Page 82 of Completely Captivated
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.Whatever you had to say to me should’ve been said years ago.”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled then turned and walked out, his shoulders drooping and his head hanging low.
I couldn’t help but watch him walk away, down the sidewalk to his car.Part of me wanted to follow him, to see if he had a new family who’d had all his attention for the years he’d been out of my life.The years I spent under my mother’s abusive thumb.Instead, I turned away from the door to finish working as soon as humanly possible, only to be stopped by Allie’s intense stare.
“What?”
“Nothing.Oh, wait, there was something.What was it again?Now I remember.Your father just walked in here and said your mother died!”Her bellow echoed off the walls of this small café, making me cringe.
“I know he did, Allie.”
“Then he said he wants to see you again.”
“Again, I know, Allie.Let’s just finish up so we can get out of here.”
“I understand you need time to process this.If you need me for anything, all you have to do is call me, and I’ll be there.If you need to talk, cry.Even if you need an alibi or someone with a good shovel.I’m your girl.”
“You’re always my girl.”I threw my arms around her neck and hugged her like the sister I never had.“You always know exactly what to say.But I need some time alone with this one.I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel, or even how I truly feel.”
She nodded in understanding then we finished the final chores and left the shop, the weight crushing my chest becoming more unbearable with every step.I just needed to make it home and deal with my issues alone.When I walked into my apartment, I realized I didn’t even remember the drive home.Then an overwhelming feeling of being alone hit me, and my apartment no longer felt like home.
Aaron wasn’t there.
On cue, my phone began ringing, his assigned ringtone filling the dead air in my living room.“Hello?”I found the phone and answered before it rolled to voice mail, thankful to hear from him in the very moment I needed him.
“What’s wrong, Christa?”
“How do you know something’s wrong?”
“Because I know you better than you think, sweetheart.Because I know that tone in your voice, and I can hear it in your one-word answer.Do you want me to be there with you?”
“More than anything, Aaron.”
There was a knock on my door, and I couldn’t stop the smile in spite of the growing ache in my chest.I took a second to look through the peephole first, and then I jerked it open as soon as I saw his handsome face on the other side.That smug smile, the one that melted my heart and my panties, covered his face, and I collapsed into his arms.He walked me backward into my apartment while my face was still buried in his chest, inhaling the spicy scent of his cologne that both excited and calmed me.
“Talk to me,” he murmured into my ear.“Tell me what’s wrong.”
Over the next several minutes, I gave him a play-by-play of my father showing up out of the blue, my mother’s death, my lack of reaction, and my near breakdown once I reached my apartment.Through it all, his muscular arms held me, his strength carried me, and his love sustained me.
He didn’t leave me to bear the burden alone.
“I’ll go with you to her apartment.You shouldn’t do it alone.”
I raised my face to look at him, and my heart swelled with love for him.“You’re spoiling me.”
“Every chance I get.”
He ordered a pizza while running a hot bath for me, and this time he used scented bath oils instead of bubbles.I sank down into the steaming water, and all my anxiety melted away.The lavender and vanilla scent was soothing and calmed my frayed nerves.Or maybe it was the man kneeling beside my tub.The one who was bathing me in his love every bit as much as with the water.Any other time, the way he touched me would be sensual, erotic, electrifying.But I was so attuned to his moods, I knew sex was the furthest thing from his mind.His sole focus was on me and what I needed to get through that terrible time.
When the pizza arrived, he left me long enough to grab the pie and pay the delivery guy.Then he was back at my side with an outstretched bath towel, waiting for me to step into his loving embrace.He was breaking down every wall I’d so carefully constructed around my heart and my life, with one act of love at a time.
Once I was dried off and my short robe was tied on, he led me to the kitchen and took care of the entire meal.Then he carried me to my bed and held me all night.When the morning sun streamed through the blinds, I awoke in the same position I fell asleep—my head resting on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around me protectively, and his hand holding mine.
“Thank you,” I whispered, not expecting a reply.
“I love you.You never have to thank me for loving you,” he whispered back, and I squeezed him closer to me.
“Can we go get this over with now?I don’t want to spend my entire day off dreading it.”
