Page 26 of Colton
“But you give us something in return,” Ransom says quietly. Evie tilts her head in confusion. “You give us peace of mind. Jonas giving you the van is for his own peace of mind. He can rest knowing you’re driving in something safe. By accepting the apartment from us, you give us the comfort of knowing that you and your daughter are safe under our protection. You’ve been a part of our family for months because Holly cared about you. So we’ve all been worrying about you, some more than others,” he says with a pointed look at me, “for just as long. Last night was a restful one for us because you were safe under our roof.”
She looks at Ransom wonderingly, then at the rest of the people at the table one by one, seeing nods and smiles on every face. Then her eyes land on me.
“What he said,” I mutter, wishing I was better at explaining shit. “I tried to tell you this last night, but words aren’t really my thing.”
Her eyes are bright with unshed tears, her throat swallowing rhythmically.
“I know it feels strange,” Holly says, her own eyes glassy. “It’s not the way the world usually works, is it? We’re taught we have to fight for everything, earn it, deserve it. But what if it doesn’t have to be that way?”
The door swings open, Jonas entering with a whirlwind of energy. “Here you go!” He says, brandishing his keys. He hands the keychain to Evie, holding it by the gold puzzle piece.
“Well, ok then,” Evie says with a twist of her lips. “Thank you, Jonas.”
He nods, then sits on the floor next to Mia’s chair. Mia breaks out into peals of laughter as Minnie jumps down off her cat condo and moves to climb all over Jonas.
“Here kitty. See Mia. I nice.” She coaxes, throwing pieces of broccoli to the cat, hitting Jonas, of course. He shakes his head at the stains on his clothes but ignores the growing pile of food around him.
“Mia, baby, Minnie doesn’t like broccoli. Kitties like meat.” I tell her gently.
She gives me the most patronizing smile I think I’ve seen in my life, then points to the floor. And yep, Minnie’s eating the broccoli, alternating between chewing and growling. What the fuck do I know anymore?
Evie covers her face. “I swear I taught her manners. She knows not to throw food.”
The table erupts into hysterics. “We had an epic food fight here just a couple of months ago. It wasn’t our first, and I guarantee you it won’t be our last.” I explain to Evie between chuckles.
“You’re all certifiable.”
She’s finally getting it. We are, but hopefully, once she’s settled in some, she’ll see it’s not a bad thing.
11
EVIE
Ididn’t expect him to see us off. It’s early, only 6:15 AM. I’d mapped out the route to the hospital, going over and over it, and it should only take about fifteen minutes. But I wanted to get there early and have time to get Mia settled. She’s awake, but only barely, still a little grumpy, so I’m carrying her with my big bag over my shoulder. And when I open the apartment door, there he is.
Colton’s lounging against the wall near the elevator, hands tucked in the pocket of a gray hoodie. He’s wearing matching gray sweatpants that mold tightly to his legs, leaving very little to the imagination. He straightens when he sees us.
“Morning ladies.” His voice is soft, a gentle smile on his lips as he looks at my sleepy girl. I really like the way he looks at her, the way he sees how precious she is.
His voice rouses Mia from her doze. Lifting her head off my shoulder, she pouts. “Sleepy Horsey.”
“I know, love. It’s hard to get up early. But you’re going to have such a fun day today. You’re going to make so many friends.” He looks at my full arms and his lips quirk. “Can I carry her to the car for you?” His voice is so warm, and the way he’s smiling at me gives me ideas. Why can’t he be grumpy and frown a lot? It would be so much easier to remember he’s out of my league if he were.
I hand her over gratefully. She’s getting so big, and I’m still feeling less than myself. It’s funny, I was a ‘big girl' my whole life, floating somewhere between a size eighteen and twenty since adulthood. And while I grew to love my body, I still bought into the idea that life would be better if I were thinner.
But so far, thinner hasn’t been all it’s cracked up to be. Obviously, losing weight wasn’t by choice. But maybe, now that I’m getting regular meals again, I’ll be able to build up my strength and actually enjoy it, the way I’m supposed to.
I can’t help looking at Colt, the evidence of his gym habit written all over his body, and wish I was someone he could be attracted to. Sure, I’ve only known him a little while, but he’s rich, he’s kind, and he has a great family. Those things tick the top boxes on my dream man list.
But I’m not delusional. I know exactly how he sees me, even if he didn’t say the words ‘old and worn out’. So I’ll tuck my attraction and fascination away, and focus on building a friendship with him. Mia’s already talking about him constantly, so I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of him.
“I didn’t expect to see you this morning,” I say, glancing at his face. He’s resting his bearded cheek on the top of Mia’s head as his hand rubs up and down her spine. She looks supremely comfortable.
“I wanted to see you off. Make sure you’re comfortable in the van. I can drive you guys there….if you want. I have time, and I finish work way before you, so it’s not a problem to pick you up again.”
I hold back my instinctive refusal, stopping to really look at him. He’s not acting like we’re a burden. In fact, the tightness around his eyes tells me he’s expecting me to shoot down his offer of help. Again.
“If it’s not too much trouble, then yes, I’d really like that.”
