Page 40 of The Last Thing
The way her vulnerability unlocks something feral in me is slightly terrifying.
“I will be here for every step. I will take care of you. I’ll be at every doctor’s appointment. I’ll make middle of the night food runs. Every bill will be taken care of, and I’ll make sure you have everything you need. When you’re with Sophia, if you need to rest, that’s okay. I can cook when I get home. Just know I will be by your side, fulfilling every need the whole time.”
She leans back slightly, a mix of surprised and frustrated.
“I’m not incapacitated. I can still take care of Sophia and cook. Obviously, I’ll rest if I need to.” She shakes her head. “Iappreciate that little speech, but all I need is a supportive co-parent who pulls their weight.”
I sweep some hair behind her ear. “No. That’s the bare minimum of what you deserve. I want you to have everything you could possibly need. I want you taken care of in every way. And I want to be the man to do it.”
“Why?”
One simple word that tells me everything.
She doesn’t trust what I’m saying. And I don’t think it’s because of how I walked out.
She was wild and free the night we met. When there were no strings.
I’m here for fun, and that’s all.
Now that it’s serious, it’s something else. She’s guarded, and that means I have some walls to dismantle.
Luckily, I can take a wall down just as well as I can build one.
“Because I felt something for you the moment I saw you. I said one night because I thought that’s all I could have. I said I wouldn’t cross professional boundaries because that’s what Sophia needed. But all the while, my insides have been screaming at me to find you again. Stay close to you. If I’d known then what I know now, I’d have chained you to my bed and made you mine for good.”
“Deck…” Her breath is shuddery, and her eyes are half closed. Then she snaps them open and shakes her head. “I don’t do love. That’s not what I’m looking for. We can be co-parents and maybe friends eventually. And with Sophia, we’ll keep things professional.” She stands quickly. “I should go.”
I watch her as she hurries across the room and out the door.
Fuck me. I’m down bad.
She can say she doesn’t do love, but that’s not how love works.
Love finds us.
It may not be love yet, but there’s no denying the connection between us, as much as she might like to try. My mind is reeling, but my heart’s never been more sure.
When I looked into Hallie’s eyes, I didn’t see locks and chains. I saw intense vulnerability. I saw a girl who wants to be loved, but is terrified to accept it.
Guess that means I have my work cut out for me.
But if I was a quitter, I wouldn’t be here. Sophia wouldn’t be who she is.
Hallie Baker is mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.
CHAPTER TWELVE
HALLIE
“Soph!Give me a hug. I’m leaving.”
Sophia bolts into the room and runs over to her dad.
So far, nannying her is going really well. She’s a bright burst of sunshine, she’s creative, she’s got a billion ideas about everything, and she loves to dance. I’ll never say no to a random dance party.
And as for Deck… I’ve kept things professional. I help out, talk with him about how Sophia is doing, try to keep all the focus on her. It’s become mandatory in Sophia’s eyes that I stay for dinner, but she’s such a chatterbox she keeps all the attention on her. As soon as dinner’s over, I escape back to my apartment.
Deck never knocks on my door, but I swear sometimes I can feel his intense energy through the wall. It doesn’t help that our rooms are so close together. Only a thick wall between us. It’s not even brick. But that’s fine. There’s a wall there, literally and metaphorically, and that’s all that matters.
