Because of Low

by Abbi Glines

  “Yep Cage has got his girl. Now come on let’s get you buckled up.”

  Once he had her secured he stood up and pulled me into his arms.

  “Bad morning,” he said rubbing my back. I simply nodded and let him comfort me. He was so good at it.

  “ It’s okay now. I got ya. Let’s get squirt to the apartment and then we’ll worry about finding her Mama. Tawny is bound to show up sometime today.”

  “Yes, but I’m missing classes because she didn’t show up on time,” I grumbled.

  “She’s a selfish bitch. This isn’t anything new. You know that.”

  With a defeated sigh I sank down into the passenger seat of Cage’s black mustang and laid my head back on the seat. I was still tired. Larissa had woke up at four with a belly ache and then again at six. I needed more sleep than that. It would have probably been pointless to go to class today anyway. I wasn’t sure I could have kept my eyes open while listening to a lecture.

  “She keep you up a lot last night?”

  I nodded while yawning.

  “I’d say I’d watch her for you at the apartment so you could sleep but I can’t miss class or I’ll have to sit out a game.”

  “I know. I’ll crash after Tawny gets her. Good news is, I don’t work tonight.”

  Cage turned on the radio and we drove back to the apartment in comfortable silence.

  Marcus

  I’d been awake since I’d heard Cage leave. It was too early for him to be up especially since he got in so late last night. Which could only mean one thing. Willow had called him. After last night, I’d hoped she’d call me next time. Apparently not.

  I just finished making another pot of coffee when the door opened. Cage came walking in, a little girl with short blond ringlets bouncing around her head was in his arms. Big green eyes bright and excited scanned the apartment before they landed on me. Willow stepped in behind them carrying a large pink polka dot bag and dropped it on the chair beside the door. She wore tiny shorts I remembered the cheerleaders wearing back in high school when they practiced. Those shorts were meant to drive guys crazy. The blue hoodie she was wearing had Hurricanes Baseball on the front and it was entirely too big for her. I’d seen Cage in it more than once.

  “I’ll go get the car seat out of the car and bring it up then I gotta change and go,” Cage told Willow.

  She covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. Last night must not have gone well.

  “‘Kay, thanks,” she replied then reached for the little blonde who clung to Cage’s shirt.

  “Come on Larissa let’s get you some breakfast. Cage has to go to school.”

  “Cay,” the little blonde said loudly patting Cage’s chest.

  “Yes that’s Cage. Now kiss him goodbye and come with me.”

  She turned and gave Cage a very loud wet kiss on his face that looked like it may have had a little licking involved.

  Cage laughed, “Now that’s the way to start a guy’s day Larissa.”

  Holding out her pudgy little arms she went to Willow.

  “Good morning Marcus,” Willow said as she walked into the kitchen with Larissa.

  “Bad night?”

  She shrugged and a little frown puckered her brow. “You could say that.”

  “Larissa, this is my friend Marcus. He lives with Cage now,” she looked from the little girl to me, “Marcus this is my niece Larissa.”

  I sat my coffee cup down and reached out to take her little hand in mine and shake it.

  “It’s very nice to meet you Larissa.”

  She burst into a fit of high pitched giggles and clapped when I let her hand go.

  “She’s a flirt, so beware,” Willow warned and walked over to the table. I watched as she sat Larissa in a chair then squatted down so she was eye level with the little girl.

  “I can make you pancakes or eggs or if you want I bet Cage would let you have some of his Coco Puffs.”

  Larissa nodded happily.

  “Okay, I’m not making you all three. You’ve got to pick one. Pancakes, eggs, or cereal.”

  Larissa’s expressive eyes met mine and she grinned. The kid was adorable.

  “Cay’s cedeul.”

  I nodded and stood up, “Cage’s cereal it is.”

  Her shoulders were slumped under the oversized hoodie and there were circles under her eyes. I didn’t like her being so tired.

  “I’ve got it. You sit down with Larissa and if you’re really good I’ll make you an omelet.”

  She stopped and tilted her head to the side and studied me. I held her gaze.

  “Why?”

  I closed the distance between us and reached up to gently rub my thumb over the tired circles under her eyes.

  “Because you’re exhausted. Because I want to. Because I’m trying really hard to get you to trust me.”

  Her breathing hitched and at that moment I wanted to forget Cage was in the other room and there was a little blonde doll sitting over in the chair watching us. All I wanted was to kiss her. Instead, I dropped my hand and stepped back.

  “Okay,” she said in a small breathy voice.

  “Good. Now go sit down and let me fix you some coffee.”

  She nodded and obediently went and sat down next to Larissa.

  “Martus,” Larissa announced and then proceeded to clap loudly.

  I glanced up at the table while I poured Willow’s coffee.

  Willow was grinning at me, “I do believe you’ve been awarded the honor of Larissa adding your name to her limited vocabulary.”

  So Larissa liked me. I winked at her and she giggled again clapping her small pudgy hands. I wish her aunt was that easy to win over.

  Reaching into the fridge I grabbed the gallon of chocolate milk my mom had sent home with me along with a few bags of groceries yesterday. Grabbing a sports top bottle out of the cabinet I poured some chocolate milk into the bottle and walked it over to the table with Willow’s cup of coffee.

  “Here ya go ladies. Coffee for the gorgeous red head and chocolate milk for the beautiful blonde.”

  “Choctate! Lowlow! Choctate!” Larissa squealed excitedly.

  Willow chuckled then looked up at me and gifted me with a full on smile.

  “Thank you.”

  I was making progress. Nodding I headed back to the fridge to whip up a bowl of cereal and an omelet.

  “Low, can I have my hoodie or do you need it? I can’t find my leather jacket.” Cage came walking out of his bedroom interrupting my time with the girls. I’d almost forgotten he was still here.

  Willow stood up and pulled the hoodie off. I almost dropped the eggs. She was wearing a tight black tank top that didn’t reach her belly button.

  “No you can take it. All my clean clothes are here.”

  Cage walked up to her and grabbed it bending down to kiss her on the cheek then giving Larissa the same attention.

  “Alright girls be good. Larissa don’t give Low a hard time okay?”

  Larissa stared up at Cage smiling but she didn’t agree to anything.

  “Be careful,” Low called out as Cage headed for the door.

  “Always,” he responded then left.

  I didn’t let myself look back toward Willow. She really needed to put on a shirt. One that didn’t show me her smooth flat stomach and perfect little belly button.

  Her phone started to ring and she grumbled, “finally,” then stood up and walked toward the living room before answering.

  “Where are you?”

  “I had class this morning Tawny. You didn’t even call me.”

  “No, I’m at Cage’s.”

  “Because there wasn’t even milk at your house. Larissa was starving.”

  “She’s about to eat now.”

  “Well when will you be here?”

  “I’m exhausted Tawny.”

  “Whatever.”

  “NO!”

  “Okay fine. Just please go get some food first.”

  Willow growled before walking
back into the kitchen.

  “Tawwy.”

  “Yes that was your Mama. Remember you call her Mama not Tawny.”

  “Mama”

  “Right. Mama.”

  “Shit.”

  I choked on my coffee and spewed it all over the counter top.

  “Larissa I told you NOT to say that word. It is a bad, bad word. Ugly.”

  “Mama shit”

  Willow let out a loud frustrated sigh and covered her face with both her hands. I carried the bowl of cereal over to the table.

  “Yes Mama said that word but it isn’t nice. Pretty little girls don’t say that word,” Willow began explaining.

  Sitting the bowl down in front of Larissa, I bent down so I could look her in the eyes. She smiled brightly up at me obviously enjoying the attention.

  “I like princesses Larissa. Do you?”

  She nodded and clapped, “Pinsesses”

  Perfect.

  “You know Princesses don’t say that bad word.They like to use the word skittles instead.”

  Larissa studied my mouth a moment as if trying to take that in then her big green eyes lifted back up to mine.

  “Skiutles”

  “Yep, skittles. It’s a princess word.”

  Larissa beamed and looked at Willow, “Skiutles!” She announced loudly.

  Willow laughed and nodded.

  “Yep skittles,” she replied looking less tired. Her eyes shifted to meet mine and she mouthed, “Thank you.”

  I nodded my head and grinned at her before turning and heading back to the kitchen to make the best damn omelet imaginable.

  Chapter Eight

  Willow

  I finished the last bite of my omelet. It had been delicious. I’d been a little embarrassed by how ravenous I seemed after the first bite but Marcus obviously seemed pleased by my gobbling up the omelet so I thought, screw it, and enjoyed myself. The boy could cook. Larissa had long since finished her cereal and her chocolate milk. She was currently sitting on the floor with Marcus as he stacked up her blocks just so she could knock them down again. He’d moan and act like it was the worst thing ever that she’d knocked down his blocks causing her to giggle louder. He was sweet, he could cook, he was good with kids, he was smart, he had goals, he was freaking perfect. No doubt he’d make some country club daughter a very good husband. That thought felt like I’d just swallowed a brick.

  A knock on the door interrupted my dark thoughts and I stood up to go get it. Surely Tawny wasn’t already here. I wanted her to get groceries first. Larissa needed food.

  It wasn’t Tawny.

  Outside the door stood two girls exactly like the country club member I’d been picturing in my head as Marcus Hardy’s wife. Both were blonde, dressed in clothes I knew hadn’t been purchased at Target or thrift stores. One was by far the more beautiful out of the two. She was striking with long blond curls and blue eyes framed in thick black eyelashes. Lord please let that be Marcus’s sister. She was model perfect.

  “Hey, um, Willow right?” The less intimidating girl said. I forced a smile and nodded. Maybe they were here for Cage. That had to be it.

  “Is Marcus here?” My stomach fell.

  “Hey Manda everything okay,” Marcus said coming up behind me. Close enough so that his chest pressed against my back.

  The less intimidating one gave him a sad smile and shrugged, “Yes, as good as they can be.”

  Crap the gorgeous one wasn’t his sister.

  “Can we come in?” Amanda asked when Marcus didn’t step back allowing me to move.

  He paused a moment and I was beginning to get a weird vibe here.

  “Uh, well, um, I guess,” he stepped back from me and I quickly retreated to the floor to take over the job of entertaining Larissa.

  “Low this is my sister Amanda,” he motioned to the girl I’d already figured out was his sister, “Manda this is Low.”

  “It’s nice to meet you Low,” Amanda gave me a friendly smile then her eyes shifted to Larissa and I could see the questions in her eyes.

  “And the little princess over there tearing down my blocks is Larissa, Low’s niece.”

  The relief on Amanda’s face was obvious. I almost wanted to laugh. She’d been worried I had a kid.

  “Low this is a friend of mine, Sadie” Miss Perfect was the beholder of the musical voice from yesterday morning in the washroom. Fabulous. “Sadie this is Low.”

  Sadie stepped forward and squatted down to smile at me and then Larissa.

  “So you like tearing down blocks too, huh?” Larissa bobbed her head.

  “Well I’ve got a little brother at home who has just found the exact same thing entertaining.”

  Larissa knocked the blocks down and turned back to smile at Sadie as if she understood what the girl had said and wanted to show off.

  “You’re really good at that,” Sadie cooed. The girl was going to be really hard to dislike.

  Marcus walked over and sat down on the couch directly behind me. His foot pressed against my hip.

  “How’s Sam doing these days? Still a pretty boy?”

  Sadie laughed and her voice actually reminded me of soft tinkling bells. Ugh!

  “Sam is a handful and yes I’m afraid he’s only getting prettier. However, Jax is determined to make him a baseball player. The kid is seven months old and has more autographed baseballs and baseball bats than an actual collector.”

  Jax... Sadie... why do those names ring a bell?

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less with Jax Stone as his future brother-in-law.”

  My jaw dropped open. This was her. The girl. The one who Jax Stone, the hottest rocker in the freaking world had fallen in love with this summer. Oh. My. God.

  “Doesn’t mean he has to spoil him,” Sadie chimed in reply.

  Marcus began playing with my hair and I forgot all about being star struck.

  I began stacking the blocks again hoping no one noticed my flushed cheeks from Marcus’s attention.

  “Mom’s fixing lunch and wants us to go eat with her today. She has some things she wants to talk to us about. Sadie brought me here so you and I could ride together. She’s on her way to the airport.”

  Marcus hand paused a moment then went back to wrapping strands of my hair around his fingers.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  I chanced a glance over at Amanda and she was watching Marcus play with my hair with an amused grin on her face.

  Marcus cleared his throat, “You picking up or taking off Sadie?”

  I watched as Sadie smiled up at Marcus. He had to be affected by her. That thought bothered me. Even as stupid as that sounded. It did.

  “Taking off. Jax is a guest judge on American Idol tonight. Then back here tomorrow for a concert in Pensacola.”

  Holy shizz.

  Marcus chuckled and ran a finger down my neck causing chill bumps to break out on my very bare arms.

  “You’re acclimating to his life well. See you had nothing to worry about.”

  Sadie shrugged then grinned, “He makes everything worth it.”

  “GAG! Okay stop with the mushy,” Amanda interrupted.

  Standing up Amanda motioned to Marcus, “Come on I need to swing by Dad’s and pick up my car. He’s just giving me a new one. Figures. Kiss ass.”

  Marcus’s hand froze and I could feel the tension in his body rolling off him in waves. Something had upset him. Was it his dad giving his sister a car? Or because she called their dad a kiss ass?

  Sadie stood up, “I have to go too. I promised Kane I’d be there ready for take off at ten,” her gaze dropped to me, “It was really nice to meet you Low.” I could see the sincerity on her face and dang if I didn’t like her. She flashed her hundred watt runway smile on Larissa, “And it was wonderful to meet you too Larissa. I don’t get to meet princesses often.”

  Larissa clapped happily at the word Princess no doubt.

  “Good luck you two,” Sadie said looking from Marcus to Amanda.
<
br />   “Thanks,” Marcus replied in a tense tone as he stood up behind me.

  “Thank you for everything. I’ll miss you this weekend but I’m going to watch Idol tonight so wave to the camera when it zooms in on you.” Amanda pulled Sadie into a hug and Sadie squeezed her. Something was definitely going on with Marcus’s family and I’d bet money his Dad was the cause.

  Amanda walked Sadie to the door then turned back to me, “I loved meeting you Low. Really I did. We need to spend some more time together.”

  I simply nodded surprised by the other girl’s enthusiasm.

  “I’m going to walk Sadie out and get my things from the Hummer. I’ll meet you in the truck,” Amanda told Marcus with a strange expression on her face. It was as if they were having a conversation without words.

  “Okay,” Marcus replied.

  Once the door shut behind them I stretched my legs and stood up.

  “Martus pay,” Larissa demanded.

  “No sweetie Marcus can’t play right now. He needs to go bye bye.”

  “Bye bye too” she demanded raising her arms up like the queen of Sheba.

  Marcus chuckled and I could feel the tension in him ease some.

  “You make it really hard to leave princess but I gotta go. We’ll play again. I promise.”

  Larissa frowned then nodded her head as if she was okay with this and went back to her blocks.

  “Thanks for breakfast and helping with Larissa,” I said standing up.

  “I enjoyed every minute of it.”

  I felt my face flush again and I bit my bottom lip to keep from grinning like an idiot.

  “Come here Low,” he whispered reaching out and taking my hand and pulling me to him until my body was pressed up against his. He draped my hand over his shoulder before releasing it to grip my waist.

  Marcus Hardy’s mouth was on mine before I could take in the fact I was touching him.