by Hart, Rye
Once I had my accident and came back home for good, I could tell things had changed. I thought it was me, that my injury was too much for her. The morning sickness had started just a month after I got home. I was certain I’d knocked her up during the welcome home fuck she’d given me my first day back.
I was over the moon. I was finally getting things the way I’d always wanted them, minus one leg, which I wouldn’t let get me down. I was a fighter, not a quitter, and as long as I had her and the kid, I’d be fine. But something wasn’t right. Although she put on a good face, I just didn’t think she was as happy about the baby as me.
The time came to have an ultrasound, and that’s when I realized the math was all wrong. According to how far along she was, she had to have gotten pregnant before I’d come home, and that’s when she broke down and confessed she’d been fucking my so-called college friend Ben.
The phone ringing brought me out of my daydream, and I picked it up to see my buddy, Austin’s ugly mug staring back at me. The guy was the only man from my group of friends in the past that I allowed back into my life, and that was solely because he’d been my brother in arms and we’d shared the hell of that god-forsaken desert for eighteen months. .
“What’s up, man?” I pushed my work aside and leaned back in my chair.
“Hey, Chance, how’s it been? Is that little girl giving you gray hairs yet?” Austin called at least once every other week, and I’d been filling him in on Star’s progress.
“She’s not that high maintenance. What about you? Are you ready for your wedding?”
“That’s three months away, and yes and no. I’m ready to get it over with, but we’re not done spending money yet. Lola has dragged me to every wedding venue and chapel in southern Cali, and I’ve tasted so much cake, that I probably have diabetes.”
“Sounds like a real pain in the ass.”
“Just wait until you find your pain in the ass, you’ll be doing the same thing, buddy.”
“No way, man. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. No more weddings for me, my friend.”
“Well, have you at least met a nice girl in that Podunk town to tug on your willy?” I couldn’t help but laugh. Austin had always had a way with words.
“Actually, I did see a nice piece of ass down at the diner. She’s the hottest thing this town’s got to offer in the way of women. Don’t get me wrong, there are other pretty faces, but most of the women here taste like vanilla if you know what I mean.”
“With that kid around, you better get used to the flavor, Daddy.” He chuckled, using the nickname he’d given me since I’d told him I was bringing Star home.
“Hey now. I’m Uncle Chance. She won’t ever call me ‘daddy’, and I hope she never does.” That title was reserved for my brother and no one else. I’d never disrespect him by taking that from him, even if I had to fill the role.
“So? Are you going to settle down with this one or what?”
“You’re mental, man. I just met her yesterday. She’s a waitress down where I eat; new to town.” Not to mention, a nice girl like her would probably be totally freaked the minute my pants came off and she realized I only had one real leg. That’s how it usually happened. No, I much preferred the girls who didn’t care as long as I could make them come. And I always could.
“Right, I forget you don’t exactly do the whole ‘love’ thing. At least not yet. You’ll change your mind when you find the right girl.”
“There’s no right girl for me, not anymore. I’ve learned to live with it, and if I can provide Star a good home, then that’s all the purpose I’ll need.” If I kept telling myself that, I might actually start to believe it one day.
“Did you get your new designs finished?” he asked, changing the subject when he realized I wouldn’t budge.
“Yes. They look great.” I was really proud of my work and glad I’d put my artistic abilities to use.
“That’s awesome man. I think it’s great you’re able to help others through your work.” I had been designing prosthetics since I’d recovered from losing my leg, and I’d sold a few of my designs to the leading company in the US. It was great money, but that wasn’t my passion. I’d been working on a side project to create an app for phones that would help wounded vets connect to services they needed, and that had been my focus for months, but I had yet to get past the planning and design stage at this point.
Maybe it was fear of failure or rejection that kept me from putting it out in the marketplace, but whatever it was I needed to get the hell over it.
I wandered into the kitchen to see what I had in the fridge to make for dinner. The shelves were bare but for a gallon of milk and a jar of jelly with the pantry just as empty. I would have to go to the store when I picked up Star from school. I grabbed my keys and headed out to my truck. Before I realized what I was doing, I started to drive toward the diner instead of the grocery store.
I sat in the parking lot and looked in through the front windows, watching Dream go from table to table. She really was beautiful, with long dark hair, pale-green eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her creamy skin. She was at least a head shorter than me with ample breasts and curvaceous hips. But there was something more than just her beauty that was drawing me to her. Being a highly trained SEAL, I was good at spotting trouble; and Dream had trouble written all over her. Trouble I didn’t need, and yet here I was, trying to convince my dick not to salute her.
I sighed and walked in, telling myself that I was just there to check on the ad I’d posted before heading to the store to pick up supplies. I went straight to the board and stared at the piece of paper with my name and number on it.
“Can I get you a table?” I turned to see Dream standing just behind me, and I let out a low chuckle. Damn she was beautiful.
“No, thanks. I wondered if anyone has asked about the ad.” Her face fell, and it sent an unexpected shiver through me. Had she been hoping I’d stop in to see her?
“Not that I know of, but it is kind of nice you mention it because I wanted to talk to you about that.” She looked over her shoulder and then leaned forward to talk quietly. “You need a tutor for your little girl, and well, I was an elementary school teacher back in Chicago.”
“You’re from Chicago?” She nodded in response as I looked her up and down. There was an ugly yellow mark on her arm, and I had a feeling I knew where it was from. Five distinct fingerprints marked where a large hand had grabbed her. My gut started to burn.
She noticed me glance at her arm and quickly pulled down her shirt sleeve, her face turning pink. “Uh, yeah, well, if you’re still serious about a tutor for Star, I’d like to help.”
I nodded and stuffed my hands in my pockets, fighting the strange urge to take this woman into my arms and protect her from whoever had given her those ugly bruises. “Yeah, that would be great. Why don’t you give me your number and we can set something up?”
We exchanged numbers and she went to wait on her tables. I went out to my truck and sat for another minute, watching her through the glass. She bent over to clear a table and my dick twitched in my pants. Who in their right mind would ever mistreat a woman? Especially a woman as beautiful as Dream.
I shook my head and started the truck, heading to pick up a few groceries before picking Star up from school. As I waited in the pickup line, I saw her standing with her classmates. Her eyes were cast downward and her shoulders were rounded forward. She was clearly upset and my heart ached for her.
I helped her into the truck and buckled her into her booster seat. “How was your day today, kiddo?” I asked as I pulled out of the line and onto the main street.
She shrugged and stared out the window.
“Come on, Star. You know you can tell me anything. What’s up?” I gently coaxed her.
Finally, she looked at me in the rearview mirror as I drove. “We were reading in class and I’m… I’m not very good,” she said quietly.
My heart ached for her. “It’s going to be okay
kiddo,” I reassured her.
“How about I make us some spaghetti for dinner?” I asked, knowing it was her favorite.
She nodded but didn’t smile as I’d expected her to. As soon we got home, I got out my phone and dialed Dream’s number.
CHAPTER FOUR - DREAM
I had been given the lunch shift that day, which was fine with me. I hadn’t slept well the night before; nightmares of Nick had kept me awake half the night. By the time I’d been exhausted enough to fall to sleep, dawn had been on the horizon. The later start time had allowed me to get at least a few hours of rest.
As I was tying my apron, Liza approached with a smug smile on her face. “You’ve apparently made quite an impression on someone,” she said, pointing to a booth in the back where Chance sat alone.
My stomach flipped at the sight of him and I subconsciously smoothed my hair back from my face. “Um, we’re the only diner in town. Plus, he is just here to talk over the tutoring job he offered me.”
“Hmm, too bad. I thought maybe he was here to throw you over his shoulder and give you a good roll in the hay,” she said, waggling her eyebrows at me.
I laughed and smacked her with my order pad, shaking my head as I approached Chance’s booth.
“Hey there. Can I get you something?” I asked.
He looked up at me and his blue eyes pinned me to where I stood. “How about a slice of pie and some coffee?” he asked.
Oh, I’ve got a slice of pie for you, I thought to myself naughtily. Jesus, what was wrong with me? Here I was, barely out of an abusive relationship, and this complete stranger had me thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts. I cleared my throat and smiled.
“Let me grab that for you, and I’ll be right back.” I hurried into the kitchen and cut a slice of pie. I poured him a fresh cup of coffee and put it on the tray and returned to the table.
I leaned up against the booth and waited until he’d tasted the pie. Even the way he chewed was sexy. “So when do want me to start?” I asked, needing to speak before I started imagining what else his mouth would look good doing.
“I guess as soon as possible. She’s having difficulty reading. She’s gone through some significant trauma and doesn’t talk a lot. Her teacher and counselor think she needs some special attention and I’m hoping it will give her confidence as well. Maybe bring her out of her shell.”
“I think we’ll get along great. From what I saw, she seemed to be a sweet girl.”
“Yeah, she opened up to you about her doll the other day. I haven’t seen her do that with anyone, so you must have the special touch.” He looked me up and down, as he said the words and I wondered what his touch would be like.
I blinked a few times and pushed away the thoughts. I had to be professional working with his daughter, and she was a special case having been through trauma. I didn’t need to complicate things with thoughts of sex; not for the little girl, or for myself.
“Did you and your wife divorce?” The question seemed to confuse him a bit, but then he shook his head.
“Star’s not my daughter, she’s my niece. My brother passed away, and then her mother grieved herself into an unfit situation. I took her in about three months ago, so this is a new situation for her. She was in the system awhile since I was away, so I’m not sure what’s she’s been through because she doesn’t share much, but it was enough to make her stop talking, and she doesn’t trust people easily.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. It sounds like she’s really had a hard time. I am trained to deal with children in delicate situations though, so I think we’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I wish I’d just hired you on the spot yesterday, but I thought I better think about it a while. I can’t be too careful with her, it seems. I feel like she’s a little China doll that’s going to break.”
“Well, you seemed like an old pro the other day.”
“Thanks. I’ve been told I’ll get the hang of it.”
So it really was just him and her. It took a special man to take on his brother’s child that way, especially since he was all alone without anyone to help him. Most men wouldn’t take on such a responsibility. I could feel my infatuation growing, along with the warmth between my legs.
“Well, I’m off Friday evening if you’d like me to start then, but there’s a girl starting here next week, so I can get Liza to make sure I’m scheduled off two nights a week if you like. Maybe Tuesdays and Thursdays would be good?”
“Friday is good, I don’t see any point in waiting, and if you’re worried about a schedule, any two nights during the week will work, and it can even vary if you need it to. I’m not picky, really. I do most of my work during the day since I work from home. I can pay fifty dollars per session. It seems to be the average rate for someone with experience.”
“Excellent. Well, I’ll see you then.”
Chance wrote his address on an order ticket and we agreed on a time for me to come over. I walked back over to the counter to where Liza was standing with a grin on her face. “What?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing,” she said, looking at me sideways.
“No, seriously, what?” I asked again.
“You really don’t see how he looks at you? Like he wants to lick you like he’s licking that fork over there?”
I watched his tongue dance over his fork before he placed it on his plate, and I was instantly wet. It had been way too long since a man had paid any attention to my needs. Nick had always been about his own pleasure, and that had usually included causing me pain. I allowed myself a brief moment to wonder what it might be like to be spread out underneath a man like Chance, and I had to stifle a groan.
I shook my head and picked up the coffee pot, stepping around the counter to refill the few customers in the place. “You’re ridiculous,” I said to Liza as I turned, and heard her chuckle behind me.
Chance finished his dessert and paid his check, offering a smile and a nod as he walked out. “See you Friday,” he called back before the door closed behind him.
I felt a sudden rush of nerves. I was more than qualified to tutor Star in reading, and yet for some reason I was questioning my decision to do it. Why was that?
The bells on the door sounded, and I turned to greet my new guests and caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was a black car with a light on the front, just like my ex owned through the force. He had been a cop for fifteen years and had more connections than a mob member. I froze in panic. Had he found me?
“Dream?” Liza stepped around in front of me and then turned her head as if to see what I was staring at. “Dream, are you okay? What is it?”
“Do you see that black car?”
“The one with the extra light?”
“Yes, that one. Do you know who that is?” I hoped that it was some local I’d never seen, but I wasn’t sure I’d get that lucky. My ex had found me time and time again, and each time, the abuse had been worse.
“Read the door, Dream. It’s just one of those boys over from the next county. He’s probably just passing through. They do that about once a month to take people over to the penitentiary.”
“I thought it was Nick’s people for a moment. I’m so sorry.”
She turned me toward the ladies’ room. “You go in there and wash your face and take a few deep breaths. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I feel like I’ve seen one.” I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I did look pale, but I couldn’t help it. I would rather die than face that man again. I took a paper towel from the dispenser and wet it, then I slapped it on the back of my neck.
I had to pull myself together. I couldn’t fear him the rest of my life, and that’s why I’d come to a place he’d never find me to start over. I’d make damned sure I had a good life here and was lucky I’d found people willing to help me. Even if I had to live on the streets, I’d promised myself that I’d survive. Once a little time had passed, he’d forget all about me, and I’d be able to stop looking ove
r my shoulder. I just prayed that time would come sooner than later.
CHAPTER FIVE - CHANCE
Star’s teacher helped her into the car as I pulled to a stop in the circle. “Have a good weekend, sweetie,” she said before she shut the door.
I drove us away as she hooked her seatbelt around her and Jackie. I’d remembered to bring the doll every day since she’d asked, but for one, and after the look of disappointment on her face, I’d make damned sure not to do that again.
“Can we get pizza?”
“Do you remember I told you how that nice lady from the diner was going to come over and help you with your reading?” She looked over at me with a solemn expression.
“I thought we’d wait and see if she would like to have pizza with us. Would you be okay with that?
“She doesn’t like pizza,” Star said, very matter of fact.
“Now, how do you know that? It might be her very favorite, and besides, we don’t want to be rude and start without her. She’s going out of her way to help us both.”
“I don’t want to read.” Star poked out her bottom lip and crossed her arms.
“I know you don’t like the way you read, Star, but Dream is not going to laugh at you. She’s really excited to help you a better reader. Think of this as having your own special teacher; one the other kids don’t get to have.”
She turned her head to look up at me, but she didn’t say anything else. I hoped she’d lighten up a little by the time Dream arrived, and not shut down completely. I’d seen her do that before. The day before she’d started school, she’d locked herself in the bathroom and wouldn’t come out. I finally, after an hour of begging, took the door off the hinges, and she was mad at me for the rest of the night.
For the most part, she was a reasonable kid, but she was extremely guarded in who she let in. I was just starting to break through to her myself.
We arrived home, and she went to take a bath, and while she was changing, there was a knock on the door. I opened the door and my breath was taken away by the angel on the other side.