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She walked over and hugged me tightly the second I squatted down. “Okay. Bye, Mommy.” She waited for Elijah who was bending down for her. “Bye, Elijah.” She wrapped her little arms around his thick neck and shoulders while he squeezed her. “This is my favorite. Mom and Elijah taking me together,” Lucy giggled into his corded muscles before she returned to her seat and ate her breakfast.
I didn’t have time to wonder what Lucy meant. Elijah led me out of the room before I burst into tears. “I’m proud of you. You kept it together in there,” Elijah patted my back as we walked out the front door.
I hiccupped, wiping my eyes. “She did so well. She didn’t even cry.”
He laughed. “I never worried about her.”
I turned and crossed my arms at him. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, and now I couldn’t remember why I was upset with him for laughing at me. His presence was comforting.
“She’ll be okay, won’t she?”
He nodded, draping a heavy arm across my shoulders as we walked. “She’ll be fine. Now, let’s go get something to eat.”
I wiped my face some more. “I told you my dad’s driving Eli and me to look at cars today.”
He groaned. “Can’t you just let me drive you everywhere?”
I got on my tiptoes and jabbed my finger on his chest. “No! It’s driving me crazy not to have a vehicle.”
“I know.” He pulled me right back to him, slinging his arm over me. “I don’t like the idea of you not having transportation either, but I’m not looking forward to it all the same. I like being with you guys.” Then he scowled. “Your insurance company sure took their sweet ass time. You should let me put you on mine—”
“Elijah,” I gasped.
“That way I don’t have to worry about you getting a raw deal.”
I didn’t know what to make of him.
“You’ve lost your mind. What’s it to you?”
He stopped dead in the parking lot. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
“I can’t pretend you didn’t suggest putting me on your insurance plan. That’s crazy!”
“Why?”
“Why would you do that? It’s weird.”
“No, it’s not. Not when I want to take care of you.” He studied something on my face before he sighed. “Don’t freak out. I was only saying… Baby steps,” he promised.
I scoffed. “Baby steps, my butt.” I turned away from him, pushing his arm off me so he didn’t catch my smile. “I don’t know what to do with all this.”
“All this?” he asked behind me. I heard him unlock the truck as he followed me to the passenger side. He moved ahead of me and opened the door.
I climbed in. “This,” I gestured to what he was doing for me. “You’re always helping me. I honest to God don’t know what to do with you. I’ve never…” I studied my hands in my lap, unsure if I should say it. “Scott was never this way. I’m so used to doing everything alone that you’re scaring me.”
“I’m scaring you because I want to take care of you?” He frowned.
“It doesn’t feel like it should be real,” I admitted, hiding my eyes. “You don’t seem real sometimes.”
He moved my hands. “Believe it, Hadley. This is how you should have always been treated. But I’m not sorry that Scott failed you. If he’d done right by you, the two of you’d still be together, and that’s something I couldn’t bear.” He leaned into the truck. “I know where you guys belong, and it’s with the man that wants more than anything to take care of you all.”
“Don’t be,” I whispered. “I like where I’m at right now.”
“Me too.” He leaned closer and kissed me.
