Page 3 of Protecting Addison
A bolt of heat shot through his chest down to his cock, making that appendage throb all the more. He loved hearing his nickname on her lips. He’d been given the moniker MacGyver because of his ability to put together gadgets to assist him and his SEAL team when they needed it the most. But there was something so intimate about hearing Addy call him by his childhood nickname.
“I mean it,” he told her. “Growing up with four siblings meant we were always having birthday parties, and my mom went out of her way to make every one special, even with store-bought cookies and cakes. But you making the masterpieces that you do, which not only look amazing but taste good too? The memories for those kids and adults will stick with them forever.”
“Thanks,” she said softly. “Depending on how Ellory feels this weekend…do you think…would you mind…” Her voice trailed off.
“Of course I wouldn’t mind,” MacGyver said immediately.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Doesn’t matter. If she wants to do something, I’ll make it happen.”
Addison stared at him for so long, MacGyver felt uneasy. He couldn’t read what was going on behind those green eyes of hers.
Finally, she continued, her words rushed and strung together as if she was afraid he’d say no. “She asked if I’d talk to you about showing her how to jump-start a car. And change a tire. And maybe show her something you’ve made while on a mission that helped save the day.”
Joy swamped MacGyver. “Of course I will. It’ll be my pleasure.” His mind raced with things he could show her that wouldn’t be too dangerous. “How’s she doing?”
Addison shrugged. “Okay for now. We’ll see how the new medicine she’s taking works out. We’ve tried so many combinations of things, and they all seem to work at first, then the inflammation comes back.”
Ellory had Crohn’s, a form of inflammatory bowel disease. It didn’t usually hit children, but she’d started having issues about four years ago. Her symptoms began with cramps, fevers, fatigue, and an extreme amount of weight loss, mostly because eating was so uncomfortable. She’d been in the hospital a lot, had a ton of tests, none of which were cheap, and was still dealing with the horrible symptoms to this day.
MacGyver had learned a lot about the awful disease, and he was relieved that she’d be able to get more care, now that she was covered under his health insurance. The fact that the girl wanted to spend time with him made him feel good.Reallygood. It was only a matter of time before her teenage years hit and she’d probably want nothing to do with her nerdy stepfather.
Addison yawned then and gave him a sheepish little smile.
MacGyver wanted to kick his own ass. Here he was, having a conversation they should’ve had later, over breakfast. She needed her sleep. Addison worked her ass off now that she had three more kids to look after. She worked all day, baking and decorating cakes, and he was being selfish by wanting to talk.
“Sleep, Addy. We can talk more at breakfast.”
“I like talking to you,” she said.
It was too dark to know for sure, but MacGyver could swear he saw her cheeks darken with a blush. “I like talking to you too. But it’s the middle of the night. You need your rest.”
“So do you.”
“Don’t you know? SEALs are immune to needing something so inane as sleep,” he joked.
She smiled…then did something that blew MacGyver’s mind. She reached out and put her hand over his on the mattress. Then she closed her eyes and sighed.
MacGyver didn’t move. Not one inch. The warmth from her hand seeped into his. It was kind of pathetic how excited he was over the small touch. But it was the first time since their wedding ceremony that she’d voluntarily touched him.
MacGyver wasn’t tired anymore. He watched Addison’s breaths deepen as she fell back asleep. He had no idea what the future held for them, but he had no illusions. There was no way Addison would stay married to him. Not long term. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Eventually, she’d find a man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And while it would gut him, MacGyver would let her go. He wanted her to be happy more than he wanted to force her to stay with him.
But in the meantime, he’d be the best father he could be. The best husband. He’d make sure Addison wanted for nothing and was treated the same way his dad treated his mom. With Respect. Love.
MacGyver watched her sleep for as long as he could before turning and shutting off his alarm a few minutes before it was set to sound. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Addison again. He eased out of bed and went into the bathroom to change into his PT clothes. Then he went back into the bedroom, hesitating before walking out the door.
Taking a deep breath, he padded over to Addison’s side of the bed. She’d turned onto her back and was sleeping soundly. He pulled the blankets higher, making sure she was covered. Then he leaned down and kissed her forehead with a barely there caress.
MacGyver stared at her for a moment more before turning and striding to the door.
CHAPTERTWO
Addison Wentz, now Douglas, smiled as she put the plate of pancakes on the dining room table. Artem’s and Borysko’s eyes widened at the size of the stack, while Yana was more interested in combing the hair of the Barbie doll she held. Unfortunately, Ellory was having a flare that morning, so she was still in bed in her room, hoping she’d feel better by the time she had to go to school.
Every time her daughter cried with pain, Addison wanted to take her place. She’d gladly suffer every one of the symptoms in place of Ellory if she could. Crohn’s was a horrible disease, especially for a young child. Her daughter was dealing with an illness that would never be cured. She’d have to deal with the ramifications of Crohn’s her entire life. It sucked.
And now that she was in seventh grade, the bullies had decided her daughter made a good target, to boot. She was underweight and hadn’t really started any kind of growth spurt because of malnutrition. She simply wasn’t eating as much as a growing girl should, and it showed in the percentile for her height and weight compared to other girls her age. Crohn’s disease made eating many foods difficult, if not impossible. That made her a target at school.
