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I ran one hand down over her belly and held her close. She anchored me in ways no one ever had.
My Hope.
My hope.
Envy
Hope
The following few days passed in a blur. Lucky had Brayleigh, so I stayed with Ares at his place.
He didn’t say a lot about his visit with his father but allowed that he didn’t have it easy. “One mistake, Hope. He made one helluva mistake, and it set the pattern for the rest of his life.”
The difference in his behavior, however, spoke volumes.
Easy-going with Sia as always, he relaxed more in play. Instead of being watchful and wary, he simply watched. Enjoyed. Laughed.
I never imagined laughter could come so easily to this man.
Dani had a New Year’s Eve bash for the family. I didn’t meet Lucky, Minty, and Brayleigh there in favor of putting Sia to bed and playing Mario Cart until the ball dropped.
I’d just kicked Ares’ ass for the third time in a row when he asked me to stay at his place with Brayleigh, that watchful look back on his handsome face.
“I can’t give her the wrong impression, Ares,” I stated miserably.
His jaw set. “What would that be?”
There were times when his lack of experience with relationships were evident. Not that I was a love master, but I knew to give and take. His fragile heart never spent much time on the receiving end, and it took a long time for him to give anything of himself.
Now that he’d given me so much, he could turn wary at the slightest provocation.
“The impression that this is her home.”
“You are her home,” he stated stubbornly.
“Yes, but children need stability. She already goes back and forth between Lucky and me. She doesn’t live here, yet.”
His eyes widened, and my heart sank like a stone.
He drew back. “Don’t you think it’s a bit too soon to talk about moving in together?”
“Yes,” I answered evenly. “Which is why I can’t live here for weeks and weeks while we see where we’re going.”
“What do you mean, ‘where we’re going’?” His brows lowered ominously. “Do I have to cuff you to the bar again?”
“Okay, bring Inky and stay at my place!”
“Done!” he exclaimed. “Thought you’d never ask. Is there room in Brayleigh’s room for another crib?”
My mouth dropped open. “I moved her into a toddler bed,” I whispered, as I greedily guzzled up his happiness. “She refused to go back into the crib after sleeping in the toddler bed you bought her.”
“What did you do with the crib?”
“Nothing.” I shrugged, simultaneously enthralled and exasperated.
Staring at me, he went silent and withdrew into his head.
“Oh, no no no!” I interjected, jumping on him, and pushing him back into the couch. “No withdrawing into your head.” I knocked softly on the side of his skull. “It’s dark and murky in there. I don’t want you getting lost.”
