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And then there’s Cash. I really did not want to start a relationship with anyone, but Cash left me no choice. I can’t resist the man. He’s sexy as sin, but he’s also sweet and caring. He’s understanding and goes out of his way to meet needs that I didn’t even know I had. As crazy as it seems, I’m excited to see where things go between us and to see if we can actually make this work.
Chapter Sixteen
Cash
ThepastweekwithChayse since the cookout at her dad’s house has been amazing. Now that they hired another nurse at the hospital who is done with training, Chayse has been able to make the schedule a little more organized with less random swing shifts.
I definitely owe Reid for keeping Penny for me Saturday night. We went back to Chayse’s place and barely got any sleep. I’m proud to say her and Emerson did a kick ass job on her master bathroom. The shower was fucking amazing after the hot tub and a few more rounds of the hottest sex of my life. Each time I’m with Chayse it gets better and better, which seriously blows my mind.
I don’t know how it happened, but every day we end up spending time together, and I’m definitely okay with that. Sometimes it’s being able to eat a meal together or other times it’s been an evening with Penny having a blast.
It’s Friday and almost the end of summer which means it’s playoffs for Reid’s baseball team. Even though it’s basically a given that they will win the league, it’s still fun watching them get hyped up and being able to watch pretty good games. Chayse and Landon are both off and will be there with Penny and me. It’s going to be a blast.
Since her shift is done at 3:00 today, she’s going to head out to grab Penny with me and then hang out at the house before it’s time to go. I’m just putting the finishing touches on the built-in shelves that I stripped the paint, sanded, and stained. They turned out better than I could imagine. The wood and the craftsmanship in this house is like a dream for someone like me.
I’m just putting the lid on the stain when I feel arms wrapping around my middle. “Hey, baby. How was your shift?” The sigh she releases and her arms squeezing me tighter lets me know that it must have been pretty rough. “That bad, huh?”
Her voice is muffled since it’s buried in my back. I pry her arms open and pull her around. “What was that baby? I couldn’t hear you.” She melts into me as her shoulders start to shake. Her face is buried in my neck, and I can feel the tears running down my neck.
“Shhh, I’ve got you. Did you see any of the guys on your way in?” She shakes her head no, but still hasn’t said anything.
“Good. Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight.” I scoop her up and head upstairs. I can’t imagine some of the things she sees working in the ER, but I know that today must’ve been awful if my tough as nails girl is reacting this way. I hate this for her, but I love that she trusts me enough to be this vulnerable.
I make it to her room and head to the now finished master bath. I turn the water on as high as it will go before I gently slide her down my body. She still won’t look at me, but she’s also not fighting me. I tug at the hem of her shirt, and she instantly lifts her arms. I pull her pants down. I unsnap her bra and slide her panties and socks off. She still hasn’t said anything, but a silent line of tears are still trailing down her face. I stand and gently undo the braids in her hair. I usher her towards the shower and quickly strip off my clothes so that I can join her.
Before I climb in, I shoot a text to my mom to let her know I’ll be a little later today. I know Chayse is going to need a little bit longer before she’s ready to deal with Penny and to let go of the day she had. There’s no doubt that they adore each other, but I don’t want Chayse burying these feelings in order to put my baby girl first which I know she would do in a heartbeat.
I slide in behind her and pull her hands from her face. I spin her around as I wrap her hands around my waist. I slowly tip her head back and start getting her hair wet. I take my time washing and rinsing her hair. I put conditioner in and then grab her soap. I spin her again so that I can massage her back. She lets out a soft moan as her head tips back to my shoulder. I can feel the tension slowly leaving her body and I’m so happy I can give her this.
I rinse her body and turn her to rinse her hair. She finally is looking me in the eye and it breaks my heart to see my girl crushed.
“I can’t talk about it, but it was so fucking bad Cash. I’m sure you’ll see it on the news, but I haven’t lost that many people in a day and that many children…” Her voice cuts out as she sobs and my heart drops. Damn, losing anyone in her profession has to be awful, but to lose kids, I can’t even imagine what she’s going through right now.
“Thank you. This is exactly what I needed, but do you think we can go get Penny soon? I need to see her with my own eyes and squeeze the life out of her.”
“Absolutely, baby. If that’s what you need, then let’s finish up and go get my sweet little ball of sunshine.”
It’s the first smile I’ve seen since I kissed her goodnight yesterday. Since I’m already in the shower, and Chayse is amazing and has my body wash, I quickly rinse off and we both get out. I throw my clothes on and follow Chayse out into her room. She’s rocking those cutoff jeans that I love along with Reid’s team shirt. I can see her pulling herself together piece by piece and it’s a marvel to watch.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman as amazing as Chayse. She’s so strong, smart, but so compassionate about her job and helping every person that walks into her ER. I’m dumbstruck by her grace and beauty after what was an obviously difficult day.
She walks back towards her bathroom but pauses to wrap her arms around me. She tips her head up and lightly presses a kiss to my lips. I can’t resist and tilt her head so I can kiss her with all of the appreciation and awe that I feel for her. She pulls back and I finally get one of her bright smiles that she only reserves for me, and I know my girl is going to be okay.
“Why don’t you go finish up whatever you were doing before I interrupted you while I tame this mane. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
“You got it babe.” I turn to head out of her room when I feel her smack my ass. When I turn around, I see the most mischievous grin on my girl and it’s an instant relief that she’s going to be okay.
“Are you asking for me to punish you tonight, baby?”
“Oh, I’m not asking. I’m making sure it’s a guarantee.” With that, she winked and sashayed back into her bathroom. I can’t help but laugh at her as I head down to clean up the mess I left. I’m not ready to admit it, but we’re probably only going to need two more weeks to get the rest of her house done. Especially since she’s continued to work on it on her days off. I’m not ready to be out of her space which is terrifying and exciting all at once.
We pull up to my mom’s house and I hear Chayse mutter, wow under her breath. I sometimes, okay a lot of the time, forget how awesome our house is. My dad basically rebuilt the entire house and added another 1,200 square feet, a backyard oasis, and a shop for himself over the years. He’s the reason why I love being a contractor and working with my hands. But he also instilled the importance of a degree and being able to run a healthy business if this was the line of work I wanted to do. He knows how back breaking it is and wanted me to have the option to not have to do the heavy lifting as long as he did if I don’t want to. He also said if I can be my own boss, I can balance my work and home life better.
As a cocky teenager, I told him I had plenty of time to worry about my home life, and settling down, for later. But I knew what he was saying was important. My dad is a super fun guy, but if he ever decides to instill some wisdom on you, you listen because it’s usually damn good advice. He has been a huge help for Reid and I with our business.
I park my truck and make my way around to get the door for Chayse when I realize she’s fidgeting in the front seat with the threads on her cut offs and she won’t make eye contact with me. Maybe I should’ve insisted she take a little more time before we grab my rambunctious kiddo.
“Hey, you can just stay here, and I’ll be right back with Penny.” Apparently that wasn’t the right thing to say because Chayse pulls her hand from mine and furrows her brows. She no longer looks anxious but confused and a little pissed. She stiffens her back and squares her shoulders as she stares at me straight on.
