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Am I considering this? Being with Summer? Forever? Once I have her, I don’t think I could walk away even if she wanted me to. I’m not a city guy, but if she goes back to Seattle, I’d consider going with her so we could be together.
It feels like I’ve had some sort of revelation. I know Summer deserves better than me. She deserves everything in this world and more. I can’t give her a fancy lifestyle, but I can give her my attention, love, respect, affection, and loyalty. Those have to count for something. I hope.
Mrs. Pierce doesn’t say anything else, so I sit back and watch the game show she has on and wait for my girl to get out of the shower. I wish I could be in there with her, bathing her, and giving her the type of care I know she needs. That will happen one day. For the time being, I need to help her to figure out how to move forward with her mom. I don’t want to overstep, but I think I need to ask Summer some questions about her mom’s health. She’s fully capable of handling things on her own, but I want to be her support. If she needs me to help her make decisions or take over, I will.
Slow footsteps catch my attention, and when I turn my head, I lose my breath. Summer is barefaced, with wet hair, and is in a pair of pajamas, but she’s never looked more beautiful. Her PJs are light pink flannel. Not Little pajamas like I’ll change her into later, but she still looks adorable.
“Hi,” she whispers.
I immediately rise and go to her. “Hi. Did you have a nice shower?”
She smiles up at me. “Yes. It was great.”
With her mom here, I can’t wrap her up in my arms or sit her between my legs so I can brush her hair, so instead, I stroke my finger over her cheek and wink. “Go sit with your mom. I’ll get you a glass of wine. Are you hungry?”
When she rubs her tummy and bobs her head, I chuckle.
A few minutes later, the two of them are seated at the table.
“Mrs. Pierce, I brought Hawaiian or combo. Which would you prefer?”
She looks at me, a blank expression in her eyes, and I’m pretty sure she’s already forgotten who I am.
“Hawaiian, please,” she answers.
I dish hers up, then look at Summer. “Still my combo girl?”
Her cheeks turn bright red. “How did you remember?”
I grin at her. “You used to always take the last piece of combo pizza when we were younger, and I think you did it on purpose to irritate me.”
The way her entire face flushes, I have my answer. The little brat was pushing my buttons even back then. It never actually bothered me. It sort of became a game between us.
When I have her pizza ready, I set the plate in front of her. She studies it for a few seconds before she looks up at me, her face full of emotion.
“You cut it up for me.”
“Of course, I did. Chew good.”
I’m pretty sure her eyes are welling with tears, but she quickly blinks them away and starts eating. I sit next to her, and the three of us enjoy the meal while talking about things that aren’t too deep so her mom doesn’t get confused. Whenever I get the chance, I run my hand down Summer’s back. If I could, I’d have her on my lap so I could hand-feed her. Another time.
When they’re done, I collect their plates, but she tries to stop me. “I’ll do the dishes. You took care of dinner and everything else tonight.”
“No. I want you to relax. Why don’t you and your mom go watch a movie or something?”
“But—”
I shoot her a stern look that only she can see, silencing her. “No buts. Go relax with your mom. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
She looks as though she wants to argue with me, but she must think better of it because she finally nods. “Okay.”
Her mom retires to her room around nine. When she says goodnight, she calls my girl Janet. I don’t miss the flash of sadness in Summer’s eyes, but she quickly masks it and says goodnight to her mom.
“Let’s get you ready for bed,” I say as I lead her into her room.
When I close the door and turn to look at her, she’s shifting from foot to foot as she tugs on the hem of her pajama shirt.
“What’s wrong, baby girl?”
