Love So Wild

by Marquita Valentine

  Worse, he also knew every woman he met would pale in comparison to Skye Holland.

  Chapter Two

  ‡

  The next day, Elijah made a point to invite his parents over for lunch after church to have a talk. While he loved the fact they were concerned about his lack of relationship status, he did not enjoy making Jamie feel bad or being called an asshole.

  The only way he knew how to make it stop was to nip their entire matchmaking schemes in the bud. A firm ‘thank you for your help, but I need to do this on my own’ should suffice.

  Or at least, he hoped to God it would.

  Knowing his parents like he did, he’d probably have to repeat himself at least ten more times.

  He laughed into his mug and took another sip of coffee, enjoying his view of the river. There was only a slight chill in the air, despite the fact it was the first of October. He’d take it, though, because chilly in the morning always gave way to hot in the afternoon before winter made it biting-ass cold all day long.

  He sat down in one of the chairs on his deck, propped his feet on the railing, and took a deep breath.

  The one permanent thing he had done since moving back to Jessamine was buy this house from Caleb. It was a labor of love—one Elijah had no intention of letting out of the family, even if it meant he would eventually have to rent it out.

  If things didn’t change, it would be sooner rather than later—something that irritated Eli to no end. He was a man of his word, but if he were to leave Jessamine without so much as giving it the old college try, he would not only half-ass it, but he would also be breaking his promise to his folks to settle down here.

  Breaking a promise was something he’d never done before. Hell, most of his clients trusted him with only a handshake to seal the deal. It had taken years to build that kind of reputation. Years of doing exactly what he said he would and showing up exactly when he said he would.

  In this day and age of people tentatively making plans or arrangements until something more exciting or convenient came along, he was a unicorn.

  Of course, he had contracts—he wasn’t born yesterday—but when it came down to it, they were nothing but pieces of paper that meant exactly nada in the grand scheme of things.

  He scrubbed his hand across his face, thinking of everything he’d given up when he came home. The traveling. Spur-of-the-moment adventures to lands unknown. Exotic food.

  Bug bites.

  Immunizations.

  All the long nights without a proper place to sleep because he was waiting on standby.

  Yeah, he was man enough to admit there was a downside to being a pilot at the whims of the rich and/or famous.

  Honestly, if he hadn’t gotten a reminder of normalcy two years ago, coming back home to Jessamine would have happened a hell of a lot later. Maybe not until he was old enough to be someone’s grandfather.

  But he’d met a woman.

  Saw her smile, heard her accent when she introduced herself, and fell head over heels the moment she pinned him with her hazel gaze. After he convinced her to go out with him, they’d talked for hours in the bar she’d suggested, sang every word to songs they insisted they knew, and he’d tried to guess her middle name for at least ten minutes before giving up and kissing her instead.

  She’d responded to that kiss by wrapping her arms around him and demanding to see him the next day—when they were both sober.

  He grinned at the memory, even as it punched him in the gut.

  The way she’d left him—without a word—had taken a long time to get over. She’d all but ghosted him. If he hadn’t found her note telling him goodbye, or been able to smell her perfume on his pillow, he would have sworn she was nothing but a dream… or a nightmare.

  His doorbell rang.

  Startled, he tipped his mug and nearly sloshed warm coffee over the rim. “I’m around back,” he hollered, but the bell rang again. Seriously, who would visit him on a Sunday other than his family?

  With a grimace, he set the mug down and got to his feet, moving inside to answer the door. The bell rang a third time before he could get to it. With no small amount of impatience, he yanked the door open.

  “Can I help—” He nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of Skye Holland standing on his doorstep… a baby in her arms. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Hell, his memory hadn’t done her justice.

  “Hi, Elijah. I hope you don’t mind me showing up unexpectedly.”

  When he didn’t reply, she kept going, just like he knew she would. Had her hair been so soft-looking before? Had her lips been so perfect when they moved?

  Had he imagined her sweetness right before she tore out his heart and stomped it into the ground?

  He frowned.

  “Can we talk… inside?” She shifted the baby to her other hip. “It’s a bit cold.”

  Holy shit on a stick.

  Skye had a baby. One with red and brown curls and eyes the color of the ocean at night.

  He tried to speak, but nothing would come out, not even a manly grunt, because he couldn’t process Skye on his doorstep with a baby who was obviously her son.

  *

  Skye waited as patiently as possible for Elijah to invite her inside, but he only stood there, his mouth open wide, while he stared at her like she was a ghost.

  Although, she supposed she couldn’t blame him. She had left him in the middle of the night, with nothing but a note thanking him for the time they’d spent together.

  They’d been the most amazing three months of her life.

  “Eli?”

  Suddenly, he blinked a couple of times. His mouth closed before opening properly. “Sure. Yeah.” He stepped back, but kept the door open wide.

  She ducked under his arm, balancing Miles and a diaper bag. It wasn’t easy traveling to a new place, especially when she figured it wasn’t baby-proofed. However, it was best to get everything out of the way, so Eli could finally know the truth. And so she could make a fresh start—guilt and worry free.

  Well, as guilt and worry free as a new mother could be.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering why I showed up on your doorstep, unannounced.” Miles wriggled in her arms, momentarily distracting her. He was tired, fussy, and wanted to get down. “Can we go in a room where I can put him on the floor? I brought toys and all.”

  Elijah nodded, cool and calm as she knew him to be. “Follow me. We can make do in the living room.”

  As they left the foyer, Skye gave his house a cursory glance. It was nicely built, warm and homey with touches that spoke of someone who’d taken pride in it. Someone who liked to work with their hands.

  Like Elijah.

  She shivered, remembering the feel of his very capable hands, what they could do to her, and how they could make her come undone.

  He stopped, so she did as well.

  “Make yourself at home. Um, can I get you a cup of coffee… tea… milk for the baby?”

  “Some water would be great.”

  Elijah didn’t move. He simply stood there, seeming to drink her in like she was water. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  She smiled at that. “Neither can I, but…” Nerves getting the best of her, she sat on the floor, put Miles in her lap, and started pulling out the things she needed from the large diaper bag.

  Immediately, Miles lunged for his favorite toy, a plane with Snoopy for a pilot.

  “Need some help?” Elijah got down on his knees beside her.

  “If you could spread out a blanket for him, that would be great. He can walk a little, but in unfamiliar places, he doesn’t like to explore too much.”

  Elijah grabbed a throw from a basket by the recliner. Most men wouldn’t have one of those… unless…

  Her heart sank.

  Either Elijah was married, or he was seeing someone who liked to be comfortable in his home and felt secure enough to give it a feminine touch.

  After he finished arranging the blanket, Skye lay
Miles on his back. “I need to change his diaper. We’ve been driving for a while.”

  “He has his pilot’s license and a driver’s license—I’m impressed,” Elijah teased, his gaze fully on her son as he shoved one of the wings in his mouth.

  “He likes to chew on planes and cars more than he likes to fly or drive them.” Quickly and efficiently, she put Miles into a clean diaper, then placed the soiled one in a plastic bag. “Do you have an outside trash can? Normally, I use cloth diapers, but since we were traveling, it’s easier to use the disposable ones. Not that there’s anything wrong with them.”

  He smiled. “You don’t have to explain your parenting choices to me.”

  Not yet she didn’t. “Well, not everyone is as understanding as you. I get looks either way when I shop. New moms—maybe moms in general—can’t do anything right.”

  “What does his dad have to say?” Before giving her a chance to answer, he got up from the floor and left the room for a few minutes. She could hear him washing his hands and putting ice in a glass.

  Skye’s heart slammed against her chest, even as she forced herself to finish righting Miles’ clothes and use hand sanitizer, as if nothing were going on. As if she wasn’t about to change Elijah’s entire life—possibly for the worse if he were seriously involved with someone.

  Or he could break her heart by not wanting to have anything to do with Miles at all. On second thought, she knew that wouldn’t be his response. He was too much of a family man for that… and he was a man of his word. A man who took his responsibilities seriously and without complaint.

  “Did I put my foot in my mouth?” he asked as he joined her again, a glass of ice water in his hand.

  She took it from him, drinking as much as she could before turning her gaze fully on him. My, he was handsome with his blue eyes, full lips, and dark hair… and the beard, well, the beard did things for her that it shouldn’t. Things she hadn’t felt before since he’d been clean shaven when they were together.

  “No.”

  “You and his dad aren’t on speaking terms?”

  She flushed. “I’m… I’m trying to do the right thing by him and Miles.”

  His brow creased. “I don’t understand why you’d come here, then. Hell, I don’t know how you tracked me down.”

  It hadn’t been that hard—at least once he’d finally stayed in one place longer than a couple of weeks—and she was pretty good at ferreting out information, especially when it was public record. It had shown one Elijah Lawson had bought the property at 218 Magnolia Creek Way.

  “Internet search,” she replied lamely.

  Just do it.

  I’m trying.

  Try harder. He has a right to know.

  Miles rolled over, catching Eli’s attention. He grabbed his foot and tugged gently, making Miles giggle. “Hey, buddy, what’s your name?”

  “Christopher Miles, but he goes by Miles. I named him after his daddy.”

  Elijah’s gaze sliced to her. “My first name is Christopher.”

  She nodded slowly, trying to swallow around the lump in her throat. “Like I said, I named him after his daddy.”

  Chapter Three

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  He had a son.

  A son.

  Elijah sat back on his heels, letting go of Miles in the process. Skye looked as though she were about to be sick with the way her freckles were contrasting with too-pale skin.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but you were a difficult man to track down for a while.”

  His jaw worked. “You could have called me.”

  She flushed. “I lost your phone number.”

  “It was programmed into your cell.”

  Her lashes lowered. “I deleted it.”

  “That so?”

  “Yes.”

  When she didn’t say anything more, he jumped to his feet and began to pace. “And now you’re here.”

  “I wanted to do the right thing.”

  “By making me wait for what—over a year to meet my son?”

  Her chin tipped up, but instead of indignation, all he saw was relief. Had she really thought he would assume the worst? He wasn’t stupid, and neither was she. Before she left him, he’d never taken her for a liar. It had to have cost her more than just her pride to travel across the country.

  “You believe me.”

  “Yeah, I believe you. The timing is right, I think. How old is he, by the way?”

  “Twelve months and two weeks.”

  He ran a hand though his hair, then glanced at Miles, who was busy gnawing on a plane and drooling. “I mean, the kid doesn’t look that much like me, except for the eyes, but I’ve—you’ve…” No matter how he explained himself, it would come out wrong. “If you say he’s mine, then he’s mine. What do you need?”

  Hurt covered her face as tears filled her pretty eyes. “Need?”

  He nodded. “Money? Place to stay? A court order for custody? Wedding?” He swallowed hard. “Take your pick. I’ll do the right thing by you and my—Miles.”

  “I don’t want anything from you. Miles, however, needs a father, so I’ve decided to move back home to North Carolina.”

  She didn’t need him? That was a kick to the gut. “As in Holland Springs or Jessamine?”

  “Jessamine is more convenient.” She straightened her shoulders. “I have a job interview in a couple of weeks, and I plan to find a place to rent tomorrow.”

  He knew she’d made good money as a midwife out in Denver, but her income had to have been negatively impacted when she had Miles. There was no way she could be in two places at once, which bothered him. He hated to think of her struggling, especially with a kid. Doubly so since Miles was his son.

  “What about tonight?” he asked.

  “I made reservations at the hotel in town.”

  The thought of her leaving so soon made his protective instincts rise. “You can stay here. I’ve got the room.”

  “That’s very kind of you, but—”

  “No buts. It seems I have a lot of catching up to do with my son, and I’d like to get started right away. Take him to the park or something this afternoon.”

  She leveled him with a look. “You would?”

  Maybe he didn’t know that much about kids, but he was smart. Besides, he had nieces and nephews, so he could figure it out, or phone a friend if he hit a wall.

  “Yup.” He moved to the fireplace. “I have two guest rooms and a hall bathroom for you to use. Take your pick. I’ll sleep in the master. It has its own bathroom, so you won’t have to share with me.”

  “Are we talking about just tonight?” she asked, her voice wary. He hated that sound because when he’d known Skye, she’d been confident about everything.

  “No. I think you and Miles should move in with me… until we figure things out.”

  “I don’t want you to feel obligated—”

  “That is the last thing I feel. In fact, if you didn’t want my help, you shouldn’t have come, but the fact is you’re here. So’s my son, and I’m a Lawson. We always do what’s right.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I know.” A yawn split her face in two. For the first time, Eli noticed the dark circles under eyes.

  “When’s the last time you slept?”

  “Through the night?”

  He wasn’t that ignorant. “Since you left Colorado.”

  “Oh… um… I took naps in my car, mostly. It was easier, cheaper, and faster.”

  He glanced at the clock. His parents would be here in less than two hours. Surely he could manage Miles while Skye got some shut-eye. “How about you go pick out a guest room and get some sleep while I take care of Miles?”

  He half-expected her to fight him, so when she agreed, he gave her a surprised glance.

  “He didn’t come with instructions, and I managed to figure it out. You will, too.” She rose unsteadily to her feet, grabbing onto the arm of the sofa for support. “He’ll want to eat soon, and sinc
e you can’t produce breast milk, there are some bags of it in a cooler in the diaper bag. Warm it up on the stove first, in a… thingy with water.” She shook her head. “Sorry. I think exhaustion is finally getting to me. Just Google it and you’ll be fine.”

  “Is that all he eats?” His eyes dipped to her breasts before coming back to her face.

  Her brow arched.

  So sue him—he was a man, and she’d mentioned breasts. Of course he was going to look.

  “No, there are a couple of jars of baby food in the diaper bag as well.”

  He made a noise. “Impressive. Next thing you’ll tell me is that I can pull a floor lamp out of that bag, too.”

  For the first time since she arrived, she laughed. The sound still did things to his heart. Hell, it almost felt like it was whole again.

  After getting Skye situated in a bedroom on the opposite side of the house from the master—thank God—he sat beside Miles and watched him play for the longest time.

  Everything the baby did fascinated him, and he could admit he’d counted his fingers and toes a couple of time before he actually allowed himself to touch any of those tiny digits.

  Miles giggled when Elijah brushed his hand over the baby’s toes. “Ticklish huh? Me, too.”

  Miles’ eyes widened. While Elijah couldn’t be sure, his son might just have the beginnings of Lawson blue in there.

  “You have a lot of relatives around here. Once they find out about you, there won’t be any stopping them from coming over. We’re a cult like that. A good cult, though—you don’t have to shave your head or give away all your toys.”

  Miles held out his plane, with its Snoopy pilot, and made a happy noise.

  “Is that for me?”

  Miles snatched it back, giggling again.

  “Guess not.” Elijah lowered himself beside his son, and then stretched out on his side. “I like to fly planes. Did your momma tell you that?”

  He paused, as if he would get a response, but Miles sat up instead. Damn if it wasn’t the most beautiful motion Elijah had ever seen.

  “You’re a strong boy, Miles.”

  His son waved his chubby arms around.

  “You’re an eater, too, just like all Lawson men. You keep eating, though, and one day you’ll be big and strong like me. Also, we’ll keep you away from Uncle Mason, so he doesn’t teach you words that your momma probably doesn’t want you to say.” Okay, so Eli was heading into dumb territory, but he’d never talked this long to a baby before, and he was winging it. “Do you know any words?”