He must have understood what I was thinking because he says, “The police got to him and traced everything back to him. Killing you would have been a bonus to him. He’s going away for a very long time.”
My head swam with all these details, and my vision started blurring, my abdomen starting to hurt.
I reach out with my hand, and he grabs the other one, his words a soft whisper, “The nurse is on her way. I won’t leave you. I promise.”
And slowly, his face starts to blur till I let the darkness swallow me whole.
The next time I wake up, I am lying on soft satin sheets.
This time when I wake up, I feel more alert as the effects of the drugs all but gone. There is a dull throbbing in my abdomen and arm, but as I move my arm experimentally, I felt that it didn’t hurt more than a twinge.
I slowly move myself into a sitting position and look around the room.
No wonder my surroundings felt so familiar.
I was in Steven’s bedroom.
The lights were dim, and the firelight danced along the walls.
The room was warm and cosy and if it hadn’t been for my growling stomach, I would have buried my face in the pillow again and gone to sleep.
I swing my legs to the floor and feel the soft fur of the carpet under my feet. I stand staring at my state of dress in the mirror. I was wearing one of his button-up shirts and a pair of panties.
I wondered why he put me in those when my clothes were lying in the bag I had brought with me, for when he had talked me into spending the whole three weeks of holidays with them.
Getting up, I feel a wave of vertigo before I settled myself.
The clock tells me it’s mid-morning. I can’t find my phone, so I have no idea how long I had been out for.
Making my way to the kitchen, I hear soft murmurs and peek in.
Aaron was sitting at the table drawing on a piece of paper, his small forehead furrowed in a frown, as he concentrated. Steven wore an angry look on his face as he growled at somebody on the phone, “Get me their names. I don’t care what your boss says! He went after my girlfriend and my son. I’m not done with him yet.”
Aaron was scowling now, his scribbling growing more furious, so I decided to intervene before the poor child broke his pencil.
“Hi,” I say, quietly, and both heads turn toward me.
“Abby!”
The pencil dropped from Aaron’s hand as he climbed off his seat and rushed toward me, his face crumpling with tears. I absorb the impact as he buries his face in my stomach and started bawling.
My right abdomen aches with the sudden force and I carefully lift my left-hand and run it through his hair, saying lightly, “What are you crying for? I’m fine.”
He sniffles, refusing to let go, “They hurt you!”
“Really?” I flex my left arm. “I feel as fit as an ox.”
“That’s the wrong shoulder, silly,” He laughs through his tears, and I grin at him, “My bad.”
I glance up as Steven approaches me, his eyes dark and heavy. He didn’t remove Aaron from me, instead he leans forward and kisses me, gently.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” He reproaches me, quietly.
I look at him, uncertain, remembering what he had referred to me as on the phone.
I let Aaron guide me to a chair and I look up at Steven, “How bad was it? How long was I out for?”
His jaw was taut, “You slept for four days but it was medically induced so that you could heal.”
“It doesn’t hurt that much,” I muse.
“I flew in the best doctor for the surgery. There should be a small scar, but nothing else.”
His hand reaches out and he interlaces his fingers with mine, the fear leaking from his voice, “I thought I had lost you. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings. When you started looking uneasy, I should have dragged you both home.”
“It’s not your fault,” I tell him. “We had no idea this would happen. Besides, even with this whole thing, I should have been mindful of where I was taking Aaron. He’s your child and I should have realized that you are bound to have enemies.”
Aaron tugs at my shirt, saying in a small voice, “I did have fun at the Christmas market, Abby. Please don’t be sad.”
I try to smile at him, but the guilt lay in my heart.
Steven releases my fingers and just holds my hand in his, his thumb stroking the top of my hand, “Aaron, go play somewhere else. I need to talk to Abby.”
His son plants his feet on the ground, his chin set in a stubborn look, that reminds me of his father, “No. I’m not going to let you scold Abby.”
When his father stares him down, the child’s lower lip trembles, and his voice shakes, “You can’t be mean to Abby.”
“Aaron,” I drag him toward me and kiss him on the cheek, “I don’t think your father is going to be mean to me. Why don’t you go put on a jacket? We can go for a walk in the snow in a while? I want to stretch my legs.”
He pulls away from me, “But the doctor-man said you have to sleep.”
I grin at him, “And I will, after we walk.”
When he reluctantly leaves the room, Steven stare after him, his words spoken with slow consideration, “He’s more loyal to you than he is to me.”
“He’s just had a horrible experience. He’ll be back to normal in no time.” I try to reassure him.
“It’s more than that. When Aaron told me that there was a teacher in his school that stayed back with him, I was willing to assume the worst. I thought you knew who he was and were just trying to get in his good books to get to me.”
I stiffen and mutter, “Well, at least your ego is healthy.”
His thumb is still stroking my hand, but he doesn’t smile, “And when I saw you, I remembered how irritable you were in the car. You were kind to me and then you yelled at me. And then I saw you playing with a child, with none of the usual crass that people usually have. I found myself drawn into the relationship you developed with Aaron. I was jealous.”
I blink, “Of what?”
He sighs, a small smile on his lips, tinged with sadness, “Of how you managed to draw him out of his shell. You think I didn’t know he picked a fight at school that day? He’s always picking fights at school. Especially when the children tease him about Helen abandoning him.”
Helen was his wife. I had heard from Scarlett how the woman had left her husband and child for another man. The divorce had been messy from what she had heard, but she had been under the impression that Helen still maintained contact with her son.
“I’ve not dated extensively, you know. I was more focused on Aaron. My love life became my last priority till you hit my car.”
Seeing the grin on his face, I frown, “You were so mean to me.”
“I couldn’t help it. You kept hissing at me like a little kitten who thinks her claws are sharp, and I just had to provoke you.”
“You insulted Gertha.” I say with a scowl.
“Yes, well. Gertha’s got to go.” He makes a face at me. “I stand by my words: That car is a death trap waiting to happen.”
I try to kick him but he dodges, and then leans down to kiss me across my forehead, “You were so adorable and angry, that I wanted to kiss you.”
I frown at him, “I would probably have pepper-sprayed you if you had done that.”
Steven roars with laughter.
“It’s true. I don’t go around kissing strangers.”
“Not anymore, you won’t.”
He twirls a loose strand of my hair around his finger and studies me with an intense look, “When I came across you again, you were such a smart ass that I wanted to put you across my knee. And when I thought of that, I thought of other ways to make you surrender, and it was just a downward spiral from there.”
I raise a brow, my cheeks slightly red because I wouldn’t have minded getting spanked by him, “So, basically, you were a pervert.”
He yanks my hair, maki
ng me growl, and he smirks, “You bring out the pervert in me, Abby. You kept resisting even though I could tell you wanted me too.”
“Yes, well. I think it’s fair to say you bring out the pervert in me, too,” I couldn’t help laughing.
He turns sober, “It was more than that, though. I watched the way you loved Aaron with such open affection, the kind he craved and had never gotten before. And I wanted it too. I wanted you to look at me with those laughing smiles, as well. I was jealous of my own son.”
“I don’t know whose heart you stole first, mine or Aaron’s, but the minute I got you in my bed that night, I swore that I would never let you leave it again.”
My eyes widened at the confession, the part of me that had me holding back from dreaming, shattered, and my eyes filled with tears.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Steven jumped to his feet and then kneeled by my side.
I rub my eyes, “When you told the lady at the market that you didn’t know how you got so lucky, I kept telling myself that you were just saying that to end the conversation and that you didn’t mean it. And then, when you just called me your girlfriend, I tried not to be too happy because I was so scared you would break my heart. So, I was just trying to enjoy whatever time I got with you.”
I felt the soft kisses on my cheeks and temple, and heard Steven sigh my name.
“I love you.”
When he froze, I refused to look at him. He forced my chin up, desperation in his eyes, “Tell me you mean that.”
I give him a shy nod.
“Say it again,” He demands, as if he didn’t believe me.
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you, Steven.”
He heaved a shuddering breath and buried his face in my lap. My fingers automatically buried themselves in his thick hair.
“I thought I would have to put in more effort in making you fall in love with me.”
“Well, I don’t just go around getting shot for everyone,” I try to joke, my heart beating so fast that I couldn’t keep up. “You and Aaron forced your way into my heart and now you refuse to leave.”
He looks up at me and we stare at each other.
I could feel the way his heart was racing, his chest against my knees, and I lean down to kiss him.
“I love you,” He murmurs against my lips and I shudder at the strength of those words.
He kisses me again, a more fervent motion, repeating his words which were like a balm on my soul, “I love you. I love you.”
I hear the sound of feet rushing in and instead of wearing his jacket, Aaron was dragging a bag full of Christmas decorations.
“Abby, can we decorate the Christmas tree, instead? Jarvis gave me all these shiny things!”
His small face was red with exertion, and he was looking so excited that I didn’t have the heart to say no.
“Do we have a tree?”
“Yes! Dad got one delivered. It’s so big!”
I follow him into the living room and sure enough, the largest tree I had ever seen stood tall and proud at the centre of the room.
Hearing the sound of something clinking and jingling, I turn around to see both father and son emptying the bag of Christmas decorations. Even Steven couldn’t hide his grin at all the glittering ornaments.
“I’m surprised you never got to do any of this,” I murmur to him as he settles me in his lap and studies a bright golden star.
He shrugs, lightly, “My parents were always out on trips or parties, so I never got the chance.”
I turn his hand upside-down, running my fingers over his palm, “These don’t look like the hands of a party boy.”
He plants a kiss my shoulder, a kind of open affection that still threw me off my game, and gave me a sly smile, “Oh, I worked construction for a few years.”
When I look startled, he nibbles on my earlobe, “You have the rest of your life to pry out all my secrets from me.”
“The rest of my –“The words get stuck in my throat.
He gives me an intent look, “You don’t think I’m going to let you slip from my fingers, do you? I’m going to lock you down so fast that you won’t have a hope of escaping me now.”
“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere,” I tell him. “However,-“
When he stiffens, I bare my teeth at him, “After Gertha comes back from the shop, I’m still driving her.”
He physically relaxes, “Sure. After I burn her to the ground.”
I glare at him, “Watch your mouth.”
Steven laughs and lets Aaron climb on to the couch.
“Abby, if we have Christmas at home, will Santa come here?” The innocent question made me grin.
“Well, he will if you bake cookies for him and leave them out with a nice glass of milk,” I inform him.
I can swear the child’s eyes sparkled.
“We can bake cookies, right?”
“Of course, we can. But there are still a few days to Christmas. We should focus more on decorating the tree, first. We also have to choose the stockings we have to hang up. And then we can choose the Christmas movies we want to watch.”
Although Steven hid it well, I could sense the excitement in his body as well and I wondered if I had taken Christmas for granted all these years, spending time with all my cousins and my family, singing carols in loud tone-deaf voices and sneaking the eggnog which had been spiked with alcohol.
I watched with a smile as Aaron waded through the stream of decorations. His chatter filling the room and I felt Steven’s warmth at my back as he held me to him, as he mused loudly how we should decorate the tree. Both these boys had taken pieces of my heart and carved a place for themselves.
There were still things about Steven that I didn’t know but I had all the time in the world to figure out this complex man who held my heart in his hands with such care that it drove me to tears. His arrogance, his possessiveness, that slash of vulnerability when he offered me his heart, they just make me fall in love with him more.
I smile.
Maybe Santa did listen to my request.
Thank you
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Wintertime Heat: A Christmas Single Dad Romance Page 12
