“She’s sleeping,” I whispered.
“Really?” he asked, grinning.
“Yeah,” I said. “Look.”
Elijah stared into the car seat and the look in his eyes hit my heart hard. He was a good guy. Even if he didn’t show it all the time or show it the right way.
He carefully took Cecily out of her car seat and held her against his body and shoulder.
He looked at me and smiled. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I whispered.
I wasn’t fine… but I’d figure it out.
“We’re going to go through the side door,” he whispered. “Just in case. I’ll put her down and then we can do whatever. Okay?”
I nodded.
He slowly shut the door and then we walked together toward the house.
Elijah held a sleeping Cecily with one hand and held my hand with the other.
My mind, heart, and body couldn’t figure out what to do.
I was just going to keep going with the motions.
And those motions had us basically sneaking through Elijah’s father’s mansion to the second floor, right to a door that wasn’t Elijah’s room. It was the door next to it.
He opened the door and smiled at me. “I’ll be right back.”
“Can I come?” I asked.
“Sure,” he whispered.
We entered the room.
The soft glow of a small nightlight was just enough to make it so I wouldn’t walk into anything.
The room made me stop.
It was a full-on nursery.
Everything pink, black, animals, and skulls. It was so weirdly fitting for a baby of Elijah’s.
But I was okay there. I was okay in that moment.
My eyes slowly scanned the room.
I watched as Elijah stood at the crib and gently started to lower Cecily down.
As I turned my head, I realized quickly this wasn’t just a nursery for the baby.
There was a bed in the corner of the room.
A really nice, big bed.
The bed was made to perfection but my eyes refused to look away.
That’s where Rory slept.
That’s where Rory stayed.
Under the same roof as Elijah.
Which was okay…
It’s all okay. Everything is okay here. This is totally okay.
Elijah touched my arm and I jumped.
I almost gasped but I swallowed my own breath.
He pointed to the door and we hurried out of the bedroom.
When Elijah shut the door, he threw his fists in the air and pretended to scream.
It made me smile.
He grabbed my hand and we rushed to his room.
The second we were in the room, his hands were on me.
That fierce grip at my waist, pushing me right toward the bed.
“Oh, excuse me,” I said. “This is what you brought me here for?”
“Why else would I bring you here?”
I gently slapped his face. “Can you pretend to be romantic?”
“I can whisper something sweet and I can slip my fingers into-”
“Not tonight,” I said.
I pushed away from Elijah with my eyes open in shock.
I walked to his bed on my own and jumped onto it.
As much as we both hated his father, this bed was seriously comfortable.
Elijah walked to the nightstand and turned on the baby monitor. He stared at it for a few seconds then set his attention on me.
He dove at the bed and I screamed and rolled out of the way.
He slammed down to the bed and I bounced and laughed.
“I need to do something,” he said.
“Oh?”
“Two things.”
“Name them.”
“I need a kiss from you,” he said. “That’s always number one.”
“Okay. What’s the second thing?”
“I need a cigarette,” he said. “It’s been a long fucking day.”
“I agree,” I said. I rolled to my back and stared at the ceiling. “A really long fuc-”
Elijah was suddenly on top of me.
I lost my breath.
His body against mine.
In his bed together.
An arm on each side of me.
He bent his elbows and pressed his lips to mine.
“That’s the best feeling in the world,” he whispered to me.
My lips moved with no words.
Elijah then finished climbing over me and walked to the window where he opened it and took out a cigarette and lit it.
He put his head back and grinned with the cigarette between his lips.
I rolled to my side and enjoyed the view.
The bad boy smoking in his room. The good girl in his bed.
Yet it wasn’t that anymore at all.
It was all flipped upside down and twisted around.
I licked my lips, still wanting to taste his kiss.
Elijah said it was the best feeling in the world.
And he was one hundred percent right.
* * *
Elijah finished his cigarette and then snuck out of the room to go raid the downstairs for something to eat and drink. There was something so innocent about him wanting to get us chips and pretzels. So we could just sit in his bed and talk.
He left without taking the baby monitor.
And he didn’t take his phone either.
I inched to the edge of the bed and sat there, staring at the screen. I could see everything perfectly in Cecily’s room even though it was mostly dark in there. Of course it didn’t shock me that Elijah probably had the most expensive baby monitor.
It made me think about Rory again though.
Elijah had opened himself to me about her. What she meant. Why she and him hooked up together. That she was the complete opposite of me and that’s exactly what he needed at that moment in time. Which I understood. Except I was different than him. Which was why Dex had been my rebound thing. Dex was like Elijah in a lot of ways. And the best thing about him was that we were both completely clear on what it was. Dex knew I was in love with Elijah and he didn’t care. To him, I was just someone to hang out with and enjoy each other’s company without anyone getting serious, ever.
My mind stayed stuck on Rory though.
If she was the opposite of me did that mean she had good parents? A good home? Rich parents who could buy her the most expensive baby monitor? Who let her leave with Cecily to go find Elijah and try to make things work?
It started to become overwhelming.
I swallowed hard and reached for the baby monitor.
My finger traced the screen as Elijah snuck back into the room.
When I turned my head to look at him, I started to laugh.
He was carrying cups, sodas, a bottle of something else, and he had bags of snacks hanging from his teeth.
He walked to the bed and opened his mouth, dropping the bags to the bed.
“Thanks for the help, babe,” he said.
“You did just fine on your own,” I said. “I’m your guest anyway. You should do all the work to make me happy.”
“So this means you’re happy?” Elijah asked.
“Not even close.” I kicked back on the bed and sat up against the headboard. “Keep trying.”
“You know me and challenges, babe,” Elijah said.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m starting to realize that all your cheap moves are meant for summer.”
“Why’s that?” he asked.
“Because they’re only good for a little while. After that, it gets boring.”
“Ouch,” Elijah said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I watched as he poured a drink into a cup. A mix of soda and booze. Something I should have stayed away from. And I didn’t mean the soda either.
He walked along the side of the bed and handed me the cup.
“Trust my drink making skills, Nova?” he asked.
&n
bsp; “No.”
“Why not?”
“You ruined it.”
“How?”
“You put soda in it,” I said with a wink.
“Fuck, you are so perfect.”
Elijah lowered his mouth down to mine.
I let him steal a few seconds worth of kissing but that was it.
I traded his lips for the cup.
His lips tasted better. And his lips were more potent than the booze he put in the drink.
Elijah made a drink for himself and sat up in bed next to me.
“Movie?” he asked.
“Silence,” I said.
“That’s what I wanted too.”
“Then why ask?”
“Just curious what you want, babe,” he said.
“You don’t want to know what I want, Elijah.”
“Oh yeah? Try me.”
I kept sipping the drink. There was definitely more booze than soda in the mixture, which was good. And bad.
“I can’t believe you have a baby,” I said. “And she’s sleeping in the next room.”
“Neither can I,” he said. “Sometimes she sleeps on my chest.”
Heart. Explosion.
I blinked fast, trying not to picture little Cecily sleeping on Elijah’s chest. My body couldn’t take that kind of mental picture.
“She’s lucky,” I said.
“You can do the same,” he said. “Tonight. You’re not leaving.”
“What about…”
“She said she’ll be back tomorrow,” Elijah said. “And, Nova, even if she was here, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to figure this out with her soon. I just wanted to get to know Cecily. In case Rory takes off with her.”
“She wouldn’t…”
“Babe.”
“Sorry. Right. People suck.”
“I think I suck,” Elijah said. “And you suck for still loving me for sucking.”
“Well, stop sucking and then I won’t suck.”
Elijah laughed. “I love how quick you are at that, Nova. And I love the way your cheeks get a little flush when you drink. And I love the color of your eyes right now.”
“Wow. You’ll say anything to get into my pants tonight, won’t you?”
Elijah slowly nodded. “Sadly, yes. I mean, I can go really far. Tell you looking into your eyes is better than looking at the stars. Or maybe you make my heart feel like the waves. Crashing over and over.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I said.
“It does in a romantic way. Anything makes sense romantically.”
“Yeah? What about this cup?” I put it to my lips and finished my drink. “An empty, plastic cup. A cheap cup. How is that romantic?”
“Simple,” he said. He took the cup from my hands. “I’m the cup. My heart is this cup, babe. It’s empty. Without you, it’s just… empty.”
Elijah reached behind him and put the cup on the other nightstand. He then touched my face. His thumb stroking my cheek. In way it was so damn cliché but I needed it so bad. Again and again.
“It works,” he whispered.
“No it doesn’t,” I said. “Try again.”
Elijah got closer to me. “The cup. My heart. I only get my fill when I’m with you. You’re my drink. My potion.” Elijah put his lips against mine but he didn’t kiss me. “My fucking poison, babe…”
That’s when he kissed me.
He had won.
Oh, fuck, he had won.
A stupid cup and I was grabbing at him, pulling him on top of me.
Elijah pressed his body to mine, taking full control. His right hand moving from my cheek down to my chest. I broke the kiss and put my head back and let out a sigh of relief. His lips touched my neck and that was more than enough for me. I pulled at him again, not wanting to waste time with this stuff. I wanted to get busy. Right now. Right here. I didn’t want a chance to think about things and have my heart and head agree this was really stupid.
His hand cupped my chest and he kissed back up to my mouth.
Our lips and tongues met yet again.
I heard a noise and broke the kiss to look at the baby monitor.
It didn’t come from that though.
I lifted my head and saw the bedroom door open.
“Elijah,” I whispered.
I moved my knee and hit him in the balls to get him off me.
He turned and we were both staring at Annie. The fucking housekeeper/maid/spy person. She didn’t like me and I didn’t care about that.
I looked at Elijah. “What the fuck?”
“I didn’t lock the door,” he said. “Hands were full.”
“Get rid of her,” I ordered, feeling like a bitch, but whatever.
“What do you want?” Elijah snapped at Annie.
“Wasn’t sure if that poor baby was back or not. She’s not a toy.”
“She’s my daughter,” I said. “Now leave. She’s sleeping. You’re going to wake her up.”
Annie then squinted and looked at me. She shook a finger at me. “You should be ashamed.”
“For what?” I asked.
“He’s got priorities,” she said. Then she looked at Elijah again. “And you, bringing another woman into the bed you share with the mother of your baby…”
“What?” I asked.
I jumped out of the bed like it was on fire.
“Annie, get the hell out of here,” Elijah said. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“She doesn’t?” I asked.
Elijah looked at me. “Wait, Nova. It’s not what you think.”
I looked at Annie.
I thought of about ten things I wanted to say to her. But she was just doing her job. Paid by Elijah’s father and Rosemary to spy on Elijah. And paid to probably do this exact thing. Cause enough problems so that Elijah would leave and never come back.
That made me feel for him, believe me, it did.
But…
Annie blessed herself and backed out of the room, whispering something to herself. Like she always did.
Fucking crazy bag.
“Nova, look at me,” Elijah said as he moved from the bed.
He touched my arm and I ripped away from him.
I pointed to him. “You slept with her? You fucked Rory again?”
“No,” he said. “No. I swear on my life I didn’t do that.”
“I knew it all along too,” I said. “The second she was standing there with a baby. I knew it was going to happen. It’s your family now, Elijah. It’s not me anymore. It can’t be.”
“You’re not listening to me, babe,” he said.
He moved toward me while I moved toward the bedroom door.
I kept pointing at him. “Just answer one thing. Has she been in this room?”
“Nova…”
“Answer me.”
“Yes,” he said.
“Has she been in your bed?”
“Yes. But not like-”
“Fuck,” I said. “But you didn’t sleep with her?”
“Not like you’re thinking,” he said.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“She slept in my bed, yes,” Elijah said. “But just slept. Okay? A couple rough nights…”
“More than one night,” I said. “That’s why her bed is so perfectly made I bet. So what do you two do? Sleep on opposite ends of the bed? Waiting for the baby to wake up? So you could share those moments together?” I rubbed my forehead. “I’m a fucking idiot. I really do suck.”
“Nova, wait a second,” Elijah growled.
I swung my hand and it felt really good to slap him across the face.
The slap reverberated to my heart and my eyes filled with tears.
“Don’t follow me,” I said.
“I have to,” he said. “I have to know you’re safe.”
“I’m calling Aira and Wes to come get me,” I said.
“I’ll wait with you.”
I hurried out of his room and through
the hall. I looked at Cecily’s door for a second before tears streamed down my cheeks.
A quick text to Aira and she replied in two seconds saying they were on their way.
Despite our issues over Wes and Elijah she was a damn good friend.
Elijah followed me through the entire house and outside.
I finally stopped and turned. “You have a family.”
“I have a daughter,” he said. “That’s not the same thing.”
“How am I supposed to do this? Knowing you and Rory live together.”
“We don’t live together,” he said.
“Yes, you do. Right now, you do.”
“So, you don’t trust me.”
“Trust?” I asked, laughing. “This has nothing to do with trust, Elijah. She slept in your bed. With you. Next to you. Let me ask you something… and think about this really hard. What would you do if you found out I slept in the same bed as another guy? With Leo? With Wes? With Walker? With Conor?”
His face twisted with anger.
He didn’t respond.
“That’s what I thought,” I said. “I’m not the fucking crazy one here, Elijah. You are. This entire thing is crazy. Everything that has to do with you is crazy. You and me… together… that’s crazy…”
“Then crazy is what we have, babe,” he said. “Crazy is all I ever want then. If it gets me to you.”
I shook my head. “Maybe nothing can get you to me.”
I walked away again and this time, Elijah gave me space.
Which I secretly hated.
I wanted him to chase me down and keep chasing me down.
Was that wrong?
I wasn’t sure.
Wes and Aira showed up a short time later and I ran toward the car. Wes made a big turn so the driver’s side faced the house. I was already opening the door to get inside before Wes could come to a full stop.
Aira jumped into the backseat and threw her arms around me before I could say a word about what had happened.
That made me feel even worse.
Like they already knew. Like they were all just sitting around waiting for me to collapse for good over the entire situation with Elijah.
“Hey, Elijah!” Wes called out the window.
I turned my head and saw Elijah standing where I had been just a few seconds earlier at the top of the large, stone steps.
“Maybe try not breaking her heart and see what happens!” Wes yelled.
It was a cheap move.
Just to get a reaction out of Elijah.
“Wes, stop it,” Aira said. “Just get her out of here. Away from all of this mess.”
HIDDEN CREEK CRY: a hidden creek high noval Page 12