by Hart, Rye
“I do a lot of manual labor. It helps to calm my mind. You know, chopping wood, gardening, hunting, building furniture. That sort of thing.”
“What sorts of furniture? Like could you make us a bigger table?” Kevin asked and I flashed him a look.
“I haven’t tried making a table yet, but I’ve made bookcases and chairs,” Camillo said.
“You work with wood?” I asked.
The grin he threw me across the table shivered me to my toes.
“I work with wood a great deal, when I can,” he said.
I felt the heat creep up my neck and color stain my cheeks. I knew his innuendo was intended for me and it left me a little flustered.
“You okay?” Cassie asked.
“Just fine,” I said breathlessly.
I felt Camillo’s eyes on me as I got up from the table. I needed to start doing something constructive or I was going to jump him at my table in front of my family. I started clearing dishes and took them over to the sink while Kevin put the dressings back into the refrigerator.
I heard everyone get up from the table while I began rinsing the dishes. Cassie took Ana so she could put her down and Kevin was quickly on her heels. My hands were trembling even as the hot water rushed over them, but I was ripped from my trance when the dishwasher beside me opened.
I looked over and saw Camillo staring down at me before he reached for the plates and started stacking them in.
Silently, the two of us cleaned the kitchen. We got everything put away and the table wiped down. He helped me pick up the shreds of the dictionary Ana had left behind on the floor. He even took out the overflowing trash I kept forgetting to deal with before I went to bed.
And by the time he came back in, I was ready to ask the looming question.
“So,” I said breathlessly. “What happens now?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN - CAMILLO
I looked into the eyes of my little songbird when she asked me that question, and I found myself lost. This woman was like none other. The strength she possessed and the love she carried for her family rivaled my own. I’d walked into her life after three years of absence between us and she welcomed me to her dinner table like I was an old friend. She had served me the best of the food she had to offer in her home and she had allowed me to bond a little bit with someone who was important to her in her life.
All the while holding our daughter close to my chest for the very first time.
This beautiful woman had been working full time at a diner, trying to make ends meet while taking care of her family and raising our daughter. She was single-handedly the foundation of this run-down home and had sacrificed everything she could in her life to make sure the children had everything they could ever want. She was still in her work clothes while a brand-new gaming system sat on the shelf for her brother in the living area. I admired her for the strength and beauty she possessed and I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted to know what she needed from me to be able to be happy.
She was staring at me, waiting for me to tell her what would happen next.
She was waiting for me to take control, just like I had all those years ago.
“I need to be a part of my daughter’s life,” I said.
“Okay.”
“I want to get to know you,” I said.
“Why?” she asked.
“Why do I want to get to know the mother of my child?” I asked. “Because…”
How did I tell her? How in the world could I communicate to her that no woman I’d ever attempted to be with since her compared to what we shared that night? How could I tell her that I stopped sleeping with subs altogether because of how perfect she was beneath my body that night? How could I tell her that I couldn’t rid her sounds from my ears or her image from my eyes?
How could I tell her all this without scaring her?
I could see the doubt filling her beautiful eyes and I knew I was losing her. I saw fear and hesitancy, like she thought I might be lying to her. “Because you’re beautiful and have done an amazing thing here raising Ana and Kevin. Because I’d like to see if we could be more than what we shared the night we made Ana.”
She looked at me like she desperately wanted to believe what I was saying, but was afraid to let herself. I realized she must have suffered disappointment after disappointment in her life.
“If you don’t believe that I want to get to know you, then at least let me get to know Ana. Let me come around. Let me play with her. Let me be a part of her life.”
I could tell she was thinking and I was hanging on to every movement her eyes made as they danced around the room.
“Let me provide for you what I should’ve been giving you for the past three years,” I said.
“What does that mean?” she asked, her eyes narrowed.
I did the only thing I knew how to do.
I was going to show her what I meant.
I reached into my pocket and wrapped my hand around the massive wad of cash. I’d brought it to the diner, intent on having this talk. I’d brought it to the counter under the assumption that I’d have to prove to her what I could provide before I even got a chance to see my daughter.
But she’d allowed my entrance into her home without even knowing what I brought to the table.
I pulled the cash out of my pocket and took her hand. I placed it into her small palm, the wad of money dwarfing her entire hand. Her eyes widened and she tried to give it back to me, but all I did was cup my hands around it and bring her fingers up to my lips.
I kissed each of her knuckles while our eyes connected, and when I dropped her hand, she clung to the money instead of trying to give it back.
“You’ve done such a wonderful job, Rose,” I said. “You’ve sacrificed whatever it took to make sure you could give Kevin and our daughter the life they deserved. But I know you were embarrassed when I drove up to your house. I knew you were scrambling to clean it up. It’s why I stayed in the truck for as long as I did.”
I saw tears of shame rising to her eyes and I pulled her close to me. I expected her to push me away, to backtrack as fast as she could now that she had the one thing she needed so desperately.
But all she did was press herself deeper into me, almost as if she were seeking something else.
“This isn’t a bribe,” I said as I held her close. “You have the final decision in this. But this is what I want to provide. Money. Support. Guidance. Whatever I should’ve been giving you these past few years, I want to be here to give it now.”
She sniffled and pulled away from me, her eyes glued to the bundle of cash she had to hold with both of her hands.
“You can come visit,” she said as her entire body trembled. “When I get off work, during the evenings.”
“That’s all I ask,” I said.
“Under one condition,” she said as she looked up at me.
“Anything.”
“Please don’t take my daughter away from me.”
In that very moment, the fear she had been holding back trickled down her entire body. She shivered, goosebumps raced up her arms, and tears started down her cheeks. I moved toward her, backing her into the fridge and pinning her into my body.
Then, I scooped her up into my arms and held her close.
“Never am I ever going to separate my daughter from her mother,” I said into her ear. “You have my word. Look at me.”
Her eyes, bathed in her tears of fear, slowly panned up to me, and I felt my chest fill with the same warmth I’d felt all those years ago. Even as she sniffled and tried to control her sobbing chest, she was the perfect vision of beauty. Even in her sadness, her big, bold eyes and her beautiful, black hair boasted of a kindred innocence she shared with my daughter.
I hooked my gaze onto her as I leaned against her kitchen counter.
“I am never taking Ana from you,” I said. “I want what’s best for all of us. For me. For you. For Cassie and Kevin. All I’m asking for is a chance to prove it t
o you.”
I held my breath as I searched her face for a reaction and relief coursed through my pulsing veins when she smiled.
“Okay,” she said breathlessly.
I hugged her close as I slowly set her down onto her feet. She leaned her cheek against my chest and allowed her hands to slide down my stomach. I had to take deep breaths to try and calm my body, because just her warmth was intoxicating. I ran my hand through her hair and rubbed her back soothingly, finally feeling her relax from the weight of all I had brought upon her tonight.
“The next time we meet up, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” I said.
“Oh?” she asked. “Who’s that?”
“You’ll see,” I said as my hands stroked her arms. “For now, all I want to do is help you in any way I can. Is there anything else you have to do tonight?”
“Well,” she said as she looked down at her hand. “I suppose I have to figure out what to do with this.”
She lifted the green wad of cash up to her face and smiled a devious little smile. I couldn’t help but lose myself in her playfulness, the way she’d opened herself up to me without any regard to how I might hurt her. I felt my softness come into play as my hand reached out to cup her cheek, my thumb tracing over the pouty lower lip I’d suckled on back at the diner.
She puckered her lips to kiss the pad of my thumb, and I felt my entire body heat up underneath the small little touch.
What this strong woman did to me was unmistakable and I knew in that very instant I’d never let her go.
Not even if she wanted me to.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – ROSE
Work was long, and I still had four more hours to go. I’d taken the lunch and the dinner shift back to back, wanting the morning with Ana and Kevin before Camillo came back over tonight. I was nervous about having him over. Last night had felt more like a dream than it had reality and when I woke up this morning and was getting everyone ready for their days, I had almost convinced myself it hadn’t taken place.
It wasn’t until Kevin asked when Camillo was coming back that I realized I hadn’t dreamt anything.
My prince had shown up on my doorstep. He’d walked in from the cold with snow on his shoulders and sat down right in front of me. He’d taken me into his arms and pulled my wrists back tightly, exposing my body to him just like he had that night. He sat there right on one of my stools in my place of work and brought me to an ecstasy I thought was long gone with the memory of him from three years ago.
And in this little diner in the middle of the Poconos, my fallen angel had found me once again.
In a way, revenge had been my biggest secret that night. It wasn’t Ana or how my parents died. It wasn’t the fact that I’d given up my dreams or sacrificed my life for theirs. It was the fact that I wanted to show that life couldn’t beat me down. I wanted to rise from the ashes, no matter how battered and bruised I was and spit in the face of life while it laughed at my sorrows. I kept myself busy during the days, and then I laid my head down at night, vowing revenge to an entity that didn’t exist. Vowing revenge on whatever entity was responsible for the way my life had turned out.
But instead, life gave me the one piece of relief I’d had in the past three years and I’d gladly opened my arms to him.
I had no idea if that was a good idea. I didn’t know if trusting him would lead to yet another tragedy in my life. I had no idea who he was, what he was about, or who this mysterious person was he wanted me to meet. But I knew two things for certain.
The love he had for Ana was unmistakable and I was attracted to him, now more than ever.
I was finally able to clock out of work and rush home to make myself a little more presentable. All night, last night, I’d worn nothing but my sweaty work uniform. Usually, my dinner dress was a loose-fitting t-shirt and yoga pants. The ensemble was cheap to purchase, easy to wash, and allowed me the comfort I sought in the evenings once everyone else had gone to bed.
But tonight, I wanted to dress a little nicer for my dark prince.
I barreled through the doors and brushed past Cassie and Kevin playing Minecraft. I rushed upstairs and peeked into Ana’s room, seeing her playing with her toys. I smiled and then I hopped into the shower and washed myself down quickly. I allowed my hair and body to dry while I shuffled through my measly closet. I didn’t have much. My paycheck didn’t afford me the ability to purchase nice clothes, but I did come across a dress I let myself purchase a couple of years ago.
A loose-fitting, dark green dress that cinched around my waist and fluttered just past my knees.
I threw it on and dried the rest of my hair just as I heard the doorbell ring. I heard Kevin get up to answer the door. I reached down and grabbed Ana off the floor and headed downstairs, coming around the corner just as Camillo walked through the door.
Only this time, he had a little boy in front of him.
I stared at the little boy and noted how he didn’t quite look like Camillo. They shared the same skin tone and sternness around the eyes, but that was about it. The boy looked to be around twelve, and I tried to keep my surprise at bay as the young man slowly backed up into Camillo.
“This is my nephew, Junior,” he said.
I looked up into Camillo’s eyes and I could see the way he was raking them over me. I buried my smirk and tried to tame the blush creeping up my skin. There was something inside of me that took a great deal of pride in being able to look presentable for him and I clung to Ana while she tried to wiggle from my grasp.
“Is that her?” Junior asked.
“It is,” Camillo said. “Would you like to go meet her?”
I bent down to the level of the boy as he walked toward me. His movements were tentative and restricted, like he was still feeling out the place. Junior studied Ana intensely.
But then the boy looked right into my eyes and nodded.
“She looks like you,” Junior said.
“I think she looks more like her father,” I said.
“That’s what I meant.”
The boy was guarded and I held up my hand to stop Camillo from reprimanding him. The walls this little boy had thrown up must’ve come from a massive blow to his life and I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to bring him to live with his uncle.
But instead of questioning the boy about it, I made a mental note to talk with Camillo about it later. I saw Junior’s eyes flicker over to the television and, in an instant, I saw a familiar glow of happiness pour over his face.
“You play Minecraft?” he asked.
“Not me, but my brother does,” I said. “He’s been teaching your uncle how to play.”
“Uncle Camillo, playing video games?” he asked.
“Yep,” I said, grinning.
“Wanna play?” Kevin asked.
We all turned toward Kevin, who was now sitting on the couch. Camillo went over and sat down beside him as Ana finally wiggled out of my grasp. She ran over to him and he picked her up, smiles lighting up their faces. I watched with joy pouring into my chest.
And all the while, I could feel Junior’s eyes on me.
“Can I play?” he asked.
I turned my gaze back to the boy and saw a sorrow behind them that wrenched my soul. I wanted to reach out my arms and envelop him. I wanted to welcome him into this home like I had so many other lost souls. I wanted him to know that he was welcome here anytime to come play, no matter what time of the day it was.
But I settled for nodding at him before he dove onto the couch next to Kevin.
I got out of the way of the television, and Camillo’s eyes followed me. He kept his gaze on me for as long as he could before the boys started talking to him about the game. I saw him get lost in it all, in the way Ana clung to him and the way the boys wanted to bond with him. I stood in the doorway as Cassie approached me. Then she tugged my arm and brought me into the kitchen.
“What?” I asked.
“Do you see it?”
“See
what?” I asked.
“How Kevin’s just gravitated to him?” she asked.
“Yes, I have. Kevin’s been without a strong male influence for a very long time. And during a critical time of his life, as well.”
“So, you’ve been thinking about it,” she said.
“About what?” I asked.
“Stop being so thick. About Camillo sticking around. He was over here last night, and he’s here again tonight. If he keeps coming around, Kevin’s gonna think he’s staying. Ana, too.”
“And what if he does?” I asked.
“I just wanna make sure your head’s still in this. He swept you off your feet three years ago, remember? But now you’re a mother. A caretaker. You can’t allow yourself to do that again.”
“Why not?” I asked. “Why couldn’t I have all of it? The family and the bonding and the romance?”
“Do you really think three years ago was romance?” she asked.
“It was to me and that’s all that matters,” I said.
I folded my arms over my chest before I turned my gaze back out to the boys. Kevin had handed Junior a separate controller and the two of them were building an entire farm. Camillo was chiming in with materials they should use and telling them stories of the types of materials he’d used to build his own things and I got lost in the perfection of it all.
But Cassie’s voice pulled me from all of it and I sighed.
“You look nice,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“I haven’t seen you wear that dress in years,” she said.
“Never had a reason to wear it.”
“But you do now?”
“Yes, I do now.”
“What’s that reason?” she asked.
“Cassie, could you back off?” I asked.
“Think this through. Why did you come in and get dressed up?”
“Because I wanted to impress Camillo, okay? I was in my fucking uniform all night last night. So, sue me for wanting to feel pretty again.”
I saw the worry behind her eyes and I sighed before I enveloped her in a hug.
“I know you’re worried about us and I know you’re just looking out for us. But trust me, okay? I wouldn’t ever bring someone around my own daughter and my brother if I didn’t think they would be good for them.”
