by Stacy Eaton
“She was calling you ‘Him’, but Barbie kept reminding her of your name. She didn’t quite get it.” She laughed.
“That’s fine, I can answer to Him.” Amelia entered the library and handed me a beer. “Thanks, Amelia.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Bloodstone. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
“Grey, please call me Grey.” I pleaded to her. “Mr. Bloodstone was my father.”
Gloria laughed, “Isn’t it funny that we think that way? I remember saying the same thing when people started calling me Mrs. Withers. I kept thinking they were talking about my mother-in-law.”
“It makes me feel old.” I sipped my beer.
“Ah, yes, it can do that.”
“Speaking of which, how are you feeling?” I queried her.
“Old,” she quipped, and we both laughed. “Tired, having the little one in the house is wonderful, but she wears me out. I don’t have to do anything, just watching her makes me feel like I walked a mile.”
“They do have a lot of energy at that age.”
“That they do. Barb managed to go out and get some shopping done, so Allie has some things that she needs now, like a high chair.”
“Oh, good, that means I won’t have to share my dinner tonight?” I laughed good-naturedly, although I didn’t mind sharing.
“No, you won’t have to share your dinner,” Barb said as she entered the room with Allie.
Allie squealed when she saw me. “Gay, Gay,” she called out, and I glanced at Gloria.
“Gay?” I asked skeptically.
Gloria laughed, “She can’t get the R sound out, that was the best that Barb could do.” She shrugged.
Barb had put Allie down, and she toddled her way over to me. I set my beer on the side table and picked her up as she tried to crawl into my lap.
“Well, hello there, little button. How are you?”
“Gay,” she announced proudly.
“Yes, I’m Grey.”
Barb stood beside Gloria’s chair and watched us. I gave her a quick smile and forced myself not to stare back. I had done a good job of not thinking about her while I had worked, but the moment her voice had reached my ears, the memory of her hand on my chest and her lips on my cheek resurfaced.
“So how did the talk with the attorney go?” I asked to change my line of thought.
“As good as could be expected. He thinks I should go in and talk to the District Attorney about why I did what I did. I have some evidence that can help prove my story, so that will work in my favor.”
She rubbed her hands over the top of the chair Gloria sat in. I watched them move and wondered what they would feel like touching me like that. I cleared my throat and put my attention on Allie.
“That’s good. What evidence do you have?” I asked, not that it was my business.
Her hands paused. “I have some audio recordings of the arguments we had, some of the times he abused me, and copies of the pictures of after.”
Oh, Jesus, I winced. “Why did you record those? Isn’t that illegal?”
“Yes, it is illegal, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice. I won’t ever be able to use them in a court, and I could be charged with doing so if Todd wanted me charged, but having the proof that he was abusing me outweighed the thought of not having evidence. At the time, I was trying to prove that he didn’t want anything to do with Allie.”
“He never came around?” Gloria asked her as she craned her neck up to see her.
Barb shook her head, “No, from the day she was born, he didn’t want anything to do with her. That’s one of the reasons I used her room to hide things. He only came in there to yell at me to keep her quiet, he never stepped foot in there otherwise.”
I couldn’t imagine living that way. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Barb.”
She shrugged as Amelia came in and announced dinner. Barb came over and reached for Allie, but she curled up against my chest and hid her head.
“Sorry,” she said softly.
“Don’t worry about it. It feels good to be wanted.” At least by one of the females in the house, I thought silently.
She surveyed me for a full two seconds before her mouth opened and then closed. What had she been about to say? I stood, and she stepped back so I wasn’t standing over her. I followed her and Gloria out of the room, my eyes moving down her back and to her hips as they swayed gently with her stride.
I was going to need a cold shower by the time dinner was over.
Barb took Allie from me and put her in her highchair. She resisted at first, but once she realized she was going to get food, she giggled and banged on her tray. “Eat,” she demanded.
“So how are things coming along down at the shop?” Gloria asked as we ate our salads.
“Good, I got through a few more head plates and ordered supplies for a few of the chairs. I’d like to do them in groups of five. That way I don’t get tired of doing the same thing over and over again.”
“A hundred chairs is a lot of chairs,” Barb remarked. “Are you sure you want to do that many?”
Gloria threw her a glance but didn’t say anything.
“Sure, if you love what you’re doing, it’s easy, and repetition is actually soothing.”
“That makes sense, Grey. Have you had time to work on the design for the toy box yet?” Gloria asked.
“I started sketching, but I haven’t finished it. It’s missing something, but I haven’t figured out what yet. Once I do, then I should be able to show you the design.”
“Can I see the design?” Barb asked. “Maybe I might have an idea.”
“Yeah, sure, stop by the shop sometime and I can show it to you.” Conversation for the rest of dinner moved on to what she had purchased for Allie, and some stories of Allie’s silly behavior as Barb opened up and began to flourish in a household that was not filled with stress.
When dinner was over, I excused myself to return to the shop. I wanted to get one more plate finished, and every time I looked at Barb all I could think about was how damn sexy her lips were and how, when she smiled, her eyes lit up.
I was using the router to etch a design when I felt the air pressure in the room change, and I glanced up to see that it was after nine o’clock. I turned toward the door and found Barb scanning the room.
This was not good. Since I had returned from dinner, all I could think about was the way she sometimes looked at me, like she wanted something from me, and I kept telling myself that I was reading too much into the look.
“What are you doing down here?” I said after I turned off the router and set it down, dusting my hands off on my pants.
“You said I could stop by and see the design. I figured tonight would be as good a time as any, unless I’m interrupting.”
I glanced down at the plate, it was just about finished, but her being here had thrown my working mind into shutdown.
“No, that’s fine. I was about to quit anyway.” I unplugged the router and wound the cord up. “Just give me a second to clean up the mess.
“No problem,” she said as she began to wander around the shop. Pieces of the chairs I was working on were scattered around as well as a few other things I had been playing with when the urge came to me. I grabbed the broom and began to clean up the shavings off the floor.
“Did you make this?” she asked and I turned to find her looking at my surname crest.
“No, my father made that.”
She ran her fingers over the script of the letters, and my hands clenched the broom.
“It’s beautiful. Do you see him often?” That was enough to knock the lust out of my mind. I went back to sweeping.
“No, my father passed away a few years ago, my mom, too.”
“I’m sorry, Grey.” She turned towards me, but I kept my attention on the floor. “I didn’t mean to bring up a sad subject for you.”
“No, that’s alright. It’s part of life. People grow old and they pass away. My par
ents were in their forties when I surprised them by coming into the world, so by the time I was an adult, they were in their late sixties.”
“You parents didn’t want kids?” she asked curiously. I couldn’t blame her with how her husband had treated their daughter.
“Oh, they did. My mother wasn’t able to conceive and, back then, they didn’t have the techniques that they have now, plus it was too expensive. She had given up any hope, and then I came along.” I bent down to sweep the debris into the dust pan, “They were great parents. I couldn’t have asked for better ones.”
“I had good parents, too,” she agreed and resumed her inspection of the workshop. I glanced at a picture on the wall and realized she would soon ask about it. I wasn’t wrong.
“Is this the kind of toy box you are going to make?” she asked, pointing out the other picture. She peeled the tape off the wall and held the picture. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I said and waited. I knew what would come next.
“Who is the little boy?” She looked up at me, waiting for my response.
“That’s Nate. He was my son.”
Chapter Fourteen
Barb
Just like Allie, I was drawn to Grey. All through dinner, I sneaked peeks at him. He seemed different tonight, a bit standoffish, and I wondered if he was annoyed at all the trouble I had brought to the house.
After dinner, he had left, and I played with Allie for a few minutes before putting her in the bathtub. While she splashed and giggled in the water, I sat back against the wall and thought about what the attorney had said.
There was a good chance I was going to be facing criminal charges of some kind, especially since Todd was an attorney and knew the law. He would force the issue, and the attorney felt that the most serious charge would be kidnapping.
I knew that I hadn’t kidnapped my daughter, but no one else did, not unless I could use the recordings I had. There were countless recordings of him screaming about how much he hated Allie, and how much he wished she wasn’t part of our life. I only had to find some way to bring the evidence into play.
Carl, the attorney, was going to set up an interview with the local District Attorney to see if they could help me some way. He said he’d call in the morning and let me know when.
After Allie’s bath, I read her a few stories and watched as she slipped off to sleep. What was going to happen to her if I went to jail?
I couldn’t face the thought of her going back to Todd. I was anxious and started pacing the bedroom. I glanced out the window and saw the lights on at Grey’s shop.
I searched out Amelia and asked her if she could listen to the baby monitor for a short time while I went to the shop. She tried to suppress a smile, but I saw it and wanted to tell her it was nothing, that I was merely going there to see his design, but I couldn’t even get the words out.
I left the house with my cheeks warm, knowing there was another reason I was seeking out Grey. He had a way of making me feel safe, and right now, I needed to feel that.
He was bent over the workbench, his facial features still as he focused on his work. He glanced up quickly when I entered and turned off the tool he was using, slipping the safety glasses off his face.
My stomach did a flip flop as his eyes ran down my face to my chest. It had been too long since a man had looked at me with that kind of pure desire in his eyes.
I busied myself while he cleaned up. The wooden plaque that his father had made was gorgeous, and I ran my finger over the last name, Bloodstone. Such a strong name, I peered back at Grey, such a strong man. His back was to me, and his shoulders blocked out a large portion of the room behind him. His back swooped down to a nice V at his waist, and I wondered if his stomach was as defined as his chest and arms.
Was it hot in here?
I kept looking at what hung on the wall, another plaque with flowers carved into it, and then a picture with a little boy and a large toy box. This must be his design.
“Who is the little boy?” I asked, curious to know more about the man who made me feel safe just by being in the same room with me.
His voice was lower and huskier than I had heard before, “That’s Nate. He was my son.”
“You have a son? No wonder you are so good with children.” The words slipped right out of my mouth when I suddenly wondered if that was the right thing to say. I realized he had said, was, not is. Did he do something and he didn’t see his son anymore?
“I had a son. He passed away a little over a year ago.” He turned away, and I clenched my eyes closed. Damn.
“How did he pass, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Grey sighed and hung up the broom. “Nate had leukemia.”
“Oh, Grey, I’m so sorry.” One thought naturally led to another, “Were you married?”
He clenched his jaw and turned to me, “Yes, she’s dead, too.”
I bristled at the look of pain in his eyes and was afraid to ask how she had passed away.
“Did you want to see that design now? It’s upstairs, I can go get it.”
“Wait, I’ll come up with you.” I pushed the tape on the picture back onto the wall where it had been and turned to find him disappearing up the stairs.
It had been years since I had been upstairs, and the last time I had, grandpa had allowed us to use it as a playroom. Now as I stepped through the open door, I saw it was decorated in a very masculine tone that fit Grey well.
I was standing in the middle of the room when Grey walked out of the hallway leading to the back room. He avoided eye contact and moved to the kitchen counter where he flipped on some lights.
I felt like an ass. I had upset him.
“Grey,” I said as I joined him at the counter.
He didn’t look at me when he answered, “Barb, I don’t want to talk about it, alright?”
I put my hand on his arm, and he turned to look at it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know you didn’t. You didn’t know. It’s a touchy subject for me.”
“I understand.” I let go of him and the loss of contact hit me like a smack in the face. I stepped closer, but he shifted to put space between us. Did my presence bother him?
“These are the three designs we came up with, but we ruled these two out, so this is the one I am working with, but there is something missing, I can’t seem to figure out what.”
I studied the drawings. The designs were beautiful, and any one of them would be wonderful carved into wood. The last one, the one he was actively working on was by far the most breathtaking, but he was right, something was missing.
The scene was of a room, where toys were lined along a wall: blocks, and a car, a doll leaning slightly. A window sat above it and the sun shone down. It was a scene that would draw you in, but it missed one element: Life.
“I know exactly what you need,” I said softly and then lifted my head and grinned at him. I spun and left him standing there watching after me as I ran out the door.
“Barb?” I heard him call out, but I hustled down the steps and plucked the photo back off the wall. I smiled down at it and put the picture to my chest before I turned around and slammed right into his chest.
Grey grabbed my arms before I could fall back, and in that moment, time stopped. His hands were hot against my arms through the material of my cotton shirt, and the grip was strong, but not menacing.
He was a good eight inches taller than I was, and I had to tilt my chin up to see him. Our eyes locked and my mouth fell slightly open as I gazed into them. The blue was slightly muted under the fluorescent lights but still mesmerizing.
His eyes dipped to my mouth and he leaned forward the slightest bit. I could stand on my toes and touch mine to his, but I hesitated just a moment too long and the spell was broken.
Grey released me and stepped back. “Why did you run out?”
“I…I figured out what was missing.” I thrust the picture forward. Oh, my God! Did I just thi
nk about kissing him?
Grey took the photo from my hands. “My son? What has Nate got to do with his?”
“Not particularly your son, but a child. Your picture needs a piece of life in it. A child, either a boy or girl would work, but it needs a life.”
Grey stared at the picture, the image I had given him quickly spun through his mind, and he lifted his face as a smile spread over his lips. “That’s it. I don’t know why I never thought about that. That’s perfect.”
He grabbed the sides of my face and kissed me so quickly, I wasn’t expecting it. Then again, I don’t think he did either. His hands remained on the sides of my face, and the smile slowly slipped out of his eyes to be replaced by a new look.
My hands had grasped his wrists when he had grabbed my face.
Neither of us moved.
Neither of us spoke.
“Kiss me again, Grey,” I finally whispered into the empty space between us. His eyes roamed all over my face, never staying put, always shifting to a new point before finally settling on my lips.
He lowered his lips to mine, so softly, so delicately, it was as if he was afraid I would break. I trailed my hands from his wrists to his shoulders, cupping them around the back to pull him closer.
He tipped his head to the side, his lips covering mine fully, and I opened my mouth to touch my tongue to his. A groan vibrated from deep inside his chest and filled my soul. The kiss deepened. His hand slid into my hair as his arm wrapped around my waist to bring me closer.
My knees shook, my lips tingled, and my heart fluttered in my chest.
This was the kind of kiss that dreams were made of—the kind that you read on the pages of a book and it took your breath away—the kind that you saw on a movie screen and pretended you were the one being kissed, only I was the one being kissed.
The kiss lasted forever and yet nowhere long enough. Grey pulled back slowly, resting his forehead against mine. His breathing was shallow and brushed over my flushed cheeks. I placed my hand over his heart, and I felt the heavy thumping.
“I’m sorry, Barbie. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said as he inhaled deeply and stood back, putting distance between us.