Page 60 of Lost on Ice
She’s been falling asleep in my arms every night, crying and confessing to just how much she misses Lilah and wants this all to be over. We haven’t had sex again, but we sleep together every night and avoid acknowledging that fact during the day. The more time we spend together, the more I want. Everything about this woman breaks my rules and I’m starting not to fucking care.
I just want her.
I gaze down at her as she sleeps next to me, her face relaxed and peaceful-looking. Fuck, she’s beautiful. The morning sunlight sneaking in around the edge of the curtains over the windows bathes the room in a warm glow that softens everything, including her. My heart twists in my chest and I carefully brush a strand of hair from her forehead.
She stirs and blinks open her eyes, looking up at me with a sleepy smile.
“Good morning,” she murmurs.
“Morning,” I softly reply. “How’d you sleep?”
“All right, I guess.” She sits up and reaches for her phone to check her messages. Her eyes go wide and her expression turns distressed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ohhh, my aunt is sick and can’t watch Lilah,” she groans. “Shit, what am I going to do? Dad will be here soon to drop her off before he goes to work, and Vivianne is out of town at a retreat with her support group. Who am I going to get to watch her?”
She’d pulled Lilah from daycare for the time being, afraid that her stalker might go after her to get to Abbie. She’s been relying on her family to help with Lilah, which they’ve been more than happy to do.
I hesitate a moment before saying, “Um… I could watch her.”
Abbie blinks at me, surprised. “You?”
“Yeah, me. I don’t have to be at the rink until four for my game tonight. I can watch Lilah until I need to leave.”
Her eyes go wide and she stares at me for a moment, seemingly weighing my offer in her head. Is she worried about leaving Lilah alone with me? Is she wondering if she can trust me to handle things? I mean, I can understand any hesitation she might feel. I haven’t made my aversion to kids a secret, but the idea of spending time with Lilah fills me with excitement, not dread.
“Okay, yes! That would be great. Could you drop her off at the clinic when you head out? I’m not off until three thirty.”
“Sure,” I shrug. “You can take my car to work so we don’t have to switch out the car seat, and we’ll just swap when I drop her off.”
The look of relief that washes over her face fills me with a distinct satisfaction, like I’ve done something right.
“That’s perfect.” She cups my face and pulls me in for a kiss. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Damn, it feels good to be useful to her.
She gives me one more kiss before hopping out of bed to get ready for the day. I get up as well and dress before heading out to the kitchen to make breakfast. Just as I’m opening the fridge to dig for some eggs, a knock sounds on the apartment’s door. I go to answer it and come face-to-face with Michael, who’s holding Lilah’s hand and carrying her small backpack.
“Yake!” Lilah lets go of her grandpa and rushes toward me, holding her hands up in the air. “Up! Up!”
“Hey, Princess.” I pick her up and hug her before looking back at Michael.
He arches his brow at me. “Jake. Good morning.”
“Good morning, Mr. Wixx.”
He looks at Lilah and smiles, his expression growing immediately warm and tender.
“I’ll see you later, okay, sweetheart?”
Lilah grins up at him. “Okay!”
When Michael glances back at me, his expression isn’t so warm.
“I have to get going, but can you tell Abbie I’ll talk to her later?”
“No problem, I can do that.”
