by Stacy Eaton
Alex glanced at me as I walked by, his eyes alarmed, and he held his hand up. Something in my gut twisted, and I pulled my phone out and turned it on. As soon as it booted up, several messages began to pop down to my phone.
“Dude, call your nanny, it’s Devon.”
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s okay now, but call her.”
I stepped away, bringing up Tonya’s number, and hit call. It took forever to connect back in the US, and then finally she answered. “Mr. Vaughn, thank god!”
“Tonya, is Devon okay?”
“He is now; he’s going to be okay, but he had to have surgery.”
“What?” The world spun around me, and I threw out an arm to grab on to the first thing I could. Luckily, it was Alex.
“His bowel was twisted, and they had to do surgery on him,” she said quickly. “But he’s okay now; in fact, he’s even home from the hospital already.”
“He was in the hospital?” I croaked out the words.
“Yes, but he’s going to be alright.”
Dear God, here I was over here trying to rescue some guys while my son was lying in a hospital, and I’d had no idea. What kind of father was I?
“Okay, I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
I didn’t hear her last words as I was already hanging up, and I spun on Alex. “I have to get home.”
“I’m already working on it. Come on, showers and food can wait. Let’s drop our gear with Jake and get to the airport. He can bring all this shit back.”
When we told Jake what was going on, he didn’t even have a snide comment, just told us he’d see us on home ground and smacked my back. His way of saying, I hope things are okay.
Getting home was going to be a nightmare, and as we stood at the airport working with a ticket agent, we found out we’d have to take three different flights to get us home the quickest. Whatever the fuck worked. I didn’t care.
After we’d landed from our first flight, we had a two-hour layover, and Alex and I both found food. He called Lexi again, but something held me back from calling Tonya. It was like I was afraid I’d get more bad news, and I didn’t want to learn that shit sitting in an airport on the other side of the ocean.
Our flight was late taking off, and we had to hoof it at top speed to make our connection. Luckily, they opened the door for us just as they were closing. I knew how strict airlines were about doing that, and maybe it was panicked expressions on our faces that helped.
We got into our seats, and the plane took off a few minutes later. Alex drifted off to sleep, and I sat there staring at the pictures that I had taken of Devon on my phone. A twisted bowel? Had I done something to cause that? Did he have it when I was home? Had I left my son when he needed me most and I hadn’t known?
Maybe I wasn’t father material after all. Here I thought I had been doing good. I had been taking care of him, getting to know him, loving him, and making sure he had plenty of people around to watch over him. Yes, this had happened, and the fact that I hadn’t been there when he needed me was like a gunshot to the heart. My chest hurt so badly that I rubbed my sternum.
It was the longest fucking flight of my life, and we arrived in the middle of the night. Another hour in the taxi and I could grab my truck from the office and get home. Everything had to be right. He had to be alright.
I closed my eyes and prayed, something I hadn’t done in a long time. I asked for guidance on what to do. Should I keep him, or give him to people who might be better for him. I loved him enough that I could give him up. I could give him to someone else who might be able to give him the life he deserved.
I hated myself a little bit for asking, but as we drove through the darkened streets and the rain pelted the taxi roof, I wasn’t sure what else to do. I felt as if I had failed as a father. Devon deserved better; maybe Davina would want to take him. If she did, maybe I could still see him, be a part of his life.
Or I could get Davina to come back to me, and we could raise him together. In a perfect world, that would be the case, but as buckets rained from the sky, and the lightning flared over our heads, I doubted that would ever happen.
I was exhausted when we reached the office, and Alex told me to let him know how things were when I got home. He hugged me tightly, and I drew on his calmness as I got in my truck and started the drive home.
Home. A place where families lived, where memories were made, and love was shared. I wanted a home so damn bad. I had thought that I was going to have just that, but now I wasn’t so sure.
I pulled up to the house, parked in the driveway, and drew a long slow breath, afraid of what I would find inside the house. I let myself in with the key I had only used a couple of times and stood there in the dark, listening for a moment.
I didn’t even bother to go into the kitchen where the light was on. Instead, I took the stairs two at a time and made a beeline to his room. His door was cracked about two inches, and I pushed it open a bit farther It caught on something on the floor, and I glanced down. In the middle of the floor, someone was sleeping.
Wow, Tonya was really taking her job seriously. I should be thankful for that. I stepped around her as carefully as I could and went to the edge of Devon’s new crib.
He looked so tiny lying in the big crib. His arms were out to the sides, his face turned toward me, and tears filled my eyes. I started to reach for him but stopped. I was filthy; I hadn’t showered in four days, and I was kind of surprised that they had even let Alex and me on the plane with how badly we smelled.
I brushed my finger over his hand, and it twitched. “I’ll be right back, little man.”
I went to the bedroom and opened the door, flipping on the light switch, and stopped dead in my tracks.
Holy shit! Tonya really had gone over and beyond her duties. Most of the boxes had been unpacked, and things were set up around my room almost exactly as they had been in my apartment. Damn, how had she known?
I yanked my shirt over my head, offending my own sense of smell as I tossed it aside and then walked around the bed, where I tripped over a duffle bag. I looked down and saw ladies’ panties and leggings at my feet.
Oh, that’s right, she had been sleeping in here. Wait? I thought her furniture would have been delivered by now. Had Tonya been sleeping up here so she could be close to Devon? Or were her clothes in my room for a different reason? Nope, that sure as fuck wasn’t going to happen.
In my dresser, I found my underwear, although they were in the wrong drawer. I pulled out lounge pants and then headed into my bathroom. I stared at the women’s stuff on my vanity, picking up a bottle and reading the label, “Anti-Frizz.”
My gaze jerked to the door. Holy shit! Was that Davina lying on the floor of his room? Tonya didn’t have frizzy hair. I sniffed the bottle, and the scent went straight to my dick. It was Davina’s scent.
I smiled to myself as I went to turn on the shower. Davina was here, and she was with my son. My unexpected arrival was going to be rather exciting when she woke up.
Chapter Thirty
Davina
“I talked to Trevor,” Tonya said as I rocked Devon to sleep in his room. He had been home for two days, and he was recovering well and almost back to his non-fussy self.
“What did he say?” I asked as my nerves began to jingle through me.
“Actually, he didn’t say much. He said he was on his way, but he sounded upset. He’s probably going to fire me.”
“Tonya, he won’t fire you. You did exactly what you should have done. You have been amazing with him.”
Her face brightened slightly. “Thank you, and you have no idea how much I appreciate your help.”
“You’re welcome. Did Trevor say when he would be home?”
“No, just that he was coming.”
“What did he say when you told him I was here?”
“I didn’t get the chance. He said he was on the way and hung up before I could tell him.”
I chuckled. “Well, I
guess he will be surprised when he arrives.” I put Devon in his crib, and we quietly left the room after turning on the monitor.
“I think he is really going to be surprised when he sees that the house is almost entirely unpacked.”
“Yeah, I bet he won’t expect that.”
“Think he will be mad you went through his bedroom?”
I shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t care.”
She chuckled as we went into the kitchen where she was making dinner. It turned out she was a pretty good cook, much better than me, and excellent company. She was taking classes online for business and wanted to open her own childcare center one day. She’d been a nanny since she was eighteen and loved taking care of children.
We had hit it off very well, and while we took turns seeing to Devon’s needs, we unpacked the house. Trevor was going to be beside himself when he finally arrived, and the last thing he needed to worry about was where pots and pans should go, or what cabinet was best for glasses. No, we put our womanly instinct to work for that and did it the way we thought it should be.
As for his room, well, he might get upset about that, but I didn’t care. I could imagine how much he hated himself for being away when Devon needed him, and I wanted him to come home to comfort, not more work. I wanted him to be able to snuggle up with his son and enjoy this time with him, not have to worry about putting his things away.
While I had been using his bathroom and kept my clothes in his room, I’d slept the last two nights on Devon’s floor. Maybe I should have used Trevor’s bed, but it just felt wrong doing that without his permission. As it was, I wasn’t sure he would be happy that I was here, but since I still had guardianship over Devon, and he had just had surgery, I wasn’t leaving until I knew Trevor was home.
Imagine my surprise when later that night, a sound woke me from my sleep, and I sat up, my gaze going right to the crib, where it was empty. I was on my knees in a second and shooting to my feet.
“He’s right here,” a deep voice said to me, and I spun around, my hand on my heart. In the glider in the corner of the room was a shirtless Trevor, holding Devon to his chest. The small nightlight was throwing shadows over him as my heart continued to speed up.
“When did you get home?”
“An hour ago.” I continued to stare at him. “I’m sorry I woke you; I had a tickle in my throat, tried to cough softly.”
“It’s okay.” I inhaled deeply to calm myself. “I guess I freaked out when I didn’t see him in the crib.”
“Sorry, I needed to hold him.”
I stepped closer. “I can understand that.”
Trevor kissed his downy head and then slowly stood, carrying Devon back to his crib. I drank him in from behind, wanting so badly to wrap my arms around him and hold him. I’d been so scared when Devon had gone into surgery, and I’d wanted nothing more than to have his arms holding me tightly, telling me it was going to be alright.
Trevor brushed Devon’s head softly, then turned to me. “Let’s go talk in my room.”
I nodded and turned to leave the room, Trevor right behind me. It wasn’t until I was in his room that I realized that I was only wearing a t-shirt, his, and didn’t have pants on. I tugged on the bottom of the cotton and winced, hoping he wouldn’t be upset that I had stolen one of his shirts.
“I thought Tonya was sleeping on the floor of his room when I got home. It wasn’t until I went to take a shower that I saw your hair products on the counter and realized it was you.”
“I’m sorry for being here.”
He approached me, taking my hand and pulling me toward his bed. “Have a seat.”
I did, which hiked up the shirt, but he kept his gaze trained on my face. “I’m glad you made it home.”
“Tell me what happened.”
I blew out a rush of air and then proceeded to tell him everything that happened. He remained quiet as I spoke, asking pertinent questions once in a while, and I finished with Devon coming home.
“Thank you for all of that. I never once thought about the medical power of attorney for Devon. God, what would have happened if you hadn’t been around or hadn’t had it?”
“The hospital said they would have called an emergency meeting and gotten it approved by the board, but me being there saved time.”
He nodded.
“You’ll have to make sure you give her that.”
“What?” He cocked his head.
“Medical power of attorney.”
“I don’t know about that. She’s a little young. I would hate to leave major decisions like that on her shoulders.”
“Then maybe Lexi,” I suggested.
“That’s an idea, but I have an even better one.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“You could do it.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you could remain his medical power of attorney.”
I stared at the floor for a moment; I guess I could do that. It would also give me the right to see him once in a while.
“Davina, why did you leave the office that day?”
My gaze snapped back to his, and I winced slightly. Lexi had explained the situation to me, and I’d felt like a total idiot. “Because I had the wrong impression.”
“You thought that Whitney was another woman I had been with, and I had another child, right?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I thought.”
He sighed and reached for my hand. “I can’t promise you that someday some other woman from my past won’t come forward with that claim, but I honestly don’t think there will be. I think Devon is my only child for now.”
I blinked at him, not sure what to say as I cherished the feel of his thumb stroking the back of my hand.
“I can’t thank you enough for being here for Devon, for me, for stepping up after I’d wronged you.”
“It was for Devon, and you didn’t wrong me. I got the wrong impression.”
“And I didn’t take the time to clear that misunderstanding up. Although I did call you the day I left, just to let you know.”
“I was saying goodbye to Carol.” He frowned, and I went on to explain that I’d been in Carol’s apartment, checking it one last time.
Trevor sighed, then squeezed my hand as thunder rumbled overhead. We both glanced toward the window as lightning streaked outside.
“You’re a good woman, Davina, and I appreciate all that you have done this last week.”
“Thank you.” I think. Was he getting ready to say goodbye, thanks for your help, now you can go home?
He swallowed, and then dropped down to the floor, getting on his knees and pushing my thighs apart to get between them. Um, hello, what are we doing here?
He took my other hand. “Davina, I don’t want you to be just Devon’s medical power of attorney.”
“You don’t?” I squeaked.
He shook his head, staring up at me with such intensity that I froze in place. “No, I don’t. I want you to be his mother.”
“What?” My eyes about jumped from my head. “You don’t want him? How can you not want him?”
He smirked. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that I want you to be his mother and live in this house with me.”
I frowned at him. “But you have a nanny.”
“Did I say nanny? I think I said mother.”
“Trevor, I’m a little confused on what you are asking here.”
He swallowed again. “I’m trying to ask you to marry me, Davina. Be my wife, be Devon’s mother.”
I pulled my hand from his and pinched my thigh. I had to be dreaming. I was still lying on the floor of Devon’s bedroom, and I was having the dream of my life. Only the pinch hurt, and he frowned at what I had done to myself.
Then he laughed. “You’re not dreaming. I promise you that you are awake.”
“What did you just say?” My words were barely audible, but he heard them.
“What, about dreaming or being my wife?”
/> “The second one,” I replied.
“Davina Daniels, I know I haven’t said this before. In fact, I have never said these words to a woman in a romantic sense, but I’m about to say them to you. I love you. I love you with all of my heart, and I cannot imagine living my life with Devon without you right there with us.”
The thunder rumbled again, and we both glanced at the window momentarily. “You love me?” I asked as I turned back to him.
“Yes, I love you, Davina. I want you to marry me, live in this house with me, help me raise Devon, and maybe have a child of our own.”
I stared at him; was he serious? “I’m really awake? Are you pranking me?”
He chuckled. “No, Davina, I am not pranking you. I love your gorgeous whiskey eyes, your crazy wild hair. I love your sassy mouth, the way you love Devon as much as I do. I love you.”
Lightning flashed outside, and I held my breath for the rumble to begin. I pulled my hand from his and touched the side of his face. “I love you, too, Trevor. I fell in love with you the night of the wedding, and I made such a fool of myself by pushing you away, but I was frightened of how you made me feel. I had already lost one person I loved, and I wasn’t sure I could handle losing you and Devon too if we got together and things didn’t work.”
“Baby, they are going to work. We are going to make sure of that.” He paused. “Is that a yes, then?”
I grinned as I began to nod. “That’s a yes.”
He rose and brought my face to his to kiss me as another loud clap of thunder shook the house. We began to laugh and looked up at the ceiling.
“Do you think she approves or disapproves?” he asked me, and I laughed.
“Oh, I think she approves.” As if sending us another sign, a lighter flash lightened the window, and then a slow rumble of thunder rolled out in the distance.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Trevor got off his knees, wrapping his arm around my waist and lifting me. “Can I tell you how fucking cute you are in my t-shirt?”
“You can.” I locked my legs behind his back as he carried me toward the bathroom, but he paused at the door.