Page 12 of Mitch

The sight in front of her, of Mitch cradling Maggie in his big arms, the muscle of his biceps straining against her tiny body had her yearning for something she shouldn’t want. He had his phone out and was playing candy crunch as Maggie made ba-ba, ma-ma noises at him.

His head twisted to her, and he grinned a triumphant grin. “Your girl likes candy crunch, got me to level seventy-six,” he looked back to Maggie, “didn’t ya, bubby.”

Autumn smiled as she took a seat facing Maggie and Mitch on the couch. “She likes the colours.” As she spoke, she offered Maggie the dormal, and her daughter sucked it into her mouth, taking the medicine like a champ.

“She likes that.”

Mitch grinned at her and Autumn allowed herself to wonder what it might be like if things were different and she wasn’t living with this huge secret.

“Have you tasted the stuff? It’s like liquid candyfloss. Of course she likes it.”

Mitch chuckled. “Can’t say as I’ve tasted Calpol, honey.”

Honey, that one simple word meant nothing, and yet the way it made her feel was everything. She’d become invisible in the last eighteen months, even before that if she were honest with herself.

Her husband had been so engrossed with what was going on at work he hadn’t been at home a lot and he’d spent every waking hour on his phone or laptop. After his death, she’d become the sole witness that could put Linton Allen inside for the rest of his life. The star witness, whose testimony was the only thing that mattered, convinced by the Crown Prosecution Service that they’d protect her until he went away for life. But he hadn’t gone down, he’d walked away because of a technicality, and now she was a woman in hiding, a single mother and sole provider for her child. Yet, for one second, for a fleeting moment, she’d felt like a woman, and it was good, better than good, it made her feel alive.

“Autumn?”

She shook her head to dislodge the thoughts and her reaction to the simple word. “Yes?”

Her eyes met Mitch’s, and she hid her thoughts from him. She’d been told countless times that her eyes were too expressive, but for a few moments his were too, and she saw so many questions there she couldn’t answer, it hurt to look at him.

“I asked if you wanted to take her. I think she needs a change.”

The information woke her up, and she leaned in to take Maggie from him as a single tear welled up in her eye. Mitch allowed her to take Maggie, who already seemed a little better, her cheeks less red.

“Hey, what’s this?”

His coarse finger touched the skin of her cheek as he caught the wetness before it ran down her cheek. He was so close now she could feel his heat surrounding her. How she longed to sink into his strength, to absorb some of it so she could store it for times liked this.

It had only been two weeks since they’d met, and yet she knew she was safe with Mitch. Sure, she was attracted to him but it was more than that. Autumn felt like she knew him, deep in her soul knew they were connected in a way she couldn’t understand.

Meeting his eyes, she offered him a small grin. “Just tired. I’m weepy and pathetic when I’m tired.”

A big hand cupped the back of her neck, and his head dipped closer. Autumn’s breath hitched, and she thought he might kiss her—wanted him to kiss her. Wanted to feel this heat, know his strength, but at the last second, he pressed his lips to her forehead.

“Crying isn’t a weakness. Raising a baby alone is fucking hard work. You need to give yourself a break. You’ve had a shitty time of it, so go easy on yourself and let people help you.”

Autumn had a second’s hesitation as she wondered if he knew her secret, but that was impossible. She badly wanted to accept his offer, to let him in and lean on him. She and Bebe had forged a friendship of sorts, and that had been easy. Autumn had baked her some cupcakes to say thanks for her help and Bebe had put the kettle on so they could share them.

This was different though. She sensed that she and Mitch could be so much more. Maybe just it was the sensual bite of attraction or perhaps more, but she knew it had the ability to undo her defences in ways she wasn’t sure she wanted.

“I can’t be anything other than your friend, Mitch,” she warned him with honesty leaking from every pore.

“Let’s start there then.” His grin made her think of sweaty nights and a long lazy morning, but she nodded. “But first, let’s get this one changed, she’s stinking up the place.”

Autumn laughed at his words, forgetting that he was probably not as desensitised to her daughter’s lethal behind as she was, but his words had done as she knew he’d intended and stopped her tears.

Standing, she walked towards her bedroom. Maggie was still in a cot next to the bed and her gaze dropped to the floor where her rumpled sheets lay across the air mattress she was sleeping on.

“Can you pass me the wipes?” she asked Mitch, who was looking around the room with a frown. He looked annoyed, and she wondered what had crawled up his ass. “Mitch, wipes?”

He looked up seeming perplexed. “Huh?”

“Baby wipes. This getting everywhere.”

Mitch pulled a face, and she thought he was going to puke as he handed her the wipes and stepped back a pace. Autumn cleaned up her baby quickly and had her in a new onesie in minutes.