“Do you want a piece of cake?” I asked quickly, hurrying into the kitchen with Eli in my arms.
I heard his knees crack as he got up and followed me. I pulled the cake out of the fridge and cut him a piece before asking. “We have juice and milk…”
“Milk’s fine.” I opened the cabinet. His arm reached past me before I grabbed the glass.
“I can get it.” Elijah’s deep voice rumbled.
“Nonsense. You’re a guest.” I took the glass from his hand, filled it with chocolate milk—he said he liked it—and gave it to him.
I wasn’t sure if I should sit down at the table with him or not.
Elijah was in my apartment. How did that happen?
“Is today really your birthday?” I blurted.
He looked up at me while eating. “It is. I’d be at work otherwise, but they ran me out today on account of what day it is.”
Slowly, I took a seat across from him. I studied him, or more accurately, his tattoos and finally asked, “May I ask what it is you do?”
“I own two tattoo parlors.” Another bite.
“Two?”
Wow, that explained his tattoos.
“Yeah, one’s back in Jeffrey though.”
“Why two?”
“Can’t give up my first baby because I moved back home.” His lips tipped up on the right side, and he gave me a shy smolder. “At least, I’m not ready to let it go just yet.” His gaze skimmed over me blatantly before he took the last bite of his cake. “Do you have any tattoos?”
I shook my head. “No, but I’ve always wanted one. Just never really had time to get one.”
He smirked, tipping his head to the side as if remembering something. “Lucy made a comment when she first saw my tattoos. Something about her grandpa not liking tattoos or maybe he thought they were ugly.”
“Yeah, he’s stuck in his ways.” The understanding gleam in his eyes and grin made me smile too. “My dad’s a good person though.”
“Hank wasn’t a fan of them either when I first decided tattooing was something I wanted to do for a living. Now he has a few.”
“Hank?”
“My mom’s husband.” I didn’t ask why he didn’t say stepdad. The way he smirked at the memory told me he was fond of him regardless of why he didn’t.
Carrying her ponies now, Lucy scooted the chair out beside Elijah. She laid out her toys on the table and sat down. “Do you like scary stuff, Elijah? Is that why you have them on your arms?”
This little listener. I should have known she was sitting around eavesdropping. My child was a creeper, a very observant one.
“I guess so… Does that make me a bad person?” he asked her.
She tossed her hands up. “I don’t think you’re bad, anymore.” She turned to me. “Can I get a tattoo?”
“You’re too little. When you grow up, maybe…”
Eli whined. I glanced down to see him staring up at me. As soon as he had my focus, he stopped fussing and smiled.
“All right, you little attention seeker.” I beamed at him.
“Does that mean Bubby wants one too when he grows up?” Lucy asked.
I snorted, going along with her. “Maybe.”
“He’s such a copycat,” Lucy said, clearly making up a crazy scenario in her head. Elijah laughed.
My cell phone, still in the living room, rang. I got up with Eli and went to answer it. When I saw Scott’s name displayed, I panicked. I thought about Elijah, and then remembered that he wasn’t Scott’s concern. Besides, we weren’t doing anything wrong. “Lucy. Come answer this. It’s your dad.” When she climbed down from her seat, I caught the frown on her lips. I’d forgotten about the party since she’d perked up since we came home. Her feet padded across the carpet and she took it from my hand.
I glimpsed over at Elijah to see him watching us. When Lucy began speaking, she headed to her room.
Elijah said, “You’re not with their father?” I shook my head and his shoulders seemed to relax. “I knew I never saw anyone when you guys—”
“Nope. It’s just us.”
“Out of choice or…”
“Yeah, some choice. I caught him cheating on me with my cousin.”
“That’s fucking shit,” he muttered, and I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Lucy wasn’t in the living room again.
“Yeah, but it’s fine.”
“It’s not.”
“Better to have found out, than to still be with him and not know what he was doing behind my back.” I shrugged as if the entire thing hadn’t broken me and my trust. Eli grabbed my shirt in his tiny hand and tugged at it.
Elijah nodded reluctantly. “That’s not what I meant. He’s a prick for doing that to his kids’ mom.” Elijah’s anger gave me pause and something fluttered in my stomach. “Were you married?”
“No.” But I thought I meant something to him. Despite the awkwardness of the conversation, I laughed. Now I was afraid Elijah might look down on me for being an unmarried mother. I was still working on not caring what others thought.
Lucy ventured out of her room with a slight frown on her lips as she brought the phone to me. “Dad says he’s coming over.”
I sighed. When Scott asked me earlier, I told him no. If Lucy wanted to go with her dad, I wouldn’t mind, but I hated when he tried to weasel his way back into my bed.
I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but wouldn’t do it in front of Elijah. The kitchen chair scraped the floor, and I glanced up at him. “I should go.”
That was probably a good idea with Scott coming. “Yeah… Happy birthday, by the way.”
A smile touched his lips. “Thanks.” He tilted his head. “I’m right next door if you need anything.” I didn’t know what made him say it, but I liked that he did. It was a nice feeling when someone unrelated said something like that.
“Okay.”
Elijah saw Lucy pouting. He bent down and messed with her hair. “I’ll look into those model cars.” He stood and gawked at Eli like he wanted to say something. Elijah’s gaze widened as he backed away, not saying anything to the baby in my arms.
Then he was out the door.
Chapter Thirteen
Elijah
“Why are you searching for them, anyway?” Hank asked as he searched Amazon for the car paint kits. I was at Ma’s the day after my first visit to Hadley’s apartment. I had a feeling there’d be more visits in my future.
“My neighbor’s little girl actually likes playing with cars and shit. I told her about them, and she wanted one.” I shrugged casually. “So, I said I’d get her and her brother one.”
Ma poked her head out of the kitchen when she heard me. Hank’s eyes lifted from the laptop in his lap. He sat at his recliner. “Would this neighbor happen to be a woman?”
I groaned. “It’s not like that.”
Hank smiled. “Hmm.”
“Am I going to have grandkids?” Ma asked, and I covered my eyes out of frustration. “How many does she have? Will she have more? I don’t like the thought of her not wanting more kids later since she already has two. Or is there more than two?”
How did asking about toy cars devolve so quickly?
“Ma! What in the hell are you going on about? It’s not like that.”
Ma scoffed and turned toward the kitchen.
“You’re buying her kids something,” Hank pointed out. “You always said you didn’t want kids despite your mother’s whining. Frankly, I didn’t even think you liked kids.”
“I don’t really, but Lucy’s not so bad. She’s lively like all kids, but something about her makes it easy for me to talk to her.”
“What about the other one?” Ma yelled
“Huh?”
“You mentioned a brother,” Ma reminded me.
“Oh,” I murmured. “He’s a baby. He does nothing but make weird noises.” And grab his mother’s shirt. I saw a lot of white creamy flesh, a lot of cleavage. So. Much. Cleavage. And a lot more was still hidde
n from view. Hank laughed. “What?”
“Babies are fun times.” He was messing with me. He had that shitty smirk going on. The one he always did when he was making fun of me for something I did as a kid. He jerked forward, clutching the laptop. “Wait! Is this the same neighbor that was having a baby and you delivered to the hospital?”
“Lucy’s a good kid, but I can’t talk to the baby yet.” I purposely ignored him.
“Why?” Ma asked. “Babies need to be spoken to just like adults do.”
“You sound like you’re planning on talking to him at some point,” Hank added.
“Well, yeah, I’ll talk to him like I do Lucy…eventually.”
Hank scratched his chin and frowned at me. “That’s not the way it works.”
“Leave him alone,” Ma said as she crossed her arms. “This is strange for you, Elijah. Do you plan on hanging around them a lot? Is there really nothing going on with you and the mom?”
“No.” I leaned back into the sofa cushion and sighed. “I don’t mind their company that’s all.”
Ma appeared thoughtful as she tilted her head to the side, slightly proud even as she grinned at me. “Then you must stop being afraid of the baby.”
The truth of her words filled me with dread. Icy fear slithered down my neck. Kids were obnoxious and babies whined all the time, but that wasn’t the only reason I didn’t mess with them. They were fragile, especially babies. I stayed clear of things that were breakable. Besides, I could admit to not being capable of taking care of another life. The thought terrified me. “I’m not going around the baby. He’s just too tiny.”
“You’ll be fine.” Ma arched one brow, amused.
“Yeah, I will since I won’t be touching him. Besides, Hadley’s protective. There’s no way she’ll ever ask me to hold him.” I preferred it that way, too. I didn’t want to hurt something so small.
Ma arched her brow. “Do you hear yourself?”
“I just ordered them,” Hank informed me.
“How much did they cost?” I asked. I had no intention of getting him to order the cars, but I should have known he’d take it upon himself.
“Don’t worry about it.”
I’d just have to stick some money in the sugar bowl before I left.
______
It was a few weeks later, after work on a Tuesday, when I saw Hadley, Lucy, and baby Eli again. I was parked at Walmart when they excitedly rushed by my truck heading for the entrance. It was almost dark out, but I recognized their voices as clear as day. The thought was mindboggling.
This was getting a little ridiculous. I hadn’t spoken to them since Lucy and my joint birthday when I had a slice of cake in their apartment. I had two cakes that day. One from Ma and one from Wendy and the guys so, it wasn’t like I needed another piece that day.
Why was I like that with them? I’d use any excuse to talk to them at that point.
I rubbed my forehead as I watched them. “Anything I want?” Lucy jumped up and down next to Hadley as they walked. Eli was swaddled in something placed against her chest. Whatever it was, covered both her shoulders and wrapped around her back. The guy seemed snug and comfortable.
They were too far away to make out the rest of the conversation, but they were definitely excited. Even Hadley appeared happy, a little carefree even, and her scrubs weren’t white. They were pink bottoms and a top with some sort of design.
This was the first time I’d run into them anywhere since the grocery store incident. I didn’t know we’d end up at the same place at the same time. If I went in, would she presume that I was a stalker? Why was that even a thought when I knew I wasn’t one? This mother and her kids were messing with my brain in an unusual way.
We were more or less friends, right? Not feeling weird about it, I would go in there like I came to do. It was a strange coincidence. I didn’t have to talk to them. I wouldn’t—just get in and get out like I always did.
Then again… Last week I debated knocking on Hadley’s door when the car paint kits came but stopped myself every time. I figured I’d see them. Eventually.
Only I wouldn’t talk to them that night. The plan was to get in and get out.
Chapter Fourteen
Hadley
I didn’t realize how crappy my body felt over the last year until I spent the past few weeks actually getting sleep. Having days off—let me repeat that having days off—was amazing. Lucy, Eli, and I lazed around in our pj’s on those days until we got bored. Then, I’d take them to the park by the lake if the older kids were outside the apartment, or we’d go to my parents’ house. We’d even Facetimed with Olivia—I appreciated being able to talk to my sister more.
I was nervous about starting at the hospital, but everything turned out okay. I was still getting to know everyone, but so far, everyone seemed great. I could see myself getting close to Rosalee, an RN a few years older than me. We clicked immediately on the first day.
Two weeks passed, and it was my first payday. I felt like a millionaire when I checked my account last night. CNA’s barely made more than minimum wage—in a nursing home you had to work a long time to build up better pay. The pending amount was amazing. I even called Mom, and we cried together. Reality hit me. School was over. I didn’t process it all until the stress from worrying over money finally fell from my shoulders. Well, almost. There was still the credit card to pay off, but other than that, things were looking up for my family.
At that moment, I was making good on the promise I had made Lucy. As soon as I got off work at seven, I picked up Lucy and Eli from my parents and headed to Walmart. We grabbed random stuff we only dreamed of buying because of my previous budget.
Before going to the food aisles, I took Lucy to pick out a toy. It wasn’t a surprise when she picked up a box of Hot Wheels cars. I picked up a new outfit for Eli, and then, headed to the makeup department for a few items and skincare products. It had been a long time since I purchased anything for myself—maybe since sophomore year. A lot of the nurses I worked with dressed nice and looked beautiful. Would it be wrong for me to want to be pretty again? It wouldn’t take away from me being Lucy and Eli’s mom.
After a few minutes of standing around, trying to figure out what to buy, Lucy looked up to me with a smile and asked, “Will you do my makeup too?”
She made my life easier, no matter what anyone said.
I’d been feeling a little lost, but slowly, the stress of nursing school and money lifted. Scott’s betrayal and absence in my life felt simpler and somehow less important. The only things that were significant were right there with me, happy with me.
Finally, we made it to the food section. We were content tossing items into the shopping cart like we’d never done before. I didn’t notice him at first since I didn’t know the man. At all. I was too busy with Eli in my arms and Lucy yelling for everything, but now I couldn’t stop glancing back at him. Was he following us? I couldn’t be sure, and I didn’t want to be one of those women who overreacted, but something seemed off about the older man. I didn’t want to be rude, but he seemed like a major creep.
Lucy brought over a half-gallon of chocolate milk and asked, “This?”
Placing a hand behind Eli’s head, I bent down toward Lucy and grinned. “How about a full gallon?”
Her eyes lit up as she ran to switch it out. Next, we hit the meats. We grabbed everything possible. Lucy was busy making plans for me to cook tacos when we got home even though it was already so late. She wanted BBQ ribs tomorrow and just mac and cheese another night. She was really thorough about what she wanted as she tossed everything in the shopping cart.
“Can I get some candy?” Lucy asked as I grabbed a loaf of bread.
I held up one finger. “Just one.” I searched around for the older man every so often, feeling better when I hadn’t seen him as we headed toward the front of the store. The shopping cart was overflowing, and I was mentally drained thinking about what came next—taking everything out of the cart, c
hecking out, loading up the trunk, and driving home.
Ugh.
Right before we reached the registers, I saw Elijah. Not really him so much as his tattooed arm plucking a bag of Funyuns from the chip aisle. My gaze wandered over his dark jeans and black shirt, appreciating the familiar way they hugged his muscles, before landing on his face. My cheeks did a slow burn, and I quickly averted my eyes even though Elijah didn’t see me. Or did he?
What was that heated sensation in my chest coming from?
“Mommy is that Elijah?” Lucy mumbled and tapped my hip with her fingers. I was grateful she didn’t scream his name like she normally did.
“I think so,” I whispered even though we stood at a distance from him.
Eli grunted and stretched against my chest. I knew my beast boy would eventually squirm, especially when he’d been good for so long.
Slowly, Elijah turned our direction. I felt awkward and flushed, so I glanced down at Eli while running my fingers over his head.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Lucy waving. “Elijah!”
I counted to three and then looked up. Elijah walked toward us, a hint of a smile crossed his face as he stared at my daughter.
“Hey,” I murmured when he stopped in front of Lucy.
“You guys grocery shopping?” He glanced my way.
I nodded, gripping the cart with one hand and holding Eli’s head as he wiggled with my other.
“Can I have some Funyuns too?” Lucy blinked up at me.
“Yeah, let’s grab them and go,” I told her.
“Been a while.” Elijah’s voice was deep and gravelly as he spoke.
I pressed my lips together and gave him another nod. “It has.” He didn’t have to know that on my days off I watched him come home.
“I have those cars with the paint kits.” Elijah ran his fingers through his hair as he moved closer and turned in the direction we were heading—back to the chips aisle.
He was talking to me, but Lucy answered, “I knew you didn’t forget!” She bounced on her heels. “Can we do them when we get home?”
One Percent of You Page 9