by Evan Grace
Reece and I decide on an espresso-finish crib. The back is higher than the front, and the edges are rounded and smooth. I pick the mattress, and then we pick out the bedding. The blueish-gray and cream bedding will go amazing with the crib. Before I can pay for it, Reece is entering his credit card info.
“Hey, I could’ve paid for that.”
“I know, but I want to do this for my kid.”
I can’t be upset about that. “Thank you.”
For now, we’re going to set up the baby’s crib in my room, just because we don’t know how long I’ll be here. His office is set up in the other room, so I don’t want to disrupt that.
The pizza comes, and we sit in front of the TV while we eat. My cheese pizza is so delicious, even though I want to eat a huge slice of their meat lover’s pizza. Once we finish, they board up the broken window. I guess while I was upstairs they cleaned the glass up.
“Jack’s got a guy coming early next week to fix the window,” Reece says after coming back inside. “Egan will be here tomorrow installing the new system.”
“Okay. Is the new system going to be easy for me to use?”
“Egan won’t leave until you feel comfortable using it. We’re installing panic buttons in several of the rooms. That way if something should happen you just hit the button, and help will come.”
I feel bad that there has been damage to his home, and now he’s going to have holes drilled everywhere. While they watch a college football game, I curl up in the corner of the sofa and read.
Erik gets up and grabs a beer for him and Reece and a bottle of water for me. “Thanks.” I take it from him. “Erik, what happened with that girl Carrie set you up with?” Carrie is our resident matchmaker. She’s set up all the single guys, and even set me up on a blind date.
He leans back on the couch so his head is right by me. “Del, why are bitches so crazy?”
“Hmmm…could it be because you call us bitches? Carrie said she was totally your type—tall, legs for days, fake boobs, and collagen-inflated lips.”
He laughs so hard he grabs his stomach. “Del, you are the little sister I never had.”
“I’m going to tell Gretchen that.” Gretchen is his fourteen-year-old half-sister. Erik’s dad died when he was sixteen, and his mom married his step-dad, Tad. He was eighteen when his sister was born, and he’s super protective of her.
“Har, har. No, this girl is the complete opposite of what Carrie told me. She’s about average height and is all tits, hips, and thighs. Plus she’s a brunette, and mouthy. We still went out, and our waitress may have flirted with me a bit, and I thought Shayla was going to drop the poor girl. After dinner I was going to take her to a show, but she pulled me into the alley and practically climbed on my dick.”
He grins. “We got a hotel room, and let me tell you—we fucked all night long. All. Night. Long. We both passed out, and when I woke up she was gone, and my dick was sore. I haven’t seen her since, and Carrie won’t tell me where to find her.”
I set my Kindle aside. “Didn’t you call her, and pick her up for your date?”
“No. She told Carrie where I should meet her, and what time. I’ve never clicked with someone the way I clicked with her, and then she just fucking used me for sex, and took off.”
My eyes drift to Reece, and he looks at me with apologetic eyes. I give him a smile that I hope says that it’s okay. I turn back to Erik. “I’m sorry. Maybe she got scared. Maybe she felt that strong connection too, and she got spooked.”
“I don’t know why I care,” he huffs.
“Aww…you care because you like her.”
He stands up, pulling me up with him to give me a hug. “Whatever,” he mumbles. “Be smart, and make sure you’re aware of your surroundings.” I reach up and give him a kiss on the cheek. Reece gets up and follows him outside.
While he’s having his man to man with Erik, I clean up the kitchen and wrap up the leftovers. Maybe I could get Reece to take me out tonight. Since I got attacked I only go to work, Reece’s, and maybe Brandon’s. Speaking of my BFF, maybe Reece would let me have him over for dinner one night. I miss hanging with Brandon and Jose. Hell, I miss all of my friends.
It’s just so hard now because they’re all in their early twenties, single, and ready to party. I’m almost seven months pregnant, and no fun at all. Now that I think of it, most of my girlfriends don’t really talk to me anymore. I guess it doesn’t bother me that much because I didn’t even realize it until just now.
Growing up, Brandon was my only true friend—my mom scared off most of the friends I had tried to make by acting like a psycho, or hitting on their dads and pissing off their moms. For some reason Brandon was the only one she was nice to.
Reece comes into the kitchen and leans against the counter. He surprises me by reaching out and tucking an errant strand of hair behind my ear. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, it helps knowing how hard everyone is working to keep me safe. Can we do something tonight?”
“Like what?”
I chew on my thumbnail; it’s a terrible habit. “Maybe go see a movie? I just haven’t done anything since the attack.”
“Sure, but with one condition…no chick flicks.”
A giggle slips past my lips, and it feels good. “It’s a deal.” We even shake on it. “I’m gonna head upstairs and get ready.”
I throw on a pair of black leggings, a fitted white v-neck t-shirt, and my red Vans. My makeup is light—natural looking—and on my lips I’ve put on clear gloss. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard or that I think this is a real date.
I grab my purse and head downstairs. Reece is sitting on the couch looking delicious as always…dick. His black t-shirt molds to his muscled chest. He stands up, and my eyes immediately drift down to the noticeable bulge in his pants. I look away quickly before he catches me.
“Did you pick a movie?”
“How about we see that new superhero movie?”
I nod. “That sounds really good.” Of course that’s a lie, because the last thing I want to watch while I’m horny—and can’t do anything about it—is hot, muscly guys who at some point will be shirtless.
After getting our tickets and snacks, we head to our theater. They’ve got the reclining leather seats here, and they’re so comfortable. I recline my seat, but apparently Reece is too cool for that. We don’t have to wait too long before the lights dim and the previews start.
After the movie ends, we head back to Reece’s house. I’m about to head upstairs when he stops me. “Come sit with me. Let’s talk.” I take his hand, and he leads me to the sofa. “I talked to my mom and told her about the baby. She’s really excited about being a grandma again.”
“How many do they have now?”
He pulls out his wallet and shows me a photo of two adorable little ones. “Lara and Joy are my baby sister, Rachel’s, kids. As you can see, they look just like her.”
“They’re beautiful. Are you guys close? I always wished I had siblings, but my mom could barely handle me, and I’m pretty sure she never wanted me in the first place.” I realize what I just said, and cringe. “Sorry.”
“Is that why she’s been on you about getting rid of the baby?” I nod. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, hugging me into his side. “You have your dad, and it’s obvious he loves you very much. Plus, you never know—she might change her tune once the baby is here.”
“That’s a nice thought, but I highly doubt it.” I take a deep breath. “You’re right, though. I’m lucky to have my dad, and he’s obviously very awesome.” I look up at Reece. “I’m glad you’ve got good parents. At least the baby will have one full set of good ones.”
“Maybe before you get too close to the end we can go see mine, or maybe they’ll come here. My mom would like to meet you.”
That makes me nervous. It’s not like this baby was conceived out of love. It was obviously faulty condoms, but I don’t regret it. “Did you tell your mom that i
t was a one-night stand gone wrong?”
“Not in so many words.”
“She probably thinks I’m a whore.”
He turns abruptly until he’s looming over me. “She does not, and I don’t want to hear that shit come out of your mouth again. That mother of yours put that into your head, didn’t she?”
I can only nod because he looks super pissed right now. Reece pushes off the sofa and begins pacing like some caged animal. I get up and stand in front of him, halting him from pacing further.
“No matter what, I’ll never regret being with you, and creating him.” He places his hand again on my belly. I don’t know what it is, but it does things to my insides when he does that. Our son likes it too, because he gives a little kick.
My eyes begin to burn, and then tears begin to leak from my eyes. “Thank you for saying that. Can I tell you something?” He wipes my tears away and nods. “As strong as I was trying to be, I was really scared at the idea of doing this all by myself. I mean, don’t get me wrong because I know I wouldn’t have been alone, but there’s just something about knowing you’ll be there that makes me feel good.”
He hugs me tight. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t here sooner, or that I took off without at least exchanging numbers.” He kisses my forehead, and then rests his against mine. “Come sit, and I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
“Okay, thank you.” I curl up in my spot and stare outside while I wait for him to bring me my tea. When he comes back a few minutes later, watching this big man walk toward me with a teacup in his hand makes me smile. He sinks down onto the sofa next to me and turns the TV back on. We start watching Vikings when I feel him pick up my feet and start massaging them.
Chapter Nine
Reece
In the past two weeks Delilah and I have fallen into a routine. In the morning, I get up early and work out in the basement, then I make breakfast. While she eats, I shower. We go to work, come home, she makes dinner, and then we hang out until she usually goes to bed. She’s crawled into bed with me a handful of times, and while she sleeps next to me I stare up at the ceiling. Her body pressed up against mine always has me so hard I’m fighting the urge to wake her and fuck her.
Three days ago, Carrie and Egan became the parents of a little boy they named Leif. Holding him made me anxious to hold my son, but nothing beat watching Delilah with the baby cradled in her arms.
Jack has been in a terrible mood lately, but everyone’s pretty much been on edge lately. We’re still no closer to finding the guy who attacked Delilah. The phone he called her from was a burner…of course. Those are a little more complicated to trace.
I pull into the parking lot of Gus’s Gun Shop and Shooting Range, and Jack’s car is already here. I grab my case out of the trunk and make my way inside. Gus is about seventy and a retired Army general. He does a lot of the maintenance on our firearms.
“Hey, Gus. How are you?” I shake the man’s hand.
He gives me a slap on the back. “I’m good, Reece. Jack’s already in the back. Go ahead and head that way.”
Gus buzzes me through, and I head toward the back. Jack’s at a table messing with his Sig Sauer and Glock 17. “What’s going on, Jack?”
“Hey, man.”
I look him over and realize he looks like shit. “Are you sleeping at all? You know you’re no good to Delilah if you’re fucking exhausted.”
“When you’re a father you’ll get it, so until then, I’ll go without sleep, or food, and whatever else I have to do to find that fucker and to keep my daughter safe.”
“Okay, I get it. She’s worried about you, just so you know.”
Jack stares at me for a second, and then turns back to his guns. “Are you and my daughter a couple now?”
It feels like we are, and I find myself missing her if she’s not around. Even though I don’t sleep when she’s in bed with me, I still like it. Usually when she wakes me up, I pretend to be half asleep when I lift the covers. When I do that, she snuggles right into me. My bedding smells like the light floral perfume she wears, and every night I fight the urge to bury my nose in my pillow and jerk off.
I don’t think it would help, though—I’ve tasted the real thing and I want more. We’ve kissed a few times, and they’ve been amazing, but I’ve been the one holding back. There are a lot of things to consider, and sure, we could fuck and it would be great, but it could also screw things up for us relationship-wise. I’m thirteen years older than she is. What if we get together and in a couple of years she wants to find someone closer to her own age?
It makes me sound insecure to have those fears, but if things went bad it could be difficult for us to co-parent, and that’s the last thing I want. In the Army not much rattled me, but the tiny, pregnant blonde has me questioning everything.
I look at Jack. “No, we’re not, at least not yet.” Do I tell him that I’m developing feelings for her? No, I can’t. Not until I tell her first.
He nods and then slips on his earmuffs, and I do the same. We spend a couple of hours at the shooting range, and Jack seems to be a little more relaxed when we pack up to go. I follow him back to the office. We head inside, and when we step off the elevator I see Delilah’s sitting at the reception desk with Carrie’s replacement.
The brunette is shooting daggers at Erik…Oh shit, that’s the girl he went out with, and she ditched him. This should be interesting. Erik’s sitting in the corner pouting and staring at her. Delilah shoots me an amused smile, then gives her dad a worried look. “How was shooting?”
“It was good,” her dad says, and he disappears through the doors to the back.
I lean against the counter, lowering my voice. “You know he’s not going to admit that he’s burnt out. The guys and I will watch out for him. Don’t worry, okay?”
“Yeah okay.” Delilah’s lips tip down in a cute pout. She stands up. “This is Carrie’s replacement, Shayla. Shayla, this is Reece.” Shayla reaches out and shakes my hand.
Erik stands up and he and I head to the back.
The rest of my day goes by fast. I took my first client meeting, and he’s pretty well-known. He’s a big entrepreneur and is convinced his wife is setting up a second life so she can take their kids and run. Before I took the meeting, I followed him and dug up any info I could find. I wanted to make sure he was a good guy before I did anything. Had the guy given me a bad vibe or been a dick, then I would’ve helped his wife free of charge.
It’s time for me to show them what I can do. I lock up the file in my cabinet and then go out to reception to find Delilah. Instead, I find Erik sitting real close to Shayla. She’s whispering harshly to him. She spots me and gets up quickly. “H-Hey. Delilah went to the bathroom.”
I sit on the loveseat with my ankle resting on my knee. Shayla isn’t even looking at Erik anymore, and he can’t take his eyes off her. I’m curious about the real story. I don’t believe half of what he told Delilah. There is so much more there than they’re saying.
Delilah comes out with her purse and computer bag. She stops at the desk. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Shayla. You did great today.”
“Thank you. See you tomorrow.”
I grab Delilah’s hand as we step onto the elevator, and thankfully she keeps holding it. I let go to wrap my arm around her shoulders and kiss her temple. By the time the doors open, her arm is wrapped around my waist.
We reach my car when what sounds like gunshots echo. I grab her, yanking us down with my back taking the brunt of the fall. Marcus comes running toward us. “You guys okay?” He reaches out and helps Delilah up first, then me. “It was a car backfiring. The hunk of shit is breaking down outside of the garage.” I should’ve known that it wasn’t a gun; I guess I’m more on edge than I thought.
I wrap Delilah in my arms and stroke her back until the trembling stops. Marcus pulls her away from me, grabs her by the back of her head, and leans in to kiss her forehead. I’d get growly if it wasn’t anything other than a brotherly kiss. Plus, she
still has a hold of my hand. “You’re all good, honey.”
She nods, and then I load her into my car. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but I’ll be happy when this guy is caught.” She fiddles with her phone.
When I look in the rearview mirror, I see a car following us. If he’s trying to be slick, he certainly sucks at it—I made him the minute I saw him. I don’t want to alert Delilah, so I gradually speed up. Thankfully she’s oblivious to it. I pass a couple of cars and check my mirror. Okay, now he’s gaining on me—maybe stealth hadn’t been his M.O. from the beginning.
We play our own little game of Frogger as we travel down the highway. I spot my exit up ahead, but I don’t want to get over until the last minute so we can lose them for sure. The only problem is it’s kind of risky, and I don’t know if I can take that chance with Delilah in the car.
At the last minute, I decide that I can’t do it.
“Hey, you just missed our exit,” she says.
I do my best playing dumb. “Oh shit, I’ll take the next one.” I accelerate, and with quick movements I weave in and out of traffic, managing to finally get over, take the exit, and lose them.
We take the long way toward my place just to make sure we’re not being followed. When I finally roll into the garage and close the door behind us, I’m able to relax. “Let’s just order out tonight. Does that sound good?”
“Can we have Chinese?” She loves Mongolian beef with extra water chestnuts, and can eat her weight in crab Rangoon.
“Yeah, the usual?” She nods, and I quickly call it in. Delilah heads upstairs, returning a few minutes later in shorts and a t-shirt, a freshly washed face, and her hair in a high ponytail.
When the food comes, we camp out on the sofa and watch The Punisher on Netflix. I’m surprised she chose it, but I won’t complain. I was afraid I’d have to watch some shit like Full fucking House.