AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m so sorry, Ellie.” Ruby soothes the child. “I know how much you miss her, but we will take you to see her at the hospital again after school tomorrow. I bet your momma will be out of the hospital in no time. Now, don’t cry. Your momma wouldn’t want you to be upset, would she?” Ellie shakes her head no as she swipes at her face. Tank stands up, and Ruby’s eyes fly to him.
“I’ll go get your pajamas, doll, and book, munchkin,” Tank informs both females. “Ruby can help you get into them while I get ready for bed too. Then we’re reading one story and going to sleep.” Ellie nods her agreement and lays her head on Ruby’s shoulder. Tank hurries to get Ellie’s things. He places them on the bed next to Ruby before getting his sleep pants and heading into the bathroom. He takes a quick shower and dons his pajama bottoms.
Once his teeth are brushed and his hair combed to look presentable, he exits the bathroom, and the sight of the girls cozied up in his bed warms his heart. Ruby has already begun to read Ellie’s book to her. Their heads are close together as they look at the book. Ruby’s voice is soft and low as she reads the story book to Ellie. It’s a book about a little girl who has a big red dog. Tank stands in the doorway of the bathroom, watching them. Ruby looks up and smiles at him after a few minutes. He moves on into the room and joins them in the bed.
Five stories, a trip to the bathroom, and a cup of water later, Ellie is finally asleep once more. Tank is worn out, and apparently Ruby is too. She looks at him over Ellie’s brown head and smiles sleepily.
“Good night, Tucker,” Ruby mumbles. Her eyes closing in sleep. She’s laying on her side facing him with Ellie between them.
“Good night, beautiful,” Tank replies laying his head back on the pillow. Well this isn’t how he pictured his first night with Ruby in home and his bed going, but it’s not a bad start. He shifts onto his side so he can look over the two girls who have stolen his hard heart after breaking down the walls he’s put up around them. For a long time, he watches them sleep, both looking like angels send from above.
32
RUBY
Ruby wakes to the feel of someone rubbing her face. Her eyes fly open to see Ellie leaning over her with her little hand on Ruby’s face.
“Good morning,” Ruby croaks. Her throat is dry from sleep. Ellie’s face lights up as she smiles at her.
“Good morning,” Ellie whispers. “Uncle Tank is still sleeping. Can we go down and make him breakfast?” Ruby glances toward the window noticing it’s still quite dark outside. She gets her phone off the nightstand on her side to see it’s three forty-five a.m. Why is this child awake this early? They hadn’t gotten to bed and asleep before midnight. Good lord! She’s always wanted children before she had to run from the mob, but now she’s seriously reconsidering becoming a mother.
“It’s still very early, little one,” Ruby whispers back. “Maybe we should try to go back to sleep.” Ellie’s lip sticks out in a pout. Ruby thinks the child is used to getting her way by doing a little pouting. Ruby can understand why. She so adorable and serious looking Ruby has to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
“Uncle Tank and Robert get up when it’s dark to go PT at base,” Ellie informs her, much louder than she whispered before. “Sometimes they come back to take me to school and eat breakfast that momma’s cooked, but momma can’t cook breakfast today.” Ruby’s heart breaks for the child. Ruby was twenty years old when her mother had been killed and while Abigail is going to recover from her injuries, Ellie is feeling the loss of her mother being active in her life as much as she had been.
“Go back to sleep, munchkin.” Tank’s gravelly voice startles both females. Ellie squeals in fright before turning to climb over on the half-sleeping giant.
“But I wanted me and uh, your girl…” Ellie can’t seem to remember Ruby’s name. Ruby’s heart clenches a little when the child calls her Tucker’s girl. Ruby realizes it’s a title she could very easily get used to hearing.
“Ruby,” Tank informs Ellie.
“Yeah, Ruby, I wanted her to help me make you breakfast,” Ellie whines. Tucker opens an eye to look at the child. When Ellie sees Tucker’s eyes are open the little imp pouts her bottom lip. Ruby can see the humor in his expression as he holds back the urge to laugh, but he’s obviously not going to encourage the little heartbreaker. Ruby can tell she’s spoiled rotten all ready, but Ruby knows Tucker would never say it of the child. She can tell he loves Ellie just as she is, precocious, mischievous, and lively.
“I don’t eat before going to PT,” Tucker informs her. “If I eat before going to exercise, I might get sick, but besides that, Hawk has cancelled PT for today after your mom’s accident. Now you need to go back to sleep or you won’t be able to stay awake at school.” Ellie flops down onto the bed between the two adults, huffing her annoyance. She folds her little arms across her chest with her lower lip sticking out so far Ruby does a double take. She can’t believe Ellie can get it out that far.
“You better pull that lip back in before you step on it,” Tucker says, humor lacing his voice. Ellie whips her head to look at him. She sucks in her lower lip in a little bit but not all the way. It’s still sticking out due to her being upset.
“I can’t step on my lip, Uncle Tank,” Ellie replies stubbornly. “We’ve talked about this before. I tried, but I can’t reach it.” Ruby giggles and it makes Tucker smile, too. Ruby thinks the child is too much, but she can tell Tucker wouldn’t have her any other way.
Tucker rises up suddenly. He tickles the child under her arms and along her ribs. Her squeals of delight have all three of them laughing, Ruby joins in helping Ellie fend him off. Before long, the girls have managed to get Tucker on his back. Ruby and Ellie have a blast torturing the poor man. He’s very ticklish. Hmmm, Ruby thinks it’s his one weakness, because Lord knows the man doesn’t have any others. She appreciates his masculine beauty as they tickle him mercilessly. She loves hearing him laugh. She wants to hear him laugh every day for the rest of her life. The realization hitting her just as Tucker calls for a truce.
“I give! I give!” Tucker huffs out between fits of laughter.
“We win, Uncle Tank!” Ellie exclaims. The child leaps to her feet, jumping up and down on the bed. Whooping and hollering her victory. Tucker sees his opportunity, grabbing Ellie tickling her again. The child screeches in delight. After a few more minutes of fun, they finally settle down.
“I guess we might as well get up and cook breakfast,” Tucker says. “No way we are going back to sleep now.”
“See, Uncle Tank,” Ellie sasses. “That’s what I said before you started the tickle fight.” Ruby sees Tucker roll his eyes as if to say, ‘Lord this child is sassy’. Ruby giggles again at the motion. She’s used to women rolling their eyes but seeing Tucker do it is hilarious.
“Come on, munchkin,” Tucker says. “Let’s get to making breakfast.” The three of them get up and after bladders are emptied, they head downstairs to cook up a quick breakfast of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and toast. After they’ve eaten, they head into the living area and watch cartoons until time for Ellie to get ready for school. She begs Ruby to help her get ready. Ruby takes Ellie by the hand leading her upstairs. They leave Tucker to take care of the cleanup in the kitchen.
“You’ll have to show me where your clothes are kept,” Ruby tells Ellie as they enter her room. Ellie nods and hurries to her closet, flinging the doors wide.
“Here’s a lot of my clothes, but my socks, panties, and shirts are over there.” Ellie turns to a dresser sitting nearby. The child opens first one drawer then another. “This dresser is so nice. When we lived in the apartment, all my clothes were in the closet. Momma had boxes stacked on the floor for my under clothes.” Ruby looks down at the child, who doesn’t seem upset about the move from her previous home. Remembering the things Tucker has told her, she supposes the child is used to moving from place to place. Ruby had been an adult when she began living this type of life always on the run. It breaks her heart to think of Abigail and Ellie living as she’s had to do over the last six years.
“I suppose you should take a bath before school,” Ruby says. “You were asleep when we got home last night.” Ellies nods her little head.
“I usually get to play in the tub with bubbles, but if I take one before school Momma has me take a shower,” Ellie says so adult-like. “It’s faster. Get in, wash, get out,” she says in a very mature voice. Ruby grins at the child mocking her mother’s voice.
