Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
CORA
The heat of the bathwater had soothed my aching body, though nothing, it seemed, could touch the pain in my spirit. After stepping out and wrapping towels around my hair and body, the mirror reflected puffy eyes and a raw nose.
Waking up at three a.m. had been jarring.
The last memory I had was Jason lifting me from the car.
At some point, he must have carried me to my room.
For hours, he’d simply held me while I wept.
No questions, no empty words, just his quiet presence and the occasional whispered I’m here.
Sometimes rocking, sometimes holding me tighter, but never once offering meaningless platitudes.
After throwing on some pajamas, a quick check of Elias’s room revealed that it was empty. There was a moment of panic before my brain caught up. Jason would never let anything happen to my baby.
Halfway down the stairs, the sweetest scene came into view. Jason lay curled around Elias on the couch, both of them fast asleep. I tiptoed the rest of the way down, crossing the distance, and stopped at the end of the couch.
What a sight. A man that made my heart race and a little man that filled it with more joy than I thought possible. They were my world.
I was pretty sure I’d fallen for Jason long before now. No, I knew when his father shot Thomas and Jason stepped in front of me that I loved him. The very thought of losing him had filled me with panicked grief.
Seeing him with Elias only made me fall deeper. He’d been incredible with Elias, was even willing to let us move in with him. But that didn’t mean he wanted to be a husband and father. He was just being kind and helpful.
Like today. I had fallen to pieces and dumped my kid on him. And here he was, snuggled with Elias like he was his kid.
My silly head and heart giggled at the thought. Jason, my soulmate, and now, the father of my child… and possibly children.
I moved next to Jason and reached across to pick Elias up.
Jason jerked awake, grabbing my hand. “Hey.” He blinked. “I’m sorry,” he said and released me.
“I was trying not to wake you up.”
He rubbed his eyes. “It’s okay.”
I sat on the very edge of the couch. “I’m sorry you had to take care of him all day.”
“I enjoy taking care of him. So, thank you for letting me be selfish.” He shot me a sleepy smile.
What a man. If he kept this up, he’d never be rid of me. “You’re sweet.”
Elias stirred and grunted.
Jason splayed his hand on my baby’s tummy. “I bet he’s hungry.”
I wrapped my fingers around Elias’s foot and wiggled it. “I’ll fix a bottle and come back and feed him,” I said as I got to my feet.
“No, I’ll do it,” he said, and lifted Elias into my arms. “He needs time with his momma.”
Jason pushed off the couch and I sat down with Elias.
“Hi there. Did you have a good day?”
He made a few noises and wiggled in my arms.
“Did you have fun with Jason today?”
This time a grunt came out of both ends. “Oh wow. Thanks, dude. I missed you too.” I chuckled.
Jason returned with a bottle and handed it to me. “That’s different formula.”
“What?” I asked.
He took a seat next to me. “I thought the other formula was hurting his tummy or that he wasn’t digesting it well because of how bad his diapers smelled.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that.”
He leaned towards me, putting his arm along the back of the couch.
“I just wondered, so I called a pediatrician that I met at one of the galas and asked her. She said to try an organic formula. I did, and I think his tummy feels better. The last dirty diaper didn’t smell nearly as bad as the one before. ”
Organic? Formula was already not cheap, and organic was probably even worse.
“Before you freak out, it’s on me. I’m the one who changed it without asking you. It’s my fault.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it until I was telling you. I should have asked you first. You’re his mom… I overstep—”
I don’t know why I did it, but I kissed him. “Thank you.”
That was a lie. I did know why. He was Jason. Sweet, kind, gentle, and caring. He’d worried about my baby and then taken measures to make Elias feel better. That sort of care deserved a kiss.
“Do I need to pretend you didn’t do that?” He smiled.
I’ll admit, I laughed at that. “I thought about it…” I had. Sort of. Just now…
Jason pressed one of his fingers into Elias’s hands while he ate. “Oh, you have?”
“Yes. It occurred to me that we’re getting married and people will expect us to kiss. We want everyone to think this is authentic. We can’t do that if we act like we’re not together.”
His smile never vanished as he sat quietly. “I can see your rationalization.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Yeah. That’s the reason for the big ceremony. To prove this isn’t some sort of ploy to get custody of Elias.”
I laughed. “But it sort of is.”
“I had an idea that I’d like to run by you.”
I shifted in my seat so I could look at him… really look at him. “What sort of idea?”
“I have a penthouse with six bedrooms, a rooftop terrace, and the best private school in Chicago is two blocks away. I’m not saying we have to stay married, but there is no reason you can’t stay with me.
You can work if you want to or not. It’ll be totally up to you. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you”
My jaw dropped. “What if you want to bring women to your house or something?”
“I haven’t had a woman in my penthouse since I began the coup against my father.”
That long? He’d planned that even before I began working for him. “Haven’t you been lonely?”
His gaze lowered to his lap. “I hadn’t thought about it. I just…” He lifted his head, and his gaze caught mine.
My breath caught at the depth of sadness reflected in them.
“I’m fine.” He smiled. “I just thought I’d offer. That way I know you’re safe, you have plenty of room for little man, and all that space isn’t wasted.”
I leaned the bottle against my chest and palmed his cheek. “You haven’t been fine in a long time. It’s okay if you aren’t. You don’t have to be, especially with me. If anyone asks, your Superman suit is still firmly intact.”
He grunted a laugh. “Hardly.” The word was soft and barely audible.
“But you are. To me and Elias. I don’t know what I would have done without you. The lawyer, the marriage…” I held up my hand. “This ring, which is beautiful and perfect. You’ve been a superhero to me.”
“Your sister wanted you to have Elias. You’re the better parent. It shouldn’t be a fight, but it is. We’re going to fight to win. If Colter thinks he can use small-town politics to defy the wishes of your sister, he’s going to learn how wrong he is, quickly.”
And when Jason talked like that, it filled my cup of hope to the rim.
“I’m sure the appeal was filed today.”
“Yeah, probably. Rex will call us as soon as he gets the notice. I suspect tomorrow or the next.”
Elias finished eating, I set his bottle to the side, and grabbed a burp cloth before lifting him to my shoulder.
“Are you hungry?” Jason asked.
“A little.”
He smiled. “I know you enjoy Cookie Crisp but you could probably use some protein. Anna brought us dinner home after their date.”
“That was sweet.”
“Yeah, it was. I could go warm it up if you like.”
I gave a small nod. “I’d love that.” My growling stomach punctuated the statement.
He laughed as he pushed off the couch. “Late, late night dinner coming up.”
Once Elias was burped, I joined Jason in the kitchen. I took a deep breath, and my stomach growled again. “Wow, that smells great.”
“My sister said they were famous for their chicken fried steak with homemade cream gravy, so that’s what she brought us.”
I grinned. “I’m so down for that. Although I might save some room for a Cookie Crisp snack later.” I teased.
He laughed with me. “Of course.”
As Jason took the meal out of the microwave, Thomas came flying in, gun drawn. “Get down.”
He didn’t get the last word out before shots rang out. Jason lunged toward me, pulling us both to the floor behind the kitchen island. He shielded me with his body while I curled around Elias, protecting him from whatever was happening outside.
“What’s happening?”
Thomas stood over us. “I don’t know yet. One of the guys radioed in and said he saw something. Then there were shots.”
“Colter?”
“That would be stupid, but he could probably get away with it,” Jason said.
More shots were fired, and then there was an eerie silence.
Thomas’s radio crackled. “Stand down. Just kids with fireworks.”
The relief should have been complete, but as Jason helped me to my feet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that next time, we might not be so lucky.