“That’s good.” She could be a handful to get back to sleep some nights.
“How’re you feeling?”
“A little better, I think.” She ached all over and felt like her head was stuffed full of cotton wool, but at least she wasn’t puking her guts up at the moment. “Getting some rest helped, I think.”
“That’s great.” He twisted something on the mobile and set it into motion, making the jungle characters go round and round. “You do look like you have a little more color back in your face today. Last night you were white as a sheet.”
Being pale had been the least of her worries the night before, not that she wanted to talk about that anymore. “The crib and mobile are cute,” she said, changing the subject. “Where’d they come from?”
“The magic hospitality fairy brought it to the house while you were snoring into my pillows.”
“I do not snore.”
“You did last night,” he said with a completely straight face. “Sounded like someone was sawing logs with a chainsaw in here.”
“Oh whatever.”
Carter grinned. “You’re cute when you’re mad.”
“I’m not mad.” She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to straighten it. “Jerk.”
He laughed and bent to pick up Audrey. “What do you say, Audrey girl. You want to go see Mama and tell her how much you like your new bed? I could use the brownie points.”
“It’s a beautiful crib, but you really didn’t have to go to that much trouble. Audrey would have been fine sleeping here with me.”
“It’s not a big deal.” He handed Audrey over and sat beside them. “This way you can both get a good night’s sleep while you’re recuperating and Audrey will have a bed here for the future if she needs it.”
“Thank you for being so thoughtful.” She kissed Audrey’s head and breathed in her sweet baby scent.
“Anytime. I’d do anything for you and Audrey.”
He really was too good to be true. She wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss him.
“You can lay one on me anytime you want.”
Eliza swallowed. “Um, did I say that out loud?”
He nodded. “You did.”
Oops. Leave it to her to embarrass herself within minutes of waking up. “As much as I would love to kiss you, I don’t think that’s a good idea at the moment.” Besides being sick, her mouth tasted like something crawled inside it and died while she was sleeping. “I don’t suppose you have a spare toothbrush I can borrow?”
“I do. It’s one of the things I ran out for last night. I had to guess which brands to buy, but there’s a bag of female grooming supplies on the sink in the hall bathroom. If I forgot anything or you prefer something else, just let me know and I can run back out for you.”
“I’m sure whatever you got is fine. I’m not picky. Honestly, just the thought of hot water and toothpaste sounds like heaven right now.”
“All right. Well, how about Audrey and I hang out and fix lunch while you shower? Do you feel up to eating anything? I could heat you up some soup.”
Eliza thought about it. Her stomach didn’t feel upset, but she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to risk heaving her guts up again. Some soup broth and crackers did sound good though. “Yeah. That would be really nice, if you don’t mind watching Audrey for a little longer.”
“Not at all. Audrey’s my buddy.” He held his hand out in front of her and let her grab onto his fingers. “Aren’t you, sweetheart?”
Audrey chased Carter’s fingers with her mouth, trying to chew on them.
Carter twisted his fingers upward and tickled the underside of her chin. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Watching the man she loved with her daughter made Eliza’s heart melt. The words they’d exchanged the previous afternoon almost seemed like a dream. The timing might not have been perfect and the community center certainly wasn’t the most romantic of venues, but that didn’t change the significance of the moment or the feelings behind those three little words they’d spoken. They loved each other and that was all that mattered. Everything else could be figured out in time.
Chapter Twelve
The next afternoon, Carter kissed Eliza goodbye and left to run some errands. After two days of having his mate and her daughter in his home, he felt a driving need to go out and prove he could provide everything they needed. He had a home to shelter them, a heart more than full enough to love them both, and an extended family he would happily share. He couldn’t do anything about the prejudice in the world that had led to Eliza losing her job, but he could do his best to find her a replacement. While he would be fine with her moving in with him and never working outside the home again, he knew his love well enough to know she wouldn’t choose to be a housewife. Eliza was fiercely independent and he couldn’t fault her for being that way. Her strength and determination were two of the things he loved about her.
She bounced back from being sick fast and had already mentioned heading home soon so she could start looking for another job. The moment the words crossed her lips, he realized he didn’t want her to leave. He loved having her and Audrey close and hoped if he could find her a good job nearby, then she would be more amenable when he suggested she relocate to Haven Hollow and move in with him.
He knew he was moving fast, but he didn’t care. Eliza was his mate and he loved her. Precious little Audrey had a tiny hand wrapped around his heart too. He wanted them both to stay more than he wanted his next breath of clean air and he was going to do everything within his power to convince her to say yes.
The first point of order was to pay a visit to one of his friends who he’d heard was looking for some office help. He pulled up in front of the biggest auto repair shop in town, parked, and headed inside. His friend and the owner of the shop stood behind the counter, talking to a man and woman with two small kids.
Carter waited until the family left and approached the counter with a smile. “Hey, Mason! How’s it going?”
Mason scowled, making his gruff features appear even more intimidating. The man was nothing if not a brilliant mechanic, but his people skills were seriously lacking. “It’d be going better if I was under a truck instead of stuck in here, man. What brings you by? I know you aren’t looking for someone to work on that hunk of junk you’re driving around. That piece of shit’s beyond saving.”
“Hey now,” Carter said. “Don’t talk about my baby like that. You’re just sore I won’t let you take a peek beneath the hood.” His truck might be an older model, but it was well maintained and ran like a top. He should know. He’d done all the work himself from the moment he’d saved it from the salvage yard when he was a teenager. It wasn’t junk. It was a classic.
“I don’t need to look to know it’s lacking. I know the mechanic who worked on it. That’s enough.” Mason pulled his ball cap off and scratched his head, ruffling up dark hair.
“Whatever, asshole. I actually came by to see if you were still looking for help up here in the office.”
“Hell yes, I am. Why? You know someone?” He pulled his hat back on and straightened the bill. “I might even be inclined to work on your truck for free if you’ve found me someone reliable to hire.”
“I might know someone. My mate just lost her job in the city and could use the work.”
Mason’s eyes widened. “Your mate? When the hell did that happen?”
“It’s a recent development.”
“Well, shit. Congrats are in order then. You’ll have to let me take you out for a beer some time.”
“Yeah, man. That sounds good. We’ll have to talk about it later though because Eliza’s back at the house waiting for me.”
“I hear you. So, does your mate have any experience working in a mechanic shop?”
“No. I don’t think she knows much about vehicles, but she does have customer service experience. She was working in a grocery store in the city.”
“All right. Well, I don’t guess she
really needs to know how to fix a vehicle in order to answer phones and ring people up. Send her down my way to fill out an application and if she wants the job, it’s hers.”
Relief flashed through Carter. “That’d be great. Thanks. I’ll talk to Eliza and send her down to see you. Would tomorrow be all right?”
“Yeah. The sooner the better. I’m tired of being up front dealing with the public when I should be in the back working on vehicles.”
“I bet.” Mason was almost as antisocial as Jack. Speaking of whom, no one had heard from his brother in months. Carter was going to have to pay a trip up to the cabin to make sure Jack was still alive and somewhat sane if the asshole didn’t show up for a visit soon. “All right. Well, I have a few more errands to run while I’m out, so I’ll see you later.”
Mason backed up and sat down on the chair behind the computer. “Later.”
Carter hustled back to his truck and climbed inside. He ran by a toy store for Audrey, and the florist for Eliza, and then hurried home. There was no time like the present to start their future.
He carried in Eliza’s wildflower bouquet and the bear-shaped developmental toy he picked out for Audrey, and went in search of his ladies. He followed his nose into the kitchen, where he found Eliza standing in front of the stove cooking something that smelled divine. Audrey sat in the highchair he’d bought the first night they’d stayed over, playing with her favorite giraffe toy. He handed her the new bear and she immediately shoved one of the little arms into her mouth. That looked like the standard baby seal of approval to him.
He ruffled Audrey’s hair and said, “Something in here sure smells good.”
Eliza looked over her shoulder. “Hey! You have good timing. The honey glazed carrots are almost done. All I need to do is pop the salmon in the oven and dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes or so.” She picked up the glass dish on the stovetop and slid it into the oven.
“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble. You’re barely over your cold.”
“It’s no big deal. You’ve been so sweet; I just wanted to do something nice for you.”
“You really didn’t have to. It’s easy being good to you.”
Eliza smiled. “Nice flowers, by the way.”
Oh right. He held them up. “These are for you.”
She lifted the multicolored bundle up to her nose and sniffed them. “They’re lovely. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Do you have a vase I can put these in?”
Shit. He should’ve thought of that. “I don’t think so, but I might have a glass or something.” He crossed the room to the cabinets by the refrigerator and chose the tallest skinniest glass he could find. “Will this work?”
“Yeah. That’ll do great. Would you just put some water in it for me, please?”
“Sure.” He filled the glass about half full, while Eliza took the cellophane off the flowers and pitched it into the trash. “There you go.”
“Thanks.” She grabbed a pair of kitchen shears out of the drawer by the sink, clipped off the edges of the stems, and arranged the flowers in the glass. “Voila.”
“They look nice. Almost as pretty as you.”
She beamed up at him. “Flatterer.”
“Just telling the truth.”
She moved in close, ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders, and lifted up to press her lips against his in a soft, sweet kiss that ended way too soon. She pulled back and licked her lips. “Would you mind setting the table?”
Carter resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her again. “No problem.”
He set out plates, glasses, and silverware, while Eliza put the food into serving dishes and set them in the middle of the table. The sight and smell of the roasted salmon and honey glazed carrots made his mouth water. “Everything looks wonderful, Eliza.”
“Thank you.”
“What about Audrey? Can she eat salmon?”
“She probably could, if I smushed it up, but I finished feeding her right before you got here. She had a delicious meal of pureed chicken and rice, with mashed bananas for dessert.”
“Sounds yummy.”
“You didn’t have to smell it.” She shuddered. “The banana isn’t bad, but the chicken is rank.”
He was glad he missed it then. “What would you like to drink?”
“Water’s great.”
He poured them both some water, added ice, and carried the glasses over to the table. He sat down, gazed across the table at Eliza, and felt a missing puzzle piece slip into place deep inside him. “This is really nice.”
Eliza filled her plate. “It’s just fish and carrots.”
“Dinner looks great, but that’s not what I meant. It’s great having you here.” Their presence felt right, like they’d always belonged there.
“I like being here, too. Spending more time with you has been fantastic.”
Carter’s gut tightened in dread. She made it sound like she already had one foot out the door. He served himself, piling his plate full of meat and veggies, and dug into the meal while he tried to think up the best way to broach the subject of her staying. “Wow. This really is good. The sauce on the carrots is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I definitely do.” He finished cleaned his plate and got a second helping of carrots.
“It’s nice to cook for someone with a healthy appetite.”
“You never have to worry about food going to waste around me.” His mom used to accuse him of having two hollow legs. Then again, she had made the same claim about Jack and Hayden, so he didn’t know if that counted.
“I have to admit, I normally just heat up something quick and easy for myself when I’m home. There never seems to be much point in cooking anything elaborate.”
“I’m the same way. After a long day of work, I tend to keep things simple. I could get used to eating like this more often though.”
“Me too.”
He saw his opening to discuss living together and jumped on it. “You know, if you lived here, we could take turns cooking.”
Eliza’s hand froze with the fork halfway to her mouth. It hovered there for a second, before she reversed direction and set it down. “You want to live together?”
“I would love to have you and Audrey here permanently.”
“I don’t know, Carter. I don’t want to mess up what we have by moving too fast.”
“We aren’t going to mess anything up. Moving in together now might be considered a little quick, but what we have together is special.” He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “Nothing would make me happier than going to bed with you every night and waking up with you every morning.”
“Wow.” Eliza picked her glass and took a long drink. Audrey babbled excitedly and pitched her new toy to the floor. Eliza bent, picked it up, and handed it back to the baby.
Carter started to sweat. Was she not speaking because he’d overwhelmed her or was she trying to think of a nice way to tell him she wouldn’t live him even if the world was flooded with piss and he lived in a tree? “Listen, Eliza… I don’t want to push you into anything you’re not ready for. Yes, I would like to start our lives together now, but I’m okay with waiting if you need me to. You’re my mate and I love you. That isn’t going to change whether you move in today or ten years from now.”
Eliza met his gaze and smiled softly. “I love you, too, and I do want to live with you. I just don’t have anything to contribute right now. Maybe once I find a job, we can reevaluate things.”
Carter was so glad he’d gone by Mason’s before having this conversation. “I think I can help you with that.”
Chapter Thirteen
Eliza pulled up outside her apartment building and took a moment to just sit and look around the neighborhood at the cracked sidewalks, discolored asphalt, and faded brick buildings. She’d called this place home since she’d aged out of the foster care system. She’d learn to stan
d on her own two feet here, had fallen in love, had her heart broken, and brought Audrey home from the hospital to this place. A small part of her would miss it.
A larger part of her was damn glad she was moving on. Her life had changed so much in the last couple of months that she hardly recognized it, but all the changes were for the better. She had a new home and job and, most importantly, a promising relationship with a fine man. Carter was so good to her. She couldn’t help but love him with all her heart. Fortunately for her, he returned her feelings and wanted to settle down and be a mate to her and a parent to Audrey.
She was a little nervous to be moving in with him so soon, but she couldn’t deny that the decision felt right. She trusted Carter not to do wrong by her, like so many people had in the past. He was the real deal, her knight in shining armor, and she had every intention of being as loyal and dedicated a partner as he deserved.
The first step was getting out of her car, dropping off a notice of her intention to be out of the apartment by the end of the month, and collecting the essential things she and Audrey would need for the rest of the week. She and Carter would return over the weekend to pack up and move the remaining contents of the apartment.
She got out of the car and strode toward her building with purpose. In the foyer, she stopped to slip the letter to her landlord into the correct box, and check her own mail. Dread filled her as she flipped through the flyers and bills, expecting to find to another piece of hate mail. To her relief, she found nothing. Apparently whoever had been tormenting her had finally given up. She stuffed the bundle of mail into her purse and headed upstairs with a little extra bounce in her step.
She let herself into the apartment and made a beeline to the kitchen for something cool to drink. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and spotted dirty dishes in the sink. Since she made it a habit to always wash up before she went to bed, seeing a cup and plate in the sink was weird. Chalking her forgetfulness up to not feeling well on the last night she’d been home, she shrugged off the mess and turned to go into the bedroom to gather their clothes. As she moved, something white on the table caught her attention.
Dangerous Mating (Haven Hollow Book 1) Page 8
