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“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m going to make a grocery store run to grab supplies for a sick day. You get in bed with your baby girl and snuggle her until I get back. May I take your key so I can let myself in with the snacks? That way, you can stay in bed and focus on her.” He holds out a hand for my keyring, and it’s somehow automatic to slip my house key onto his palm.
“How do you know all this stuff?”
“Oldest of five, Bunny. Fevers and snotty noses are standard with that many kids running around. Shit, you’re gonna fall over in shock when you see my mama’s first aid kit. That woman could almost report to the front line in a warzone with all her experience patching up us kids and tending to our owies.” His lips tip up in a half-smile that gives my heart a little hitch.
Even with all the stress and worry, he’s got the ability to get my insides feeling melty. I tilt my head into the hallway to watch him walk toward the stairs, and he catches me looking. This time, his lips rise in a wide grin, and he gives me a wink.
“Back in a bit, Bunny. No racing away from me this time.” It’s only now I realize he’s been calling me Bunny since I opened the door. I guess it makes sense. When he flirts with me, I have a tendency to freeze up until that fight or flight instinct takes over and I zoom to safety.
I’ve spent all these months thinking it was about safety, to protect Lavender and my ability to take care of her. But what if it’s really just been about protecting myself from being hurt? It’s not really fair to Lavender to keep our lives as solitary as they are. Not if there’s a chance there are actually good people out there who will care for her. Maybe for both of us.
CHAPTER5
JONAH
Shopping the aisles of the grocery store to grab supplies for a sick little kid isn’t what I thought I’d be doing tonight, but it feels perfectly natural. I shoot my mom a text message to make sure I’m thinking of everything then add the extras she suggests. Yeah, I’m a grown man who texts his mama for her advice. My parents are awesome. Something tells me Sirena doesn’t have that, and the thought sends little electric bolts of hurt through my chest.
I’m trying to hurry, but the toy department at the back of the store is decorated for the upcoming holiday with red and green foil ornaments and lights that are impossible to ignore. I didn’t miss the cartoon sea creatures on Sirena’s daughter’s nightgown, and I figure one of the best parts of being sick is the treats meant to occupy and distract.
I grab her some coloring books and crayons, then add some plastic tubs of neon colored slime and these little pucks that apparently expand into cartoon character washcloths when they’re soaked in water. Cool baths to bring down her fever would be much more pleasant with those. I grab a couple, then throw some bath crayons into the cart, as well. Probably a good thing I don’t know the girl yet, or else, I’m pretty sure I’d wind up with a third of the toy department in my trunk.
As it is, I’m uncertain how Sirena will react when she sees everything I’ve bought. She’s so proud and reserved. I want her to understand I’m not trying to buy her trust. I just need to help. Whether she realizes it or not, I care deeply for her. One look at that little girl, a child I haven’t even properly met and didn’t know existed until an hour ago, and I already feel myself caring for her. She’s a part of Sirena, and Sirena’s mine. Which makes the child mine, too.
* * *
The condo’s quiet when I get back, so I stop in the kitchen and familiarize myself with the cupboards and where things go as I put everything away. There are popsicles, electrolyte and regular, juice, Jello, fruit cups, and sore throat lollipops. I also picked up some heat and eat meals for Sirena, so she won’t have to worry about cooking while her little girl needs her. Pretty sure my mom’s at the family home cooking up a storm to drop off, too.
My parents know all about how hard I’ve fallen for the new girl at Loft. Even if I hadn’t already talked their ears off about her, Cal and Lumi would have spilled the beans any of the many times they’ve been over. Growing up, my house was Grand Central Station for all the neighborhood kids. Even after Callum’s accident, when he finally came back to town after months of surgeries and rehab, our house is where he’d come hang out. As much noise as all the rest of us made, it kept the pressure off him having to talk. Now, after so many years of near silent grunts and text messaging, it’s still weird to hear him speaking up about things.
“Jonah?” My girl’s husky voice has my dick reacting despite the absolute shit timing.
“Just putting groceries away, Bunny. Do you need me to bring anything back to you two?” I’m seriously hoping she says yes. I want the excuse to see more of her condo. It feels as if I’m seeing sides to Sirena she’s never allowed me to see before, simply by taking in her home.
“No thanks, we’re fine for the moment.” Even her whisper-shout is adorable. I’ve got it so bad for this girl.
Despite the luxury of the building and property, Sirena’s apartment is a study in making do. The furniture is obviously old and dated, though it’s been cleaned and repaired. Everything I see serves a purpose, the only non-essentials visible are a few toys collected in plastic bins near an ancient television and the colorful art supplies stacked neatly on the kitchen table.
At least, I know the coloring books and artistic bath toys I picked up should go over well. The lack of creature comforts in the spartan areas makes my chest ache. Even if Sirena never agrees to date me, there’s no way I’ll let her continue living such an austere life. Every primal instinct I have urges me to scoop up the two of them and spirit them to my house, so I can pamper and spoil them as they deserve.
One step at a time. Sirena’s skittish and self-contained. If I bum rush her, she’ll retreat, and I may lose my chance to win her over completely. The raspy sound of a tiny person coughing breaks through my worrying, and I grab an armful of the over-the-counter meds, juice boxes, and a popsicle from the freezer I just stocked.
“Okay, so I grabbed—” The words die in my throat as I take in the sight before me. The woman of my dreams, the sexiest person I’ve ever seen in real life, is laid out on a bed just steps away from me. Instead of immediately stiffening into solid wood, my whole body floods with the urge to protect and nurture. Make no mistake, my dick catalogs every dip and swell of her outstanding, curvy body. But my focus, my need, centers on eliminating the dark, puffy bags under her eyes and the weary set of her overstressed shoulders.
“Mommy, your boss bringed me a popsicle!” The rattling chest cold makes the little girl’s words squawky.
“Shh, Lav, rest your voice.”
I move toward the duo, my arm outstretched with the popsicle.
“I know I should ask if it’s okay first, but her throat sounds so painful, and I promise these are the ones my mom swears soothe the best.”
“You’re kinda big to have a mommy.” Her artless statement startles a laugh from me, and both of them look at me as if I’m from another planet. It’s not surprising my girl’s daughter looks at me as if I’m a puzzle she wants to solve. I’m a big guy, and I’m guessing she doesn’t have much experience interacting with men. Especially ones as large and loud as I know I am.
“Everybody has a mother and a father, Lavender. Even when they’re adults like Mr. Taylor.” Sirena’s blush has gone nuclear from her hairline clear to where her shirt covers the luscious swell of tits I’ve had front row seats to viewing night after night at Loft.
“You don’t got any, though, cuz I never met them.”
Sirena’s eyes meet mine, shame and panic blurring in the tears I see spiking her lashes. So much becomes clear, even as more questions than I can count pile up like a Texas interstate under a sprinkle of snow.
