Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection Page 2

  Her hands drop away from her daughter’s ears. Amelia’s eyes bounce from me to her mom and back.

  “Well?” Amelia asks.

  If it’s directed at me, or her mother, I have no idea.

  “We need to leave.” Oliver states with a very frustrated tone of voice.

  “Noooooo.” Amelia screams. “You promised, Uncle Oliver. You promised.”

  Oliver shrugs a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well…that was before you ruined my laptop. I need to work, or at least stay in touch with the company. You don’t understand, you’re too little, I don’t expect you to understand. This is important, Amelia.”

  Serenity slides a hand over Amelia’s brown hair. Soft shiny brown strands divided in two pigtails. The color matches her mom’s but Serenity’s hair is twisted up in a messy bun. Seems it doesn’t like to be kept like that because some already escaped, falling into her face.

  Tears are sliding down those tiny cheeks. Crap on a stick.

  “But it’s my birthday. You promised no work for Mommy and you, only gators. I didn’t even get see a hatchling yet.” Amelia starts to sob and it’s like a water tap and sirens that starts at the same time. How can such a tiny person produce high volume and waterworks all at the same time?

  I get on one knee in front of Amelia and start to wipe my thumb across her wet cheek. “Hatchlings, Amelia? You want to hold one?”

  She nods and that’s all I need. I get to my feet and slide my gaze to Serenity. “I can make that happen, follow me, please.”

  “Look, Chester, that’s really nice of you, but we’re leaving.” Oliver states.

  Son of a monkey’s uncle. Well, not so much monkey…Amelia’s. I raise my hands and cover the little girl’s ears. “Listen, ass-nugget. I’m going to give her a short, up close and personal tour. If you manage to not make her cry while I’m doing this, I will let you come to my house and use my computer.”

  The guy eyes me and I can hear his unsaid thoughts clearly through his dismissive gaze.

  I shake my head slowly. “I would bite my tongue if I were you. Because you shouldn’t judge people by appearances…and you really shouldn’t this time. I sure as hell will expect an apology to this little one later on when you step inside my office.”

  I should have said basement instead of office, but that slip of a tongue might fire up the whole ‘he’s a dude who lives in the basement with a computer from the year zero’ judgement thought. Or, hell, he might think I live in the basement of my parents’ house. That’s a visual I don’t want to put in Serenity’s brain.

  Oliver tightens his grip on his phone. “Fine.” His jaw ticks. “I’ll give it a shot. For Amelia. An hour delay might just compensate the inevitable.”

  Degenerate ass-nugget.

  Removing my hands from Amelia’s ears, she looks at me and then at her mom. “Did Chester ask you out for ice cream? Because when you covered my ears before, he was checking if you had someone to kiss. And you haven’t so. Yes? Ice cream and gator hatchlings? Or a kiss first? Because that’s what happened when Charlie kissed Debi when he asked the boyfriend question. She also covered my ears, but you can still hear stuff, you know.”

  This time Serenity and myself both snort in laughter. Amelia joins in, but not Oliver. He’s all about the glare, judgement and doing business. Or so he seems. I wouldn’t mind locking him up in my basement while I spend the rest of the day talking to Serenity and Amelia in my kitchen.

  2

  SERENITY

  I can’t believe the man with the wild beard is sitting in the front seat of my Audi A6 Avant wagon. He’s right next to me. My brother, Oliver, is behind us in his own car. He insisted on driving his Ford Mustang Trans Am. He loves that car, regularly waxing the yellow with two black stripes, proudly showing off the Boss 302 on the side.

  The fact that he didn’t have to sit with Amelia in the same space for those three hours? Also a bonus. Not that he doesn’t like her, but she can be quite overwhelming. That thought brings me back to the discussion that’s going on between Chester and Amelia.

  “You can’t have a hammock in a car, it’s too big, it wouldn’t fit. Tell him Mommy.” Amelia states.

  I risk a glance to my right, and I know it was a mistake when his amazing bright green eyes lock with mine. My breath hitches and I move my gaze back to the road. Chanting the days of the week to remind me what day it is. Yes, I always do that when I need to focus. And, dammit, I need focus right now. I’m driving. And my kid is in the car.

  I can’t do relationships, or think about the place between my legs that is definitely throbbing for attention. Or the curiosity of what it would feel like to rub against his beard while…oh, shit. Focus, what day was it again?

  “I will show you when we get to my house…take a left here, we’re almost there…then you shall make me cookies as an apology for not believing me.” Chester turns slightly in his seat to look back at Amelia. “Deal?”

  “Only if you will make me cookies if I’m right. Oh, and we both need to share if the other one wins.” Leave it to my daughter to twist it so she’ll get her way whatever the outcome might be.

  She holds out her tiny hand and Chester wraps his large hand around her and shakes it. “Deal, Sunbeam.”

  Following the road we’re on, a large house comes into view. Well, it seems large and yet, it’s compact. Four large pillars are holding up a triangular roof creating a portico that leads to the entrance of the house. Pulling in, I see an additional four pillars on the side of the house too. It’s like a tiny roman building. It’s not exactly white, leaning towards more of a sandy color.

  Plants seem to hug the building in some places. Six steps lead up to the porch where a swing hangs from the ceiling. The rough sound of a throat clearing rips my gaze away from the house. Shit. I can’t believe I shut off the car and was staring at his house for who knows how long.

  Oliver taps on my window and that makes my head feel like I put it inside the oven. Shit. Really, Serenity? Stare at the man’s house so long your brother has the time to park his car and walk over to tap on the freaking window?

  Chester’s chuckle flows through the car while I release the safety belt and jump out. Shaking my head in an effort to clear it, I open the back door to help Amelia out. Only to stare at an empty car seat.

  My gaze zips straight through the car where I see Chester putting her on the ground as he closes the car door. Slowly stepping around the car, after I close and lock the doors, I follow them to the right of his house. He’s guiding her to the side of the house where a black Jeep Wrangler is parked.

  Chester’s hands wrap around my daughter’s waist and he easily lifts her all the way up. “See, Sunbeam? That’s a Jammock. A Hammock designed for a Jeep so you can snuggle on top and watch a sunset.”

  Amelia’s eyes are wide and her tiny hands are covering her mouth. Chester guides her back and plants her feet on solid ground.

  She spins around and grabs his leg in a tight hug. “You’re the coolest booger, ever.”

  Chester rumbles his laughter while he strokes my daughter’s head. “Coming from a little lady who shoots out boogers with laughter, I’d take it as a massive compliment.”

  I need to swallow the lump that’s clogging my throat. I try really hard not to let my eyes water, but they are burning like crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Amelia open up to another person so quick and easy. Especially not to someone she just met. It helps that my cousin vouched for his new brother-in-law but at the same time he’s still virtually a stranger to us.

  Okay, it does help that he’s her kind of weird and he let her hold gator hatchlings and the promise of making cookies and everything…but still. Chester is amazing and I can’t believe he’s real. Yes, most would turn their nose up the instant they saw him. He’s such a rare contrast, the outside and the inside.

  “Come on, let’s go bake some cookies while we let your uncle play with my computer,” Chester states while he leads Amelia up the porch.
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  Hello. I’m standing right here. Shit. It’s my own freaking daughter and I’m whining over the fact that he lavishes all of his attention on her. What’s wrong with me? I mean, most men won’t take a second glance at a kid.

  I haven’t dated since the day I got pregnant. Not only did I take an emotional dive, due to the whole ‘hit and run’ thing but dating is kinda hard to do when you’re pregnant or have a baby to take care of. Amelia’s father was a former co-worker. He was hired as a CEO and literally swept me off my feet. The ultimate prince charming, what a joke.

  Looking back at those months, the hard reality states that I was all part of his plan. Work his way up and get a piece of the company I owned with my brother. I was thankful my brother had helped me with the divorce, so our company was safe, but we had to give him a job in our subordinate company.

  Fine. As long as he’s out of the picture. I hate to say that because it really hurts. Even more when I take in the last few moments and now see how Amelia’s tiny hand is engulfed by Chester’s. The way she looks at him in admiration? Makes me feel like I’m failing in raising her, she needs a father.

  Garth, my ex-husband, made it clear the day he walked out on me, that he didn’t want anything to do with ‘that’. Yes, he waved a hand in front of my belly and said it. Clearly, she wasn’t part of his plan and I shouldn’t expect him to pay for it.

  My brother stepped up and went to a lawyer to get it in black and white, and he gave up his rights. Garth slapped Oliver on the shoulder as a ‘thank you’. Asshole. How could I have been so stupid? Oh, I know. He was all movie hero-ish. The whole white knight shebang, swoop in and save the day. Only to walk out like one of the four horsemen, leaving a trail of disaster.

  “Sorry, sis. If this shit with the company wasn’t such a mess right now you know we’d be here for the weekend to give Amelia a good time. She obviously deserves it.” Oliver places a kiss on my head.

  I tap his chest. “I know. Don’t worry. You’ll get the company back on track.”

  Oliver shakes his head. “I wish I could believe you. Sometimes I can’t see why I make an effort anymore. We were doing so good up until a few months ago. I have to get to the bottom of it. I know we have a leak, I mean it’s not like all the money can just flow out like that, it has to go somewhere.”

  I glance to where Chester and Amelia disappeared before I lower my voice. “Maybe we need to bring someone in? You know, one of those people who can look at things with a fresh set of eyes. Or someone who will turn everything upside down and figure out the problem.”

  Oliver shakes his head. “You know how these things go. As soon as the vultures get wind of it, they will try to snatch up the company or even worse, make it tomorrow morning’s headlines so we’re ruined either way.”

  I rub my eyes in defeat. He’s the one who runs the business. Even though we both own the company, I only handle the administrative portion.

  “Mom! You gotta see this.” Amelia jumps up and down in front of me in a blurry vision.

  Blinking a few times to lift the fog from rubbing my eyes, I give her a big smile. “Then by all means, show me, Sunbeam.”

  Yes, I use the sweet nickname Chester gave to my daughter. It’s very fitting. Some may close the curtains to block out the sun that hits your eyes…but for real, the sun is magnificent and every beam is essential.

  Again, I have to blink my eyes when Amelia leads me into the house. Oliver whistles under his breath. The house is truly breathtaking. The walls are painted white and although that has a kind of clinical feel to it, the wooden floor is the balance that gives it a homey feel.

  Peeking into a large room to the right, I find myself in the living room. Surprisingly it only holds a large TV on one wall, a rug on the floor and a green couch with one of those things in front of it to put your feet up. Except instead of feet, there’s a laptop occupying it.

  “Mind if I use that laptop?” Oliver asks from behind me.

  “I would mind, so no.” Chester’s voice rumbles and the denial of my brother’s request makes me turn.

  My cheeks flush when I come face to face with Chester, staring right into those amazing green eyes. I didn’t know he was standing so close behind me. Taking a step back, I let my gaze drop to the floor. Leading me to take in his wiggling toes. Slapping a hand over my mouth I try to avoid nervous giggles from slipping out. Although it’s not needed because when I hear my brother, they instantly die away.

  “So you led us here for nothing? I need that laptop, Chester.” Annoyance and anger ripple through his voice.

  That’s my brother. Always the businessman. I get it, sometimes you need to be hard and demanding in this world. To me? It comes across as plain rude. Chester has been nothing but open and nice to us. That’s the reason my hand falls away from my mouth and hits my brother in the chest.

  “Manners, Oliver.” I snap.

  “He seems to have a problem with that, similar to the lack of hardware. Follow me, please.” Chester rumbles and turns.

  “See?” I whisper to my brother. “Follow his example. He’s respectful and even says please. He’s not condescending or rude.”

  My brother’s eyebrow quirks. “Sometimes you have to wait for it, Serenity. Need I remind you that something shiny and polished might be rotten on the inside?”

  His cruel words are like a slap in my face. Closing my eyes, I try to focus. I need to back away and get my breathing under control.

  “What the effin’ hell did you do now, ass-nugget? Are you dead set on ruining both of these girls’ moments? Lashing out words can be just as bad as throwing punches.”

  I hear Chester before I feel his strong arms around me, pulling me in for a hug. Strangely, it calms me down instantaneously. Not something I will spill from my lips because this is something I need to brand into my brain.

  He smells like fresh rain on a summer’s day. Outdoor, woodsy. Like he’s been chopping wood. It’s such a wide contrast to the dirty rugged appearance he radiates. That’s when realization hits. His outer appearance is all an illusion. A safe haven for him to hide behind. Warding off people so he doesn’t have to interact with them.

  How do I know? From every word that he has spoken. From the way he treats my daughter. From the way he offered his help, opening his house. But mostly from the clinical way his house is cared for. Not one speck of dirt or dust. The word pristine comes to mind.

  My fingers tangle in his shirt and I inch closer. To breathe him in, as well as the comfort he gives me. Even if it’s a cloud that has me wrapped before it evaporates. I will own it for this moment and consume it to its full extent.

  3

  CHESTER

  Honeyed peach and freesia. That’s what I’m holding in my arms and I’m not afraid to take a deep breath and pull it deep into my lungs. Because she’s doing the exact same thing with me.

  “Aw, hug time!” Amelia’s little voice makes me pop my eyes open just in time to brace for impact.

  She launches herself straight at us and I need to take a step to the side to stay steady. Bending down, I scoop her up with one arm while keeping the other around Serenity. Holy moly. Who knew I’d be holding a woman and a kid in a tight hug while standing in my own home? Not me, that’s for damn sure.

  “This is nice.” Amelia mumbles while Serenity sighs in content.

  Oliver clears his throat, probably annoyed he was left out. I don’t care. I’m not hugging the ass-nugget. Well, he is the reason I’m holding both these girls but nope, not worth a hug. I earned this, fair and square. I do feel like he’s intruding though and I know the best way to get rid of him. A guarantee to get some alone time with these two.

  “Okay, boogers, let me show Oliver here a computer he can use while you two head on in to the kitchen.” I slide Amelia down so she’s got her feet planted on the floor again. “We had a deal, remember?”

  “Cookies. Lots and lots of cookies.” She beams and my whole chest fills with warmth.

  Squatting
so I’m on eye level with her, “Straight through the hall, go right, then left. There are shelves on the wall with everything you need to make cookies. The rest you can find in the fridge. Ask your Mommy to get the stuff you can’t reach, I’ll be there in a minute; can you do that for me?”

  “Yesssss, right left, shelves, fridge, Mommy. Gotcha.” Amelia dashes off into the hall.

  Standing in the doorway, Serenity looks at me with emotion I can’t quite understand. Admiration maybe? Or gratitude? She releases a deep breath and shakes her head.

  A bright smile slides over those cherry colored lips I’m dying to taste. “I’d better go and check on her before she trashes your kitchen.”

  She doesn’t give me a chance to reply but just turns and saunters into the hall. Leaving me alone with her brother, who’s still glaring at me.

  “Don’t you glare at me, you totally threw yourself out of the running for a group hug. Now, follow me. You can work in my office while I bake cookies with your family. And…” I point my finger at him. “If you stay down there and be nice, I’ll be sure to bring you some of those cookies. If you don’t eat them around my computer and get crumbs all over the place. There are boulders in the corner for eating or crashing for that matter. Come on, I’ll show ya.”

  “Boulders? Who the hell has boulders in his office instead of chairs?” Oliver mumbles to himself as I pass him.

  Snorting, I reply. “I could say pillows but that sounds too girly and you don’t have very high opinions to start with. But you know what? I’m done pretty painting effin’ shit for you. Now follow me to the basement.”

  There. I said basement instead of office. Let him sweat for a minute before we can head downstairs to my heavenly temple of hardware and software.

  “Why the hell did I ever agreed for them to drag me to this shithole?” The ass-nugget mutters and at that, my patience snaps.

  His back hits the wall while my forearm is holding his neck in place. I lean in close, to glare into the dumbass’ eyes. “Because maybe, you have some decency left in that shit for brains skull of yours. A spark of humanity. So suck it the effin’ hell up. For them.”