by Smith, Wendy
Seeing Eli tugs at my heartstrings.
I miss Copper Creek. I miss my family.
“You should go and see him.”
I meet her gaze. She knows me inside and out. No one’s ever read me the way Mia can. “I wish I could take you with me.”
She smiles. “One day.”
“Soon.” I put the phone back, and reach for her, running my fingers through her thick, dark hair.
She sighs. “We’re not going to sleep yet, are we?”
“Nope.” I bury my face in her neck, gently sucking at her collarbone. She lets out a moan that tells me exactly what she thinks of that.
“I’m so tired.” She laughs.
“I’ll do all the work.” When I pull away, she looks at me with so much love. God, I love this woman so much. I hate that we have to hide it from everyone. “We can spend tomorrow in bed.”
“That works for me.” She sighs. “Love you.”
“I love you too.”
* * *
I’m not even sure what time I fall asleep, but I know it’s daylight from the sun peeping through the curtains.
But that’s not what wakes me.
I roll my eyes at the sound of plates being moved in the kitchen, and nudge Mia.
“I think you have a visitor.”
“What?” She turns, her eyes still hazy with sleep.
“Garrett’s here.” It’s been ages since he’s randomly shown up.
Her eyes widen. “Shit. He can’t find you here.”
“I know. Want me to climb out the window?”
“Why would I want you to do that?” She laughs softly. I hate this. Hate that we have to keep us secret. But it’s not for much longer, and it’s for a good purpose. “I’ll get rid of him.”
“Last time you said that, he invited himself for breakfast.”
“He’s not the easiest person to get rid of.”
“Can you at least save me something to eat?”
Mia grins, and presses her lips to mine. “I’ve got plenty for you to eat.”
“Are you being dirty, Mia Scott?”
She shakes her head. “Just a little accidental innuendo.”
“There’s nothing accidental about it.”
With another kiss, she climbs out of bed, drags on her jeans and a shirt, and disappears out the door, closing it behind her.
I lie back in bed, my hands behind my head. Mia’s my whole world.
I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for her.
* * *
“James.”
Mia shakes me gently awake, and I roll over.
“Sorry. I guess I must have nodded off. Is Garrett gone?”
She nods. “It took a little while, and about a million questions about why I’d changed the key to the garage. He obviously hasn’t tried that door for months.”
I grin, reaching up to twist a lock of her dark hair around my index finger. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him it was to hide my lover’s car. What do you think I told him? I lost the key.” She grins. “Of course then he pointed out he has a key, but I told him that I didn’t need him to solve my problems.”
“Does he want access?”
She shrugs. “I kicked him out before he could ask.”
“You kicked him out?”
Mia snuggles into the bed beside me. “He brought breakfast. I asked him to leave. He left, but the food’s still here.”
“He’s probably gone to get a locksmith.”
Laughing, she plants a kiss on my chest. “Maybe.”
“Maybe it’s time to come clean. Deal with the consequences.”
Her face falls. “I want to, James. But we both know what happens if we do.” If he gets nasty, he’ll drag out the settlement for as long as possible, inserting himself in Mia’s life even longer. Not to mention the damage he could do to her at work.
I nod. “I just want to wipe that smug smile off his face.”
“Next year, we’ll get out of here and leave all this behind.”
I sigh, and take a deep breath in her hair. “I can’t wait for that.”
“Me either.”
23
Corey
I hate being away.
I’d told Constance that I wouldn’t be far from her and Eli for at least six weeks after he was born. But four weeks in, a job came up from a new client promising to pay a lot more than my other clients usually do. I never would have done it if Constance hadn’t agreed. The client was desperate.
Now I’m the desperate one. Even one night is too long to be away from my family, and it’s been three.
The money for this job will go into the nest egg we’re accumulating toward our future. It’s nice to be so much further ahead of where we’d planned to be.
It would have been easy to stay another night and travel home in the morning. But my arms long to hold Con and Eli again, and once I’m home I think I’ll sleep for a week.
Constance sits in her favourite chair with Eli in her arms when I walk in.
“Hey, sweetness. It’s so good to be home. I’m starving.” I drop my bag by the door. It can wait. Constance and Eli come first.
She sniffs, and I walk closer. Her eyes are rimmed with red; she’s so tired. She’s rocking the baby in her arms, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Con? What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. “I’m useless. There’s no dinner. I can’t—”
“You’re not useless.” I bend, planting a lingering kiss on her head. “It’s still early days. I’m sorry I had to leave. You know I hate being away from you.” I squat in front of the chair. “Tell me everything.”
“The baby won’t stay asleep. I can’t get anything done.”
I rub her arm. “It’s okay. I’m back now, and I’ll help.”
“It’s like the second you walked out the door, everything went wrong.” She sniffs again.
Squeezing her knee, I stand. “Here. Give me him and you go and have a sleep.”
She shakes her head. “I need to cook dinner.”
“You don’t need to do anything. I’ll pop him in the ute and we’ll go into town and bring back something to eat.”
Constance pouts. “I said I’d take care of both of you.”
“You do. Just by being you, you do. But sometimes, we have to look after you.” I reach down, and she sighs as she hands the small bundle to me. “You have a nap. When you wake up, we are having a bath.”
She gives me a small smile.
“Have you seen anyone while I’ve been gone? Lily or Ginny?”
Shaking her head, she stands. “No, it’s just been me and …”
“Not even your mother?”
She shrugs. “It’s not exactly the easiest walk to see her.”
“We’ll keep going with your driving lessons, and we’ll get a car.” I lean over and brush her lips with mine. “I should have made sure you had help while I was gone.”
“Then people will think I can’t manage.” Panic flashes in her eyes. It’s no shame to need help, but her upbringing wasn’t exactly normal and I think she still has concerns about being judged outside the compound.
I shift the baby to one side, and slip my other arm around her waist. “They won’t think that at all. You have a big family now, and they’ll all love to help.”
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
“Sweetness, you’re not. Trust me. If I’m ever away and you need anything, give Lily a call. Maybe next time we can organise you going to stay with her. Or with your mother.” I bristle at that last suggestion. As much as I like Constance’s parents, the thought of her and my son staying on that property overnight grates. Ash might be dead, but the memory of him lingers.
“Do you think Lily would mind?”
“Adam and Lily have room. And I bet anything Lily would love to get her hands on this little one for a while. If you hadn’t noticed, you and Ginny both being pregnant made Lily pretty clucky.”
She snuggles into my side, and I lean my head on hers. “I hate you being away.”
“I hate being away. I’d much rather be here with you two.” After planting a kiss on her head, I pull back. “Now, go get some sleep. I’ll take care of him, and when you wake up there’ll be something to eat.”
“He’ll be hungry soon.”
“Is there any expressed milk in the fridge?”
She nods.
“Well, his dinner’s sorted too, then.”
Tears well in her eyes again. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Me too.”
* * *
It takes minutes for Constance to fall asleep. She’s so tired. And I feel like shit for being away while she struggled.
I’m glad for the time I can spend with my son.
I pull up outside the fish and chip shop, and step out of the truck. After opening the back door, I unclip the capsule from the base and head inside.
Owen’s standing in the queue. The queue that’s much longer than I’d expected. I scowl.
“Dude. About time you got here.” He signals for me to join him, and I get a couple of dirty looks when I jump the queue. “Took you long enough.” He lowers his voice. “It’s good to see you. Glad I could help you move up the line.”
“You are a prince among men.”
He grins. “I’m just doing this for Eli. How’s he going?”
“Great. Want to see?” As I switch the capsule from one hand to the other, Owen makes the front of the queue.
“I’ve got two orders,” he says.
The man serving him nods.
I look down at Eli while Owen places his order. My heart’s so full of love when I look at him. I never knew the human body had so much capacity for it. Constance is everything, and this little guy? He’s the cream on the top.
Owen nudges me.
“Oh. Can you hold him?” I pass the capsule to Owen.
“With pleasure. Come on, little man.”
I step up to order as Owen takes a seat. “Can I please order the twenty-dollar deal, and can you throw in half a dozen scallops. No, make that a dozen. I’m starving.” I grin.
After paying, I make my way over to Owen. He’s already extracted Eli from the capsule, and he’s pulling faces at my son.
“Getting practice?” I ask, sitting next to him.
“I can’t wait. How are things going with you guys?”
I shrug. “Today’s a bit shit. I’ve been away for three nights, and come back to this one not sleeping and Constance exhausted. She wants to take care of everything when none of it matters but her and Eli.”
“I thought you weren’t going away for a while?”
“That was what we decided, and then an opportunity came up that was too good to ignore. But it doesn’t matter how much money the job’s worth. Constance is more important.”
Owen nods. “Too right. I feel the same way about Ginny.”
“Mate, I’m so happy for you two. In a few weeks, you’ll know all about the sleepless nights like us.” I chuckle.
“I can’t wait.” His smile’s distant. “I’ll always regret what I missed with Ava. And I’m so glad it’s Ginny I’m doing this with.”
Eli grizzles. Owen hands him over to me. I place Eli back in the capsule to rock him.
Owen leans over. “Hey, little fella. Are you going to be like your mum or your dad? Please take after your mother. The world’s not big enough for two Coreys.”
I laugh. “I hope he takes after his mother too. She’s so patient and kind. Not at all like me.”
“I’m not sure about that. You were always so good with Max when he was little. And that kid needed a lot of patience.”
Grinning, I look down at Eli. “I’m sure you’ll get into everything. Just like Max did. I hope you listen to your mother like he listens to his.”
“Where’s Constance? Didn’t she want to come for a drive?”
“Fast asleep. I ordered a heap of food, but I’m starving so hopefully there’s some left for her.”
He nods. “Ginny’s at home with her feet up. She’s finished work now, so the baby can come at any time.”
“I hope for her sake that’s soon. Constance was so over it by the time Eli arrived.”
Owen laughs. “Listen to us.”
I shrug. “It’s nice to have people to love who we want to talk about. I can’t imagine life without my two special people in it anymore.”
“Me either.”
* * *
When I get home, I drop the fish and chip package on the coffee table and poke my head into the bedroom. Constance is still asleep, and her expression is so peaceful. There’s a part of me that wants to crawl into bed, wrap my arms around her, and fall asleep myself. But Eli’s awake and my stomach grumbles.
Returning to the couch, I open the fish and chip package and take a deep breath. Eli grizzles again, and I unbuckle him, lifting him gently out of the capsule.
Cradling him in one arm, I pick up a hot chip.
“One day, you’ll eat this, mate.” I grin. “You’ll love it.”
His grey eyes just stare at me as I take a bite.
“Now, when I’m not here, you need to be good to your mum. She loves you so much.” I bite down the rest of the chip, and raise my free hand to his face, running my index finger over his cheek. “So do I. And you and your mum are the best things that ever happened to me. We all need to take care of each other.”
He waves his arms excitedly, and I chuckle. “You know what I’m saying.”
I love this kid with everything I’ve got.
I place him down on the couch so I can eat. My stomach grumbles. “I can’t wait to introduce you to this kind of thing, mate. Your mum’s not a fan of scallops, but she loves fish. And we can go fishing at the cove and catch them really fresh.”
I wolf down half the scallops as Eli looks around. He screws up his face.
“Oh, buddy. Are you getting hungry?”
He lets out a whimper, and I pick up another scallop.
The whimper turns into a wail.
“Okay. Let’s go get you sorted.”
I pick him up and carry him into the kitchen. There’s a bottle of milk in the fridge, and I boil some water to warm it up. It won’t take too long.
He lets out a lusty cry, and I rock him. “Hey, buddy. It’ll be ready soon. I’ll check your nappy.”
I grab a nappy, wipes, and the change mat, and settle him on the floor. He doesn’t smell, but I blow out a breath at the sight of a mini poo explosion.
“Dude. No wonder you’re pissed. At least the nappy covered the bit up your back.”
It takes a few wipes, but I clean him off and slip a clean nappy on.
I pop him in his bouncer, then I wash my hands and return. “Is that better, my little man?”
He screws up his face and lets out another cry. I hold my finger to my lips. “I’ll just check that milk. Don’t wake your mother.”
The milk has warmed, and I scoop him up in one arm. Sitting back on the couch, I offer him the bottle. He sucks on it with gusto, gulping it as fast as the bottle will let him.
“Dude. I know you do that feeding from Mum, but ease up.” I shake my head.
As if on cue, my stomach gurgles, and I look down at the food on the table. Soon.
Eli swallows the milk, and I lift him over my shoulder, gently rubbing his back. I laugh when he lets out an almighty burp.
“You’re worse than me, kid.”
With two smaller burps, he settles back into my arms and I rock him gently. He yawns, and I can’t take my eyes from him. My son.
It takes a few minutes, but his eyes close, and I smile. At least Constance won’t have to worry about him for a while once she wakes up. Although, she was so tired she could probably sleep longer than he does.
I sit with him a while longer, watching Eli sleep peacefully, and knowing that if he’s not sound asleep, he’ll be awake again as soon as I put him in the bassinet.
My heart is so full. How did I survive even three days away from him and from Constance?
When I place him in the bassinet, he lets out what sounds like a sigh. I hold my breath, fully expecting his eyes to open and for him to roar for his mother.
Instead, he surprises me with sleep, and I stroke his head.
Time to finish this feed and wait for Constance.
* * *
After demolishing more of the food and putting the leftovers in the fridge, I settle back onto the couch and flick on the TV. About half an hour later, Constance emerges from the bedroom.
She runs her fingers through her hair and yawns. “Where’s Eli?”
I reach for her hands. “Fast asleep. He had a bottle, and I changed his nappy, and with a bit of rocking, he was out like a light.”
She pouts. “Why won’t he do that for me?”
“You smell so good, he can’t resist.” I grin. “Seriously, I read that babies can smell their mother’s milk. You’re a source of food and distraction for him.”
She smiles, and it fills my heart. “I guess that makes sense.”
When she sits beside me, I wrap my arms around her and pull her in tight. “I understand it. You’re a huge distraction for me. And I’m not the breastfed baby.”
Constance laughs, burying her face in my chest.
“I love you. And if Gary wants me to go back anytime soon, I’ll say no.”
She shakes her head. “You still need to work.”
“I know. But you and Eli come first. And I don’t want you to get overwhelmed again.”
“I just have to learn to cope.”
“We’ll work things out. In the meantime, I’m going to heat up some food for you, and then I’m going to run a bath for us.”
She leans back. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. We can’t have sex yet.”
I run my finger along her jawline. “No, but I just want to be near you. If you’re okay with that.”
“I’m so okay with that. I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too. I much prefer your body next to mine in bed than being alone in a sleeping bag on the hard ground.”