“I work at the local hospital’s gift shop. We have volunteers that do a lot of the work, but I’m the main employee along with another girl named Tina. Sadly, she’s out of town, so I can’t ask her to sub in for me. I totally would if I could.”
“What time do you get off?” I ask.
“Three,” she answers, and it’s probably my imagination, but I think I see hope in her eyes.
“How about I pick you up at four. We’ll go riding and then I’ll buy you dinner.”
“I’d love to,” she says with a big smile.
“It’s a date then,” I murmur, getting lost in her eyes again. Her face deepens in color again and I know I still have hold of her hand, but I don’t really give a damn. “Cory?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to kiss you. This is your only chance to tell me not to,” I warn her.
She smiles, “Since I want you to kiss me, I don’t think I’ll try and stop you,” she gently replies, and my grin deepens as big as hers as I lower my head down and take her mouth.
She tastes like sunshine and home. It’s addicting and it fills me with a lightness that I haven’t felt in years.
Chapter 23
Pez
As we getto Daphne’s house, I’m grateful that Sabre remains outside to call the club. I’m not sure what he needs to talk to them about. I figure it’s because he knows there’s tension between me and Daphne and I need to fix it. I’m grateful. I don’t think I could handle this distance with her overnight. I need to try and fix it now. I’m just worried what will happen when she hears about my past. It’s something I can’t put off. I have to leave her tonight to take Sabre home, so I refuse to do it now. When I tell her, I need time to spend with her to try to make her understand.
It hurts that she doesn’t follow me into Cammie’s room. It’s just a sign of the distance she’s trying to put between us. Things felt so good earlier. I’m not sure how they turned on a dime, but I need to fix it. I walk over to Cammie’s bed, and maneuver so I can turn down the cover on her bed, while holding her body close. It’s not easy. It would have been nice to have Daphne’s help. I’m thankful as hell that she’s such a heavy sleeper. Once I get her settled, I put her stuffed Olaf in her arms. When I pull back, I watch as she snuggles into it, burying her head against it. She’s out cold. I have a moment of panic, afraid that she could smother herself by holding it so tightly. I bend downagain, trying to remove it from her grip. For a kid, she’s got a strong grip. Cammie’s also managed to twist her body around it. There’s no way I’m going to get it out without waking her. I’ll have to get Daphne to help me. She’s trying to push me away, but I’m not going to let her. Besides, she’ll be as worried as I am about Cammie smothering herself. I look down and see Cammie’s stomach rise and fall, making me feel just a little less panicked. Still, I need to hurry. I leave the room, walking fast to get to Daphne. We need to get Cammie settled and then, I’m going to make her listen to me …somehow.
“Daphne, I need you to?—”
“Eli, can we just take a break and let me deal with all the pressures hitting me right now?” she asks, standing by the island in her kitchen. She’s yanking my heart out, but I’m not walking away. It probably won’t do me any good. Even Nora never chose me, but I have to try. With Daphne the need is so much stronger than anything I’ve felt before.
“Let’s talk about that in a bit. I need you to help me take Cammie’s stuffed Olaf. She’s wrapped around it holding it in place.” I expect her to take off running, as worried as I am. Instead, she stands there looking at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Did you hear what I said?” I grumble. “We need to hurry.” Panic is clawing at me. I just need to know she’s okay, then I can focus on something else.
“Why do you want to take her stuffed animal from her? She loves that Olaf,” Cammie says, shaking her head with her face scrunched up in genuine confusion.
“Because she’s wrapped around it and has her head buried in it,” I explain. I thought that would move her into action, but it doesn’t. She just keeps standing there staring at me as if I’m the one that lost my mind, when it’s clearly her. “Daphne, we need to check on her and get that damn toy from her,” I grumble, walking around her. If she’s not going to do it, I will.
I get about five steps away before I feel her hand snake around my arm to stop me. “What are you so worried about, Eli?”
“Skittles, her head is buried in that thing. There’s no way she’s taking in oxygen. I’m going to get it out of the bed. In the morning you can tell her Olaf ran away to the Ice Kingdom because Elsa was lonely,” I huff. I turn to leave again, when the sound of Daphne’s laughter stops me in my tracks.What in the world could be funny about any of this?
“You want me to tell Cammie that Olaf ran away?” she gasps—still laughing. “To the …” She stops talking because the laughter takes over again. “To the …” Again, she has to stop to drag air in her lungs over her freaking giggles. Tears are running down her face and she makes another one of those cute snorts that escapes her sometimes when she laughs. “Ice …” Okay, her snort is cute, but that laughter is starting to annoy me. “Kingdom,” she announces it like she can’t hold back any longer, laughing so hard that she has to lean on me to keep standing. I will admit that I kind of like that part.
“I’m glad you think I’m funny. Now, can we go save our girl?” I grumble. She stops looking up at me, her tears running down her cheek have slowed down and her eyes have a look of wonder on them. I don’t understand the change, but I’m too worried about Cammie, to ask right now. Her hand comes up the side of my face. I cup it with mine. “Skittles, I love when you touch me, but I need to?—”
“Eli, honey, I promise you Cammie is okay.”
“You don’t know that. We need to check on her,” I urge her. Finally, she takes my hand, and we head to Cammie’s room. It’s about time too. I wasn’t waiting any longer. I’d decided just to wake her up and distract her while hiding that damn snowman. What the hell was I thinking when I bought that? I need to be more careful.
She stops by Cammie’s opened door and squeezes my hand. “See? She’s resting fine.” I look over at the beautiful little girl with hair just like her mother’s and my heart squeezes in my chest. She’s still sound asleep. Olaf has fallen down. He’s lying on her arm, but most of him is down by her stomach now.
“See?” she breathes out quietly.
“Maybe we should take him anyway—just to be safe,” I suggest. She grins at me, tugs on my arm, and pulls me back into the living room. I can’t help looking back at Cammie’s room—still worried. Daphne practically drags me into the living room, going so far as to push me on her sofa. I don’t mind as much once she sits down in my lap. For a minute it’s like every dream I’ve ever had come true. I pull her around so she’s straddling me instead of just being in my lap. She lets out a squeak of surprise, but she doesn’t fight me.
“Satisfied?” she quips, smiling down at me.
“Not yet, but I feel better,” I admit.
