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Yes, I was a screwed-up mess.
Not the first time I had thought that exact thing since I met the woman.
ChapterTen
TEAL
Someone needed to pinch me.
I couldn’t believe a week had passed and I was moving.
After I had accepted the offer, I started to panic and second guess myself. As much as I wanted a place for my baby and me, I didn’t have anything to put in it or enough money to get everything I needed. But as we walked around finishing up our shopping, Summer had gone on to explain how it was completely furnished and stocked with everything needed for the kitchen, bath, and bedrooms.
Bedrooms, as in plural. Eek!
Excitement raced through my body. Three bedrooms, a secure location, and lots of space for my little one and myself. I hadn’t seen it yet, but I knew the building would be better than the motel if Gyth and Summer had lived there, and Kace still did.
Speaking of Kace, the man hadn’t said much about the fact I would be close by and seemed to avoid the subject if came up at work. The one thing he had done though, was let me know I could ride to and from work with him. I just wasn’t sure how I felt about being stuck in a vehicle with him. After the last month, I didn’t think he would ever hurt me, but I got all twisted up around him. There was a push and pull of emotions when he was near, and I felt like a yo-yo.
Kace or the bus?
That was a dumb question because Kace seemed a whole lot safer than the bus. And being safe needed to be my top priority for my child. With that thought, I decided I was going to take him up on it. Probably much to his dismay. I knew he was trying to be nice, but I wasn’t sure he was happy about offering. I wasn’t sure what I had done or what it was about me that had him running hot and cold.
The man was a born protector, that was obvious. After a couple of weeks of finding my way home from work on the bus and feeling as if someone was watching me, I spotted Kace’s vehicle one night. Alarmed at first at the thought of being followed, I rushed into my room and snuck to the window to peer out at where he was parked. After a few minutes, he drove away into the night. Knowing what to look for, I noticed he did it each night and some mornings, probably when his schedule with work would allow.
After declining multiple offers from all of the guys about getting a ride, I guess he decided to do the next best thing to make sure I had gotten home without incident. Not wanting to make things weird between us, I didn’t let on that I knew. But Kace was smart and he was ex-military so I had a feeling if he hadn’t wanted to be seen, I’d never have caught sight of him at all. So the next couple weeks went on just as the first couple had, with him trailing me to and from work and me feeling better because I knew he was there.
Now he would be living right by me and I thought that just maybe that would help me sleep better at night. Sometimes I felt like I was scared of my own shadow. Knowing Thad was out there looking for me, that much I was certain of, never allowed me to let my guard down. And with that came worry, stress, and very little sleep. I wasn’t sure what a good night's sleep felt like since it too was something I don’t think I truly had since burying my mother.
I’d been thinking and not packing so when I looked at the clock and realized Gyth and Summer would be at the motel to pick me up soon, I started rushing around the room. I didn’t have much but still didn’t want to not be ready when they showed up.
A short time later I had everything together and was sitting by the door. I double-checked the room to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything and then glanced around. Boy was I happy to leave the dingy, musky place behind. I wouldn’t look back, I was going to make that better life I dreamed of.
Hearing a car pull up just out front, I figured that they had arrived. They were right on time. I was so giddy and anxious to go, I didn’t wait for anyone to come to the door. I just threw it open and walked out into the sunny, cool day to greet them.
But when I looked up, shielding my eyes with my hand from the bright sunlight shining in my eyes, I stopped dead in my tracks.
And gazed into a pair of whiskey-brown eyes.
Kace.
* * *
My heart beat double time.
What was he doing here?
Just as I asked myself the question, my phone chimed alerting me to a text. Pulling my eyes from the man who was approaching and getting closer by the second, I grabbed my phone out of my jacket pocket and saw a message from Summer. I fiddled with the phone trying to pull up the text as nervous energy swept through me now that Kace was standing right in front of me.
Without looking up and acknowledging him yet, I read the message. Summer had profusely apologized for not being able to make it there in time so she asked if Kace could come pick me up and put my things in his truck. She said they would be there soon but with him living in the building, he had a key to my new place in case of an emergency and had said he didn’t mind helping out.
I wasn’t upset with her, things happened. Plus, once she mentioned that her son Dexter had fallen off his bike just before they were going to leave and they were cleaning up his wounds, my heart went out to her. As a soon-to-be mother, I knew it must kill her to see him hurt. I was already head-over-heels in love with my child and felt protective even though I hadn’t even given birth yet.
After typing out a quick message back to her to let her know I understood and to not worry another minute about it, I shoved my phone back into my pocket. When I looked back up and at Kace, I was at a loss for words.
I shyly muttered, “Hi.” I gulped, waiting for his reply as if I had a frog in my throat.
“Was that Summer?” he asked with raised eyebrows.
