One Percent of You

by Michelle Gross

  “It’s late, Lucy,” I mumbled quickly.

  “I don’t mind,” Elijah said. He shrugged before rubbing the back of his neck. “Unless it’s close to her bedtime…”

  I normally tried to get her in bed before ten most nights, but sometimes I’d let her stay up later.

  “Please, Mommy?” More jumping from Lucy. “I want tacos, anyway.”

  I sighed before finally giving in. “For a little while, okay? Let’s go check out.”

  “Let me grab my chips.” Lucy took off like a bolt of lightning, and I always feared when she did. More than once, she thought it was okay to slip into another aisle, and I’d have to chase her down.

  Remembering the creepy old man from earlier, I hurried after Lucy even though the chips were several feet away from us. Sure enough, standing by the bread was the same man. He was staring at me and Elijah who was walking next to me.

  “What’s wrong?” Elijah asked, startling me.

  How could he have sensed the change in me so quickly? Until Elijah spoke up, I hadn’t even noticed how my heart raced. My eyes drifted over toward the man before I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”

  Elijah’s jaws tightened, and he strode over to Lucy. “You guys ready?” he asked. “Want to help me push the shopping cart, Lucy?”

  I was too stunned to do anything, but let the two of them take it away from me. Lucy was so small tucked between the cart and Elijah as he helped her steer it. I glanced back toward the stranger. He was slightly annoyed, gripping his cart tightly as he glared at Elijah. With a stormy huff, he finally wandered off.

  It wasn’t my imagination. The man had been following us. My heart sank to the floor. I stared at Elijah’s wide, menacing back. Lucy was hiding in front of him. I’d never realized how intimidating big, scary guys like Elijah were even to other men. Knowing he was there didn’t erase the disgust I felt, but it sure was comforting.

  I was quiet as we unloaded our things and didn’t even protest as Elijah helped—I was still freaked out. No embarrassment or awkwardness was evident. After paying for our purchase, Lucy insisted we wait for Elijah to pay for his chips, deodorant, and body wash. After he was done, Elijah took the cart and walked us to my car. As soon as we got there, I removed Eli from the wrap since he was getting fussy. Someone was hungry.

  It was dark by the time we walked out of Walmart. Elijah put our things into my trunk. I buckled Lucy in, walked to the driver’s seat, and sat down with Eli. He latched onto my nipple the moment I unhooked the strap on my nursing bra.

  It was strange how Elijah and I hadn’t spoken to each other the entire time in the store yet I hadn’t stopped him from helping me. I blamed the easiness on my being creeped out.

  “Let me see your phone,” I heard him say before he appeared at my opened door. A baby and a breast weren’t what he was expecting. He leaned back and turned around quickly. “I’m sorry—” Then very slowly, I could see him peeking around like he couldn’t help himself. He was so blatant with his eyes and blunt with his mouth, I wondered if he was aware of it?

  “What do you need my phone for?” I fished it out of my scrub bottoms, unlocked it, and handed it to him

  “So you can call me the next time you have to shop so late,” he murmured as he turned and took my phone. A few seconds later, I heard his phone ding, and then he returned mine. He must have given up not ogling. He propped his elbow on the roof of the car as he looked down at me. He wasn’t watching Eli nurse. No, his gaze was fixed on mine. “Do you realize you’ve been quiet since you spotted the pervy bastard following you guys around?”

  “Language please!” I hissed, and Lucy giggled in the back. “And, no, I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Do you realize how long you were in there?”

  “No.” I scoffed. “But how do you know?”

  “I can’t even remember why the fuck I went in there,” he continued, growing more frustrated.

  I sighed. “I don’t, but you’re telling me all about it.” I was trying to figure out what he was complaining about.

  Elijah tipped his head back. I could hear him swearing before he finally looked at me. “You guys make me worry. I’m not trying to be mean…”

  “Because we’re your friends?” asked Lucy.

  He slowly nodded. “Yeah, Lucy, we’re friends.” He tapped his knuckles on the car. “I’ll follow you guys home.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hadley

  “Do you like tacos?” Lucy asked Elijah the second he stepped into our apartment after two trips down to carry everything in for me in which he responded with a yeah. When he made another trip down to get the paint kits from his truck, I placed Eli in his bouncy seat and turned him in my direction so he could watch what I was doing. I was still unpacking our groceries when Elijah knocked.

  “Lucy, get the door.”

  Within seconds, I could hear her talking his head off before they made it to the kitchen.

  “Do you need help?” Elijah placed two boxes on the table.

  “No,” I blurted. “Are you sure you’re okay with tacos?”

  “I’m not picky, but don’t rely on me to cook or you’ll be shit—” He saw my heavy glare even though he’d already spat the word out. With a quick, slightly guilty cough, he glimpsed down at Lucy. “Poop out of luck.”

  Lucy giggled, cupping her mouth. I didn’t know why I tried so hard when I knew my child already knew not to say bad words.

  I sucked my cheeks in a little to keep from smiling. “I don’t remember asking you to cook for us. Lucy’s the one that keeps buggin’ you.” I gave my daughter a stern glower.

  “We started from the lowest, but now we’re kinda, sorta friends.” He waved his hand back and forth as he grinned at Lucy. It took me by surprise how well he could goof off and aggravate her when he’d made it clear he wasn’t much on kids.

  “Kinda?” Lucy placed her hands on her hips. “I choose, not you, okay? I say we are friends.” She grabbed his arm and tugged him to a chair. “Let’s paint!”

  He chuckled, it was raspy and deep. My skin prickled, completely remembering and becoming aware a male was in my house. “We have to put it together first.”

  That was how the next forty-five minutes went, I listened to the two of them work together as I put away groceries and put on the hamburger meat for the tacos. It was no surprise to me when Lucy got a little bored with the putting-the-car-together part and wandered into the living room to watch TV.

  I slid into a chair at the table as he pieced the second car together. “I knew she’d get bored,” I mumbled softly as I watched him.

  He chuckled, taking his eyes briefly off the car to look at me. “They’re ready to be painted. Should I ask if she wants to do it?”

  “After she eats,” I told her. “The tacos are finished… Do you want me to make you a plate?”

  He shook his head and stood, and so did I. “I can get it.” I hurried to the counter and grabbed him a paper plate. I didn’t wash dishes more than I had to. I grabbed another to make Lucy’s before mine.

  “The lettuce, tomatoes and everything else is cut up.” I pointed toward them as I made Lucy’s. “Come eat, Lucy.” When I didn’t hear her footsteps, I turned around and Eli wiggled in his bouncy and screamed at me. I smirked at him as I walked into the living room to find Lucy asleep on the couch hugging her favorite blanket. I dropped my arms and sighed. “Oh, Lucy. You didn’t get to eat your tacos.” Shutting off the living room light, I picked her up gently and carried her into her bedroom. I would put the leftovers in the fridge for her to eat in the morning since I knew she’d complain in the morning about falling asleep. She never even budged as I laid her down and covered her up.

  Eli was crying now that I’d left his line of sight so I quickly picked him up, murmuring to him as I went back to the kitchen and used Lucy’s plate for my own.

  “Did she fall asleep?”

  It wasn’t until Elijah spoke that I realized Lucy being asleep made things extr
emely awkward. Well, not him but me. “Yeah, if you want to take the cars home to paint them or wait for Lucy, either is fine.”

  “I’ll wait and see what she wants.” He took a bite of his taco while I put my taco together. Meanwhile, Eli was searching for a nipple to latch onto. I was pretty sure Elijah noticed him as well. His ears got a little red as he took another bite of his taco. “Go ahead and feed him, I don’t mind.”

  I stood quickly. “I can make him a bottle.”

  “Would you do that if I weren’t here?” He surprised me. No, I wouldn’t. I liked nursing. I only pumped because I was a working mom and had no choice. I couldn’t be with him twenty-four seven to breastfeed him. “Go ahead.” He turned his chair the other way, giving me privacy.

  Feeling extremely nervous, I laughed, and he glanced over at me. “Lucy puts me in some awkward situations.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve noticed.” He took another bite of his taco and turned away. I sat down and finally lifted my scrubs so that Eli could latch onto a nipple. “We keep bumping paths.” I looked up to see the side of Elijah’s face as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He kept his eyes averted. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

  I blushed, thankfully he couldn’t see it. “Sure. Go ahead.”

  “You had Lucy when you were in high school?”

  “I actually didn’t find out I was pregnant until after graduation.”

  “Working and college with a kid couldn’t have been easy.”

  “It wasn’t but Lucy was worth all my hardships. I’m finished now though.”

  Privacy forgotten, he turned his head. “Yeah? Is that why I don’t see you guys as much anymore when I’m getting home.”

  “Yeah. I get more days off now.” His eyes fell to Eli’s head, but I didn’t think he could see anything else. “I’m a nurse at the hospital.”

  “Sassafras’s?”

  I nodded.

  “So we both work with needles?” There was a playful grin on his face as he tilted his head.

  “I guess so.” I hoped my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.

  His smile slowly slipped away as he watched me. There was something almost darker about his expression before he stared down at the floor and stood slowly. “I should let you guys rest. Just put the cars up, and I can stop by tomorrow?” I rose with him. He peered at me. A softness washed over his features. “What’s your last name, Hadley?”

  “Reynolds.”

  “Been buggin’ me for a while. Not knowing enough…”

  I could feel the heat low in my belly and I gulped. Why would he want to know more?

  “Mine’s Parker by the way.”

  “Huh?” I wasn’t paying attention, too focused on my hot face.

  He smiled. “Elijah Parker.”

  “Oh,” I shook my head, and he laughed momentarily. “Call or text the next time you’re out so late. That shit’s going to bug the fuck out of me if I start wondering how often you guys shop at night.”

  Maybe a few years ago, I was more confident in my own skin, but at that moment I couldn’t figure out why someone like him would care or go out of his way to think about me and my little ones. Maybe he still felt guilty. Feeling mortified at the thought, I held Eli tighter. “If you still feel guilty about your actions toward us in the beginning, please don’t. You’re only making me feel bad.”

  He flinched like I slapped him. “You think I’m trying to befriend you guys because of that?” I squirmed as he scrutinized me. “That’s not the reason, believe me. I just can’t look away every time I see you guys. I don’t know. I never thought I’d befriend a single mother either, but here we are.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You look less tired now. I notice because I want to get to know you, Hadley. And your daughter is pretty cool for a kid.”

  I laughed incredulously. “You truly don’t like kids, do you?”

  “I can like some,” he mused. I rolled my eyes. “So, what is it, Hadley Reynolds? Are we friends or not? Are you going to stop acting like I’m the plague when Lucy yells at me?”

  I scoffed. “I do not treat you like the plague.”

  “You look like you can’t wait for me to leave.”

  “I… I’m sorry, I just don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “I’m just doing what I want.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I want to know you guys.”

  That intense blooming of something I shall not name in my stomach grew larger, and I stared at the floor like it was the most fascinating thing I’d ever seen. “I’ll call if I need to,” I whispered reluctantly.

  When I glanced up, he was beaming. “See ya.”

  For once, those words didn’t terrify me. Instead, I was already waiting for them.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Elijah

  I tilted my head, eyeing Hadley’s number on my phone, contemplating about sending her a text message. It seemed a waste not to use her number since I had it. It was another thirty minutes before my appointment would be here. Thirty long, torturous minutes.

  Fuck it.

  Elijah: Hey.

  I rapped my knuckles across the counter before sending another.

  Elijah: Should I come back up once I’m off to finish the cars with Lucy?

  It took a minute or two before she replied.

  Hadley: Sure.

  Sure? Frowning down at the phone, I tried to decipher what that meant. Befriending a mother was no easy task. Somehow, I was making friends quicker with the kid than the adult.

  Still… My mind was relentless when it came to them. Another text came in.

  Hadley: I’m off. Come over whenever you want.

  “What are you smiling for?” Wendy glanced at me.

  “It’s obvious. It’s the mom,” Lance snickered.

  I tried to hide my smile behind a frown.

  “Do you have a picture of her?” Waldo murmured next to me, looking over my shoulder. I forgot he was behind the counter with me. That was how long I’d considered texting Hadley. “Just how hot is this mom?”

  “Got big tits?” Jim jumped in. The customers laughed.

  “Piss off,” I growled. They were big but the thought of these pricks staring at her upset me. I had no right to get annoyed, though, not when I was constantly staring at them myself. But I didn’t objectify her out loud. But leaking tits were intriguing… Everything about that young mom captivated me more so than any of my drawings or paintings ever had.

  “So you don’t have a picture?” Waldo asked again.

  I turned and glared at him. “Why would I?”

  “You’re awfully touchy about this chick,” Lance pointed out.

  “He’s cranky about everything,” Jim muttered.

  No sense denying the truth.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hadley

  “I haven’t seen you with makeup on in a long time,” Mom noticed with a smile.

  “Yeah…” I touched my cheek. “I feel like being pretty again.”

  She smirked. “Well, whatever the reason is, I’m glad to see you taking care of yourself again. Nothing wrong with wanting to feel pretty although you’re beautiful no matter what.”

  I recalled Mom’s words from earlier as I sat in my comfy pj’s and spaghetti strap top. Eli snuggled in my lap while Lucy colored next to me. Out of the blue, I recalled Scott’s words after taking Lucy and Eli to see him.

  He did a double take as he stepped out of his Dad’s car and smiled. “You look good. Did you dress up for me?”

  Not once since Eli was born had Scott kept his son overnight. The more he changed his mind about taking the kids, the more reluctant I was about Eli staying with his dad. At this rate, Eli wouldn’t know his father. It was bad enough that Lucy became less and less enthusiastic about seeing or talking to Scott on the phone.

  Was I supposed to force them to see their father? Scott was supposed to take the kids to his parents’ house that night. Once again, he changed his mind at the l
ast second. Lucy wasn’t even disappointed.

  Neither was I after Elijah texted me and asked if he could come and finish the cars with Lucy. It dumbfounded me how a man who disliked kids could befriend Lucy while their own dad couldn’t care less about them. For Scott, it was less about Lucy and Eli and more about getting back with me. That day he even suggested we sleep together.

  What the fudge?

  I was so mad that by the time Elijah knocked on the door around nine, I was suspicious and irritated. What if he was being nice to Lucy just to get in my pants? Why the fudge would he want in my pants when he looked like he could get whoever he wanted confounded me. But why else befriend a kid? Scott tried to use his own kids to get his way with me. Why wouldn’t I suspect anything different from a crabby guy like Elijah?

  I placed Eli in his bassinet and went to the door.

  Elijah immediately frowned as he shut the door. “Is everything all right?”

  Why did he always smell so good? For a moment, I thought maybe I wouldn’t mind if Elijah tried anything with me and that startled me. Taking advantage of Lucy’s goodness wasn’t the way to get to me, though.

  “Yeah, let me get the paint and cars,” I mumbled as I turned.

  “Elijah!” Lucy rushed to him. I glimpsed over my shoulder and caught his smile. “I just got out of the bath.”

  He said, “I see that.”

  I didn’t trust myself because his smiles seemed genuine. I hated that Scott zapped my confidence.

  “Do you have Funyuns for us?” Elijah asked her.

  “Yeah,” she screeched, and I went to my room for the cars. When I returned to the kitchen, Eli was crying.

  “Do you want me to help you with it? Or do you want to do it yourself?” Elijah said to Lucy as I went to get Eli.

  I carried him into the kitchen and held him up so that he could see what Sissy was doing as I sat down. Eli’s giant eyes blinked, and he grinned. He’d been able to hold his head up like a champ since before he was even two months old.

  “I want to paint mine.” Lucy grabbed a car and studied the colors. “Can you draw a horsey on mine after I finish it?”