Chapter 5 Grayson #2
“Maybe not to you,” she replied. “That would be a big deal to me, though. And it obviously means a lot to them.”
“Well, I hope you’re hungry,” he told her. “Because we’re coming home with three of them.”
“I could eat,” she said lightly.
“This is us,” he said, indicating the used SUV he’d picked up from the local auto-repair shop when he first got home.
Though he’d probably overdone it a little with the house, he didn’t want to be some kind of showy person with a brand-new, fancy car. As it turned out, these Volvo SUVs were supposed to be extra safe, which put his mind at ease when it came to Leo.
He was ready to open her door for her, but she headed right for the back and opened up instead. He watched her wrap the hoagies in the blanket and place them in the car before turning to the stroller.
“It’s a pop-out,” he told her. “Here, I’ll show you.”
She leaned in and really watched when he demonstrated how to unlatch the empty car seat and snap it into the car.
“Thanks,” she said softly.
“Of course,” he told her.
Leo had fallen asleep in the carrier and was none too pleased to be taken away from the warmth of Grayson’s chest.
“You’re okay,” Grayson told him as he placed him in his car seat.
But Leo just kept right on crying, like his little heart was broken.
“We’re heading right home,” Grayson told him while he adjusted the straps. “And then you’re going to get a bath and something to eat.”
Leo looked at him, but kept crying. Grayson was used to that. When the boy was tired he cried more, and they’d been out in the fresh air more than usual today, which definitely wore him out faster.
He suddenly remembered that he had a professional nanny here. Maybe she wouldn’t like that he let the baby fuss.
“He cries more when he’s tired,” he said, turning to Evangeline when he was certain that Leo was strapped in safely.
“Oh, that’s normal,” she said with a smile. “It’s nice that he had a busy day. He’ll sleep well tonight.”
“From your mouth to God’s ears,” Grayson said with a smile, walking over to the passenger side.
“He’s not a good sleeper?” Evangeline asked.
“Maybe I’m doing something wrong,” Grayson allowed, opening the door for her.
“Oh,” she said, looking surprised. “Thank you.”
He watched her climb in, graceful as a dancer, and then he closed the door for her.
Maybe she wasn’t used to men opening doors for her. Grayson’s parents had raised him to be a gentleman, which meant honoring small courtesies.
God is in the details, Dad always liked to say.
Grayson walked around to the driver’s side and got in, starting the engine right away and wishing he’d remembered to do it as soon as they got to the SUV. Poor Leo was still fussing, and it was cold enough in here that Grayson didn’t blame him.
“You’re not,” Evangeline said softly.
He turned to find her eyeing him seriously.
“Doing anything wrong,” she added. “He’s a baby—they just don’t sleep that well in the beginning. But I’ll be here to help now.”
“Thank you,” he told her.
Relief washed over him and it wasn’t until he felt his shoulders lower that he realized how hard it had been up until now to keep up with the baby’s grueling schedule.
“Have you been… on your own all this time?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, sighing. “His mother dropped him off a few weeks ago. I’ve been learning as I go.”
Leo finally stopped his whimpering. The poor little fellow had probably gone to sleep, the gentle motion and the rumble of the engine must have finally soothed him.
“When is she coming back for him?” Evangeline asked.
Grayson tried to think of a way to explain the unusual situation he’d found himself in, and decided he just couldn’t—not without this girl thinking badly of him. And for some reason, he couldn’t bear for her to change her mind.
We need her.
“She’s not coming back,” he said after a beat, figuring he had to share that much. “You’ll be working for a single parent. Are you comfortable with that?”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out with his mom. And of course I’ll work for you.”
“Thank you,” he told her, feeling that deep sense of relief all over again.
Now that the car was heating up and he’d shared at least a bit of Leo’s story, he felt a lot more relaxed than before.
He was just turning north on Ambler Road when Evangeline sighed and leaned back.
Just like that, the heat vent carried a hint of her sweet scent to him.
He wasn’t sure if it was perfume or just shampoo, but it brought to mind the bright flavor of a ripe peach in the midst of a gray Pennsylvania winter.
He willed himself to fix his senses on the cool steering wheel under his hands and the heat from the vents brushing his skin, anything but the scent of the young woman beside him.
She had fallen silent, and he wondered what she was thinking about. There was something intimate about sharing this small space together and talking about the things that mattered most.
What would it be like to fall in love? To share all the things that matter? To take on her burdens, and see if she could shoulder some of mine?
It wasn’t really an option, of course. A beautiful girl like Evangeline would find someone lighthearted and happy. She wouldn’t want to be with someone like him.
His scarred hand snaked up to rub at the melted flesh on his neck again and he wished he could erase the ruined skin just by touching it.
He’d tried to keep her on his good side back at the firehouse, but now she was sitting on his right, and it was probably all she could think about when she looked at him.
Though he hadn’t caught her staring even once.
But that didn’t really matter. Grayson knew it wasn’t only his skin that bore the ugliness of what he’d been through. His heart wore the same scars, they were just out of sight.
Stop thinking about it.
They’d made him talk to someone before he left, and she’d told him that in time his wounds would heal—inside and out.
And until then, let yourself love and be loved.
He hadn’t been able to do that though, not until Leo.
And maybe this girl, with her worried eyes and shy smiles…
He stole a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering why she’d gone so quiet, and wishing he could read her mind.
But Evangeline was fast asleep, her cheek flat against the window, dark eyelashes kissing her pale cheeks.
He felt a pang of tenderness that took his breath away.
What in the world is happening to me?