by Vivian Ward
I didn’t want to get him anything that he could choke on, or that was too advanced for him to play with. Picking out his toy was another reminder of how little I knew in parenting, and I hated it. I should have known everything there is to know about my boy.
His tiny hands reached out and took the bear from me, a contagious grin spreading across his face as he cooed at it. The kid melted my fucking heart. It was incredible.
“Do you like teddy bears?” I smiled at him, rubbing his back.
God, it felt so good just to touch him, interact with him, and be with him. I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life raising him, teaching him things and showing him how to be a man.
I never wanted this moment to end. The one where he looked up at me with a big jack-o-lantern smile, his curly hair twigging off in a million little directions as he clutched the only toy I’d ever given him.
I looked up at Julie and even though she hated me for finding out her little secret and dragging her away from their home, I could tell that it touched her too.
No matter how much she wanted to stay pissed off at me, she couldn’t help but grin at us. For a second, I saw the love in her eyes that she once carried for me—and would always carry for Bentley—until she caught me staring at her.
She quickly wiped the look off of her face and folded her arms.
“How much longer are we going to have to stay here?”
“Well,” I stood up and leaned against the fence surrounding the play area. “The way I see it, you’re mine now, and we need to start living as a family so today, we’re going to go hunting for an apartment. I’ll let your parents decide what they want to do, but I strongly advise that they don’t go back to their property until I give them the clear.”
“What? We can’t just go apartment hunting. I’ve got too many bills to be playing house with an overgrown asshole such as yourself. And as for my parents, my dad has a car lot to run. He has to go back there. There’s no choice in the matter.”
“Look, babe, you can say what you want, but you don’t have a choice in the matter. You’re coming with me, like it or not. Let’s go get your things packed up while I have a talk with your folks.”
“What about Lee?” she asked, and I swear those words made my blood boil.
“What about Lee?” I said through gritted teeth. “That bastard can stay put up in a hotel until we finish what we came for. I don’t give a fuck if he has to sleep under a highway after he put his hands and lips on you. Right now, everything between us is strictly business, and if it weren’t for that, I would’ve already busted his fucking skull for putting his lips on you.”
Staring down at her before I opened the door to the hotel room, I couldn’t help but notice how fucking innocent and sweet she looked.
She was wearing a white summer dress that hugged her body perfectly, exposing just enough of her breasts to make my dick throb. It took every ounce of my being not to stare at her and think about all of the bad things I’d like to do to her in bed.
Her dad was sitting on the bed watching the news, and Lee was working on his laptop at the desk beside their bed.
“I was just finishing up. I only came in after she left,” he nodded at Julie.
Shawn shot a confused look between the two of us, waiting for an update from me about what was going on.
“I’ve been out in the woods for the last couple of days, and there hasn’t been any activity, but that doesn’t mean much in my book.
There’s no telling if they’ll ever come back, but there’s also no telling if they saw me and are waiting me out or they’re in jail or what the case might be. All I can say is that we’ll have to continue monitoring the situation.”
“So can we go back home?” her father asked.
“That’s up to you. Would I advise it? Absolutely not. I know you have a business to run, but is it worth your life? Could some of your other employees run it? Even if it’s just until we figure out what in the hell is going on?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I always ran it with the help of Julie and one other sales person. Honestly,” he rubbed his forehead, “we need another sales person to help out, but it’s hard to find someone reliable.”
“I can’t tell you what to do, but you do what you think is best. Just know and remember that I’m against it.”
“I’ll be fine,” he turned to Julie. “Come on; I’ll help you take all of your bags back home.”
I stepped in front of her. There was no way in hell I was giving her the option to go back home and take my son away from me again, and I sure as hell wasn’t shacking up with Pops.
“She’ll be coming with me. We’re going to get a place of our own and start living like a family.”
He studied me for a minute before looking at his daughter. Stepping beside her, I put my arm around her and pressed my fingers into her arms, letting her know there were no other options; no way was she getting out of this one.
“You sure? That’s what you want?” her mom asked her.
I tightened my grip on her and dug my fingers deeper into her arm, pulling her in closer to me.
“Y-yes,” she looked up at me. “We’re going to start living as a family now.”
She didn’t sound very convincing, and everyone in the room knew it.
“I think it’s best for the baby. He needs to get to know his dad,” she added, with a bit more confidence in her voice.
Her parents had looked at each of us before her dad focused his attention on her. “If you change your mind, you can always come back home.”
“I know,” she answered him, pulling the baby a little closer to her chest.
“All right, let’s get a move on. We’re burning daylight, and I want to start looking for a place today.”
Chapter 9
Julie
Bentley was quietly snuggled in the backseat as we drove down the main road, probably dreaming of his crib at home. A crib that he couldn’t—and wouldn’t—see for a long time, if ever. Damon was on his phone, returning a call-back for an appointment to look at a place.
I crossed my arms and let out a huff of air as I sighed; annoyed.
“Where are we going anyway? I can’t imagine you made many appointments, but that could be a good thing,” I studied his face as I pulled my hair out of my face.
The warm summer breeze was tangling and knotting my hair, threatening to break every twisted strand if I ever got it untangled.
“Why is that?”
He seemed uninterested but asked anyway.
“Because Bentley’s going to need to eat soon. He had breakfast at the butt crack of dawn; I’m sure he’ll be getting hungry before too long.”
“If he starts fussing, we can stop but I’ve got three appointments lined up for this afternoon,” he looked over at me, licking his lips. “And you’re gonna pick one of them. I’m not playing around, Julie. This isn’t a house hunt for the perfect new home. You’ll tell me which place you like the best, and I’ll sign the papers.”
I couldn’t believe him but as stunned as I was, I expected it. That’s the kind of person he was, and maybe that’s why I hid Bentley from him for so long.
I was afraid of what he would say or do, but there was no turning back now. It was undeniable that Bentley was his and now that Damon knew about him, he made it obvious that they would not be separated.
Not ever again.
We only made it through the first place that he had scheduled before the baby started demanding food, and I was glad to get out of there. It was a small, two bedroom apartment and it was a little on the dumpy side. Several of the walls had large cracks going from the ceiling to the floor, and the walls were discolored. It didn’t help that the old woman showing us around the apartment smelled like piss and cats.
“What does he like to eat?” Damon asked as I strapped him back into his car seat.
“He’s pretty flexible, but his favorite food is chicken nuggets. He practically inhales those things.”
“You know, despite the fact that you kept him from me, you’ve done a good job raising him. He’s happy, healthy and,” he glanced in the backseat, “very well fed, judging by those round, puffy cheeks of his.”
We both laughed for a moment, and it made the feeling in the car a hundred times lighter.
“So this moving thing, is it negotiable? I don’t wanna leave my parents all alone; my dad could use my help on the car lot.”
“Like it or not, I’m going to protect you guys, and I’m not leaving your side. It’s not safe to go back there—at least not yet. We’re going to give this a shot, and I’m not leaving anything to chance. Maybe one day, if the time’s right, we can all go back there, but I’d say to give this a fighting chance, we need our space. I’m going to make you my wife, and you’re going to love me, or you’ll die pretending till your last breath. I’ll be damned if my kid’s gonna grow up a bastard like his old man.”
So much for that.
“Just so you know, my son and I aren’t living in any dumps, not like the place we just went to. I’ll—”
“Listen, babe. These are just showings. I said you could pick, didn’t I? I want you and the boy to be happy. Hell, I want us to all be happy. Don’t you get that? I didn’t say every place we’re going to is a fucking palace today; they’re just starter places.”
After lunch, we headed to the next place on the list. It was a three-bedroom rental house with updated bathrooms and an updated kitchen, but I wasn’t holding my breath until I saw it even though it sounded nice. We had arrived a little before the landlord did.
“Hop out, go have a look around; I’ve got the kid,” he took Bentley out of his car seat and tossed him up in the air, catching him in his hands before I had a near heart attack.
I walked up to the house and peeked in the front windows. The living room looked decent; not too big and not too small, but I couldn’t tell anything about the paint or carpet because it was so dark inside and I was standing on my tiptoes as it was. Hearing a car door shut, I turned around; embarrassed that the landlord had caught me peeking through the windows.
“You guys the Miller’s?” he asked with a toothpick hanging out of his mouth as he ran his thumb around the waistband of his pants.
“We will be,” Damon said, shaking the man’s hand as he glared at me.
You son-of-a-bitch. I bet you just love telling people that I’m going to marry you, even though they don’t know you’re forcing me to.
I smiled politely, not giving away how badly I wanted to punch Damon right in the gut.
“Well, this place isn’t the fanciest that you young kids are prolly lookin’ for, but I’d imagine you might like it,” he pried the front door open with his key and held his arm out for us to enter first.
Damon nodded at me, allowing me to go inside first.
When I first walked in, all I could smell was fresh paint. The walls were much nicer than the apartment, but the carpet was old. Old, but no stains and still functional; I could deal. First on my checklist was the kitchen since I loved to cook.
“Which way’s the kitchen?” I asked the man.
“O’er there,” he pointed.
I hadn’t noticed that he was missing a few of his teeth until he spoke to me up close.
The kitchen was all right; decent size, white cabinets with a linoleum floor that looked like a variety of gray stones. I liked the fact that it had a gas stove, and the fridge was plenty big for us.
Running my fingers along the countertops, I noticed that it was a slick, gray granite countertop and it matched the flooring.
Satisfied with the kitchen, I went to check out the size of the bedrooms while Damon and the landlord continued talking in the front room.
He was telling him something about the furnace and the plumbing; typical guy shit. And just like before, Damon didn’t bother himself with checking things out. It was like he didn’t even care.
The bedrooms were okay. Nothing to write home about, but they weren’t too small, either. The closet space would do, though I could use more; and all of the bedrooms had the same old carpet the rest of the house had. At least it all matched, and it was dark so if Bentley spilled anything the stains wouldn’t be noticeable.
In the master bath, there was a basic shower and a small vanity. It was clean, and just like the carpet, functional. For a rental house, it was nice considering that any houses that my friends rented weren’t this updated.
“Where is the laundry room?” I asked, walking into the living room.
Bentley was busy crawling around on the floor, checking things out as Damon watched over him like a hawk.
“There’s a half basement, nothing special. Concrete. There are washer and dryer hook-ups down there; watch your head going down the steps because the ceiling is low. The door to the basement is near the back door, it’s the one with the black handle and has a skeleton keyhole.”
Great. It’s probably the portal to hell, which might be the whole reason Damon brought me to this place.
Creeping down the stairs, I noticed he was right about the ceiling. Whoever built this place did a hell of a job trying to knock people out if they tried to run down to the basement in a hurry. The musty basement smell overpowered my senses. Damn. I could taste it because it was so strong.
Yep, he was right.
It was a tiny concrete slab under the steps that wrapped around to a washer and dryer hook up. There certainly wasn’t much storage area, but how much would we need? The boards of the steps creaked and groaned under my feet as I walked back upstairs.
“How’d ya like it?” the man asked me as I walked back into the living room.
“I don’t know. I was starting to wonder if there were skeletons buried under the concrete slab,” I half-joked with him.
The truth was, it did give me the creeps.
“Just a few, but we like to keep ‘em a secret,” he winked. “Well,” he sighed. “The rent’s due on the first of the month, and if you’d like, you can move in right away,” he tested the waters, seeing if we’d jump.
“Can I talk to you in private?” I asked Damon.
He followed me outside where we examined the house while we whispered.
“Was this one better?” he asked.
“Not by much. I mean, yes, the paint and carpet were nicer, but I don’t know if it’s right for us.”
“Could you live here? For a year? It’s not permanent.”
“I-I don’t know. I think that—”
“Look, this isn’t where we’re gonna live forever. When we buy a house, I want it to be a nice house, but I think this will do. I think we should take it; it’s getting late, and I can call and cancel the other showing. Besides, the next one is an apartment, and we won’t have as much privacy when it comes to me making you scream and beg every damned night that we’re in bed.”
The landlord walked outside before I could reply. “I have a doctor’s appointment, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be heading out. I’ve locked the place up, but if you want to take a second look, I can meet up with you later this evening or tomorrow.”
Damon didn’t break his stare from me as he replied.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll get my checkbook out of the jeep and pay you right now.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I pursed my lips and shook my head before I picked Bentley up and started strapping him into his baby seat. From inside the car, I watched Damon write the man a check and hand it over to him before he tossed him the keys to the house.
Two days later we were moving into the house. I figured that I would have at least a whole week of being home with my parents, but the way Damon came in like a whirlwind and broke down the baby crib and my bedroom set, it didn’t take nearly that long.
He and Lee were carrying things out to the moving truck faster than I could pack them, and he refused to stop for a break; not even for lunch.
My mom played with Bentley and took care of him for the most part while we
were busy packing and moving. I could see the sadness in her eyes that we were leaving, but Damon wasn’t giving me much of a choice. All I could do was put on my happy face and pretend that everything was all right.
“You know we’ll see you all the time,” I reassured her as she bounced Bentley on his knee. “I still have to come into work, and he’ll still need to see his Mama and Papa.”
Bentley’s eyes were fluttering closed as he struggled to stay awake. It had been an eventful day for him, too.
“I know,” my mom said, trying to sound strong and positive.
It was her way; she’d never show any sign of weakness, but I could tell it was crushing her.
“You know, mom,” I started. “You could keep Bentley for the night while we get settled into the new place.”
Damon cleared his throat behind me as he sipped on a glass of water. Unsure as to how long he’d been there, I froze in place even though my mom’s face was lit up like a Christmas tree.
“I’d sure love if I could do that,” an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.
I looked up at Damon with pleading eyes; he must have read my mind.
“What about the woods? The whole reason it’s not safe to stay here?”
My dad walked in, coming home for lunch, and overheard the conversation.
“I’ll sleep with my revolver right by my side. If I hear so much as a creak in the floor, I’ll wake right up,” he said.
I nodded.
“Yeah, he’s a very light sleeper. He wakes up even if the wind blows too hard.”
Damon’s jaw tensed as he sucked in a deep breath of air.
“Fine. One night and then he’s in our place,” he refilled his glass of water. “That should be plenty of time to get his room set up.”
Lee came back in and announced that he’d finished clearing out the rest of my room and needed help with my dresser. After the two of them had left the room, my dad leaned in close to me and motioned for me to lean in with him.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” he whispered. “Because if he’s forcing you to go, I’ll—”