Page 24 of Finding Home
Lila pulls on my hand, and I look down at her. “Daddy, can I show Miss M my room now?”
I nod. “Yeah, Peanut.”
She smiles up at me, and it heals a small part of my damaged heart. She moves quickly so she’s standing in front of Chloe and takes her hand. “Come on, Miss M, I’m gonna show you my room.”
“Lead the way,” Chloe says, her smile bright as Lila drags her out of the room and up the stairs.
THIRTEEN
CHLOE
As Lila shows me her room, my eyes keep wandering to Everett. When he opened the door earlier, I could have sworn he was crying. The man doesn’t seem to be one to show emotion, so whatever caused it must have been big. But of course, the big macho man pushed it aside and insisted on showing me around his place.
He stands in the doorway to Lila’s room watching us as she shows me toy after toy and her collection of books. The whole situation is awkward as hell. Lila is my student and I’ve had sex, and not boring sex but out-of-this-world hot sex, with Everett, and now I’m going to be moving into their place. I still haven’t wrapped my head around it.
When my phone goes off, I use it as my excuse to leave. I need something to drink as I try to comprehend this all.
As we leave Lila’s room, I catch a peek in the room across the hall with the door cracked. It looks like Everett’s. The large king-size bed sits in the middle. Black sheets and a comforter make the bed. Nothing clutters the night tables, and the room looks clean. Everett seems like the type of person who hates mess, so it doesn’t surprise me.
When we reach the front door, Lila hugs me and I tell her I’ll see her tomorrow. She runs back inside the house while Everett hovers by the door. He doesn’t say anything, and it has me clearing my throat to break the tension.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” It comes out as more of a question than the statement I had intended, and I think it’s because I want him to confirm that I’ll in fact see him tomorrow.
He nods and takes a step forward. “Yeah. Are you wanting to bring your things over tomorrow after work?”
I’m not sure how quickly I want to move in. Do I wait until closer to when he needs me, or do I move in as soon as possible to get the awkwardness over with?
“Yeah, that sounds good,” I say, not allowing myself to dwell on the thought. The sooner this weirdness goes away, the better. I take a step backwards, nodding, and he steps closer. Being this close to him has my skin feeling electric. He takes another step closer, and I lean in. The air is full of some magnet pull, pulling me to Everett, and it takes everything to fight it. My eyes close for a second, and I swear I feel him inch closer, and my heart flutters at the thought.
Not okay, Chloe. You are not allowed to have this man again. He’s your student’s father and you’re going to be living with him. This would be fraught with small town drama.
I quickly say goodnight before turning on my heel and rushing down the stairs to my car.
After school the following day, I head home and grab my suitcase and packed boxes, loading them into my car before heading over to Everett’s. Pulling up outside his place, I sit in the car and give myself a pep talk.
You’ve got this. You can act like a normal adult and take care of this very hot man’s daughter and live with him and NOT sleep with him again.
You are a strong independent woman who won’t give into temptation.
One last deep breath and then I get out of the car, grabbing my first suitcase and making my way to the front door. Everett pulls it open before I even have a chance to knock, and my breath freezes inmy lungs. He’s wearing a pair of gym shorts that hang perfectly off his hips with a deep-blue Willow Valley Fire T-shirt that hugs his every muscle and a kitchen towel slung over his shoulder.
My mouth dries as I continue to stare at him, and he smirks and clears his throat.
“Hi,” I finally breath out.
He doesn’t say anything, just reaches for my suitcase and turns into the house, heading towards my room.
“Do you have any more bags?” he asks.
“Yeah. I have a couple suitcases and boxes in my car.”
He nods and leaves the room.
I quickly follow on his heels as he heads to my car. “I’ve got it,” I call after him, but he ignores me, opening the trunk when he gets there and grabbing my two big suitcases. Fuck me, the way his muscles move as he hefts them out has me squeezing my thighs. I immediately think about having him throw me around and how much I enjoyed him taking charge that night. I shuffle to the back seat and pull out a box before heading back inside and to my new room.
When everything is in my room, Everett says, “Dinner will be done in a few minutes,” before leaving me to get settled.
I keep myself busy, unpacking my favourite bedding and remaking the bed, trying to not think about what Everett looks like as he moves around his kitchen making dinner.
