, and she has a custom blanket with unicorns and her name all over it. Heir’s has airplanes everywhere.”
Heavy took note of everything and turned to move down the hall to the twins’ room.
He stopped at the big dresser against the wall near the door and pulled the top drawers out.
Each side of the room was decorated to fit their personalities.
Everything was neat and organized aside from a few blocks on the floor beside Heir’s bed.
He snatched up the pajamas, then turned to grab the blankets from their beds.
Moments later, he reappeared in the living room.
“Thank you. Can you hand me my phone?” Giselle asked, nodding to her iPhone on the table.
He picked it up and handed it to her, noticing she had all kinds of notifications lighting it up. He decided to give her the privacy she needed.
Harlee peered up at him helplessly. Stroking her little rosy cheeks, he found her warm just like her mama. She held both arms out, wanting to be picked up, and he couldn’t resist. Holding her little feverish body close, he used his fingers to massage her scalp and kissed her cheek.
“Alright, I’m going around the corner to the pharmacy and grocery store to get some stuff to make you feel better,” he told Harlee and glanced toward Giselle. “I shouldn’t be gone long, but call me if you need me.” He gently set her back down beside her mother.
“I will. I’m just going to check a few emails and find something for them to watch. Make sure you get fever reducer, cough drops, VapoRub—"
“I been sick before, princess, and I have a grandmother. I got you.”
“You just have to get the children’s version—"
“Lay down and get some rest,” Heavy ordered, snatching her house keys off the table before walking to the front hall.
He had to lock up and let himself back in, but little did she know, he was also going to stop and make himself a couple of copies of those keys too.
She still felt slighted about the whole Prischa thing, and he didn’t know how to make it up to her, but he’d been wracking his brain for weeks, trying to figure out how.
Finally strong enough to get out of bed, Giselle found herself walking through her house, fighting the chills.
This flu had her and the kids down bad, and she prayed none of them had to go to the hospital.
Bypassing the living room, she found her babies curled up on the couch together under the covers, both sleeping peacefully with their mouths wide open.
If they felt anything like she did, it was an attempt to breathe since her nostrils were blocked.
The banging around of pots and pans in the kitchen pulled her in that direction.
Pausing in the doorway, she simpered at the sight of Heavy at the stove and sink, moving back and forth as he cooked and stirred, then did dishes and dropped them in the dishwasher.
In a white T-shirt and joggers, with a pair of Nike slides on his feet, he’d made himself comfortable as he whipped up a batch of homemade chicken noodle soup. Watching his muscles in his arms flex with his movements left her eyes drifting over the rest of his frame, soaking him in.
“Smells good in here.” Her voice startled him.
“You should still be in bed.” He skimmed her in the ivory two-piece satin gown and robe set that covered her slim-thick frame.