“Let me help you with Ty and Yolo.”
I managed to open my good eye, but the other was so swollen, it refused to open. “His dad will keep him.”
“So you’re shutting me out?”
I thought long and hard about how I was going to answer him. I didn’t feel like fighting, and I didn’t know him well enough to leave Ty with him.
“Carson’s used to Ty’s routine, and you have a nanny already for Oliver.”
“I thought Oliver could use the buddy time before school starts back next week.”
He was playing dirty and using the kids as a ploy. Ty would’ve much rather spent a day with Oliver than at his dad’s, and we both knew it. Besides, Oliver needed the camaraderie.
Damn him, for pulling the kid card like that.
I put the boys’ needs before my own angst. “Okay, I’ll agree to it. If you’ll hand me my bag, I’ll give you my key. How’s Mam?”
“She’s doing very well. Their move here will be delayed until February probably, but considering everything, she’s a survivor. Grumpa was consumed with worry.”
“I’m sure. I do hope she’s okay. Send her my best.”
The grip on my hand got tighter before he finally laced our fingers together. “I’m really, really sorry about everything.” His voice very soft, his eyes endearing.
While I ached with loss, my heart warned me away from him, and this time, I was listening as my mom had told me to do.
Follow your heart…
It was New Year’s Day, and Carson agreed to drop Ty off at Ian’s house. After which, Ian brought both boys to see me. He’d cautioned them about my bruises, and while Ty had initially said I looked “gross,” they were more interested in going to eat at Dave & Busters and playing all the games, which gave me something to smile about.
If Ty said “Mom, we did…” once, he said it twenty times. He was so excited to be staying with Oliver and vice versa.
I looked up at Ian, who was keeping his distance from my bed. “Thank you.”
He winked.
He was dressed in jeans and a Lakers sweatshirt and simply sexy as hell, even if I was viewing him with just one eye. I had to learn to stop looking at him; it was only making matters worse.
It didn’t take long for the boys to become restless, so I suggested they go.
Ty climbed up on my bed and gave me a big hug. It was the first time I noticed a bit of sadness. “Hey, I heard a rumor I might get to come home tomorrow, so I’ll give you a call, okay?”
“Okay. I can cook now, and I’ll make you secret pancakes.”
I looked up at Ian, confused at what that was about.
“He’s been telling us he knows how to make pancakes, so tomorrow we are making them for breakfast.” He smiled.
Damn him. Those lips forming his perfect mouth. “It’s a date,” I swooshed Ty’s hair.
“For breakfast?” He looked up at me with his big brown eyes, confused.
“No, baby, but maybe pancakes for dinner. Now you go have fun and be very good. Mr. Ian will tell me if you misbehave.”
He jumped off the bed and joined Oliver who was standing by the door. I wanted to hug Oliver, but he was completely standoffish when it came to me touching him.
“Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Ian didn’t offer to touch me, and I was grateful. He was getting the message.
The next afternoon, I was released. Instead of calling Ian to pick me up, Isabella offered to give me a ride to my car.
“You know you’re not supposed to be driving. If you have a wreck, it’s not my fault. And…your insurance may not cover it.”
“Surely, life’s not that cruel.” I tried to laugh.
After parking my car in the garage, I chucked the mail on the table and walked down to get Ty.
“Mom, we can make pancakes now.”
“Yes, as soon as we get home.”
“No, here. Mr. Ian is on his way home, and we’re going to have them for dinner.”
“He’s right, Ms. Chelsie,” Oliver squeaked as he nodded his head.
Shit, no quick escape.
I sat on the sofa and watched the boys play games with Denise, the nanny, while Rip and Yolo played on the floor. Denise didn’t want to leave before Ian got home, and I understood that. I instantly liked her. She looked to be in her late fifties and the grandmotherly type.
“Do you have children?”
“Two boys. My oldest is giving me my first grandchild this summer. My Christmas present from him was the sonogram picture in a frame. I’m excited, can you tell?”
I laughed. “My mom would say grands are better than their parents.”
She shook her finger at me. “My mother always said the same thing. Well, I don’t know how we’re going to work it because he lives in Kentucky, but I’ve got time to figure it out.”
I felt Ian’s eyes on me, and my skin flamed, although I hadn’t heard his approach. When I turned toward the kitchen, he was propped against the bar with his arms across his chest, sexy as hell in tight scrubs.
Uggggh.
“How’d you get home?” he snarked.
“Uh…Um, I drove.”
“Chelsie—”
I put my hand up in the air. “Do not start. You are not my boss.”
He coughed. “Nope, just a concerned friend.” He rolled his eyes.
“Ty, Mommy’s not feeling good and needs to go lie down. We’ll make pancakes another day, okay?”
He nodded his head, but I saw the disappointment on his face. He got up and wrapped his arms around my neck.
“I’m sorry you’re sick, Mommy.”
I gripped him tight. Oh, the hugs from a little one. I knew the day would come soon when I’d no longer get them. “Tell Mr. Ian and Oliver thank you for letting you stay over.”
I mouthed “Thank you” to Ian before leaving quietly through the front door with Yolo nipping at our heels.
Shawna was walking up the sidewalk as we left Ian’s house. “Oh, my God…”
“Shhh, wait a minute.” I pointed my finger down to Ty.
Once we were inside, Ty ran to play in his room, and I put Yolo out in the backyard with a bone before getting cozy in the recliner.
Shawna made herself something to drink. I loved having friends who could help themselves. “Can I get you something while I’m getting one for myself?”
“No, thanks. My phone is on the table. Do you mind bringing it to me? I’m gonna order something for dinner for Ty.”
“I’ll send him to our house. Jorge’s making enchiladas, and you know he loves those. I’ll grab him some clothes, and he can spend the night over there. You need to rest.”
“Thank you, but I’ll be okay.”
Finally alone and able to talk, she just watched me intently from the other chair. She cracked first. “I was gonna wait you out.” She shook her finger at me.
“Nothing to wait out. It’s been a bitch of a week, and my holidays officially sucked.”
She sat up on the edge of the chair and propped her elbows on her knees. “You’re in love with him.”
I quirked up my lips at her. “And you’re nuts. We were together one night, which really does not count.”
“Keep denying ‘it’ and denying yourself. Oh, and by the way, he’s in love with you too.”
“Since when did you turn into a psychic?”
“Jorge can’t keep a secret from me. Seems the man has it bad for you. I predict six months from now I’ll be reminding you of this conversation.”
She refilled her drink and brought me a glass of water to down my pills.
“How long are you gonna let Carson rule your world?”
“He doesn’t.”
“You’re beautiful inside and out and sexy as hell. You let Carson’s fucking words control your brain.” She leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs, her voice getting bossier. “Which means you’ll make bad decisions and end up selling yourself short. Don’t listen Chelz, or you’r
e going to be lonely for a long time.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” We sat and stared at each other for a good while.
When I finally got pissed off, I let Yolo in and went to bed, leaving her to see herself out.
Later that night in bed, I thought about what Shawna had said, but she needed to understand I didn’t want to set myself up for another heartache. I wasn’t ready for a relationship, and even if I were, Ian wasn’t right for me. He was experienced in ways I’d never become comfortable with, and obviously, he’d been with loads of women. I didn’t need another player in my life.
So, why did my chest feel so tight thinking about him? And why did I think about him all the time? Could I live two doors down and manage to remain friends with him?
My mind raced with so many questions, and being unable to find a comfortable sleeping position didn’t help with the insomnia. My face was painful from the swelling, and my stomach flipped with nausea. Something they told me to expect when I left the hospital.
I turned on the bedside lamp and took another pain pill—surely, the second one would put me in la-la land. Did they make a pill for “heartbrokenitis” too?
The next morning, I woke up to loud talking, coming from my kitchen. I threw on my robe and tried to run a brush through my hair. My reflection in the mirror horrified me. I resembled something closer to a monster with one side of my face five times the size of the other. I touched my face and fought back tears, remembering what the doctor had said about the bruises taking some time to go away.
The bigger concern was my vision. I hadn’t told anyone I might lose the vision in my right eye. It was my secret to keep. I didn’t want pity from anyone, especially Ian.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Jorge was adorable in my pink apron, making breakfast.
“Hi, good morning. What’s going on?” I pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and took a seat.
Shawna handed me coffee. “I checked on you and saw you were still sleeping just moments ago. Did we wake you with the loud pans?”
The coffee tasted so good. They didn’t give me any while I was in the hospital, which might explain the headache. “No, I didn’t hear you until after I woke up and hit the bathroom. Is it really almost noon? Where’s Ty?”
She gripped my hand, and the look on her face frightened me. “Don’t get mad, but I let him go to the playground with Oliver and Ian.”
“Why?”
“Because you needed to rest. I slept on the sofa last night and heard you cry out several times in your sleep. Ty got up early and to keep him quiet, I took him down to ask Oliver if they could go play, since it’s almost seventy degrees. Ian took them over to the park, so you could sleep in.”
I put my other hand on top of hers. “Thank you.”
She smiled and her shoulders relaxed. “There’s the Chelsie I know and love.”
“I love you too, and I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I know where your heart is.” She blew me a kiss.
I left my friends for a much-needed shower, and the steaming hot water soothed my aching body. Even with the patch off, my eye was still swollen shut, and I couldn’t see even a glimpse of light. My prayer was that I would see much improvement when I had my next appointment at the end of the following week.
Chapter 13
Most of my clothes came from the boutique, a perk of owning a store, but my favorite thing to wear was casual, embellished T-shirts and jeans. But, no amount of “style” was going to change the way I looked or felt about my battered face.
I fixed my makeup and tried a ponytail for my hair, but finally decided to leave it down, partially covering my eye patch. At least the store was under good care with Isabella, and I didn’t have to see a lot of people until most the bruising was gone.
Jorge rubbed my shoulders as I took a seat at my own bar. “How do you feel, Rookie?”
“Rookie?” I asked, completely puzzled by his question.
“Yup, got your first shiner.” He started whipping eggs.
“Yep, but I think I was the winner,” I teased.
We all shared a laugh.
I heard my front door open, and Ty came running in with Oliver behind him. “Mom, I can throw the football really fast, and I can put it in the pocket.”
I tried hard to bite back my laugh. “The pocket, hmm, that’s awesome.”
My skin prickled, and I sensed his presence. When I turned toward the den, Ian was standing in the archway.
“Hi.” Shyness held my voice hostage.
“Hey,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’ll get Oliver, and we’ll go. I didn’t know he was coming inside.” His gaze went to the floor like a nervous schoolboy.
I waited until it came back to meet mine. “Please don’t leave. Jorge is cooking up brunch, and you don’t want to miss it.”
“Can you handle my jalapenos?” Jorge rubbed his belly still wrapped in pink.
Ian’s smile was bright. “Sure. We’d love to stay.” He took a seat at the breakfast table across from Shawna.
I was sure it was to avoid any close contact with me, but his eyes focused on my face, and I noticed his brows knit closer together.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like the other guy won.” I tried to laugh.
“I bet.” He chuckled. “Anything I can do for you?”
I shook my head which was a mistake, causing pain like hell. “Helping with Ty has been a lifesaver. I don’t know what I’d do without great friends like all of you.”
“Mom, I’m making pancakes. Mr. Jorge said I could. Do you feel like eating some?”
“I do and I can’t wait.”
Oh boy, sugary sweetness on a quesy stomach, this should be interesting.
Once Jorge started working with the boys, the comedy routine started, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so much. Ty did make the pancakes from start to finish, and I was a proud mom. But more importantly, we all hung out like friends, and it was…comfortable.
Ian was called out to the hospital, and Oliver stayed with us. The boys played so well together; I could use Oliver more often to keep Ty off the video games.
The boys were watching a Ninja Turtle movie, while I stayed curled up on the sofa studying my drawings for the bistro project. I got a text from Ian saying he was leaving the hospital. Shortly thereafter, the bell rang, and Ty went to let him in.
I looked over at him as he stood at the arch to my den as if fearful of coming any closer. “Hey, how did it go?”
He nodded. “Good. I hope it’s a quiet night, and I don’t have to go back.”
I pointed to the opposite end of the sofa. “You wanna sit with me?”
His face lit up like a five-year-old winning the candy lottery. “Sure.”
I kept my voice low and asked, “Can he stay? It helps with Ty.”
“I can call Denise and let her know I don’t need her, if you’re sure.” He relaxed into the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. He was tired.
“I just made some hot tea. Would you like some or there’s a bottle of wine?”
“Tea is great, but stay put, I’ll get it.” He helped himself to tea in the kitchen. The boys were oblivious to us as they took in their movie.
“How’s Mam doing?” I asked, as he sat down with his tea.
“She’s good actually. Rehab’s really gotten on the stick and not let her slack at all. She may get out in a couple of weeks and finish her speech therapy at home.”
“I feel so bad for them. They had everything mapped out and were just waiting out the time to move here. She shared her excitement with me, and I know you and Oliver mean the world to them.”
“The buyout for the dealership is done, and they have a buyer for their house. As soon as she gets out, they’re coming here. No reason she can’t do her therapy here.”
My heart took a giant leap. Having family around for them was going to be fantastic. “That’s great news.”
“What’s new with you? Ty said something about a new building?”
I giggled and snorted. I quickly made a note to self not to try that again; the pain in my sinuses was bad enough I didn’t want a repeat. “Well, he got it half right. Kids tell everything they know, right?”
“That they do. So, what have you been up to?”
“How long do you have?” I really didn’t want to get into my big dreams; it was too early to see how things were gonna pan out.
He quickly grabbed my feet out from under the leopard throw covering them and started massaging them. “All night.” His eyes twinkled.
Oh shit, there it was—chemistry and a damn foot rub too? He was playing dirty.
“While I was at the spa, I revisited Mom’s dream of adding a bistro to the store. I was meeting the architect,” I pointed to my face, “when all this happened.”
“I’m sorry. Anything I can do, please let me know.”
His thumbs were performing magic on my arches. “You can keep doing that. You have no idea how good that feels.”
“Actually,” he laughs, “I do. During school, we had to practice on each other. I’m a firm believer in massage therapy and also Pilates.”
“Pilates isn’t something I’ve tried. I just try to run four days a week. But now, they told me no running for at least three months. I’ll ask about Pilates and yoga.”
He continued to rub my feet, and at some point, I fell asleep. When I woke, he was asleep in the recliner, and the boys were in Ty’s bunk beds. It was after two in the morning.
I tapped his shoulder, and he almost leapt out of the chair. “Why don’t you stay in my guest room? I’m sure Rip’s fine with his doggie door?”
He rubbed at his eyes. “That’s okay, but I’ll be more comfortable at home, especially if I have to go out again. Call me when you all wake up, and I’ll come get Oliver.”
I was too sleepy to argue. “Deal. Go get some rest.”
I woke to taps on my arm from the sweetest little boy on the planet. “Hi, Mommy.”
“Good morning, precious. Where’s Oliver?”
Conflicted on 5th: A 5th Avenue Romance Novel, Book One (5th Avenue Romance Series 1) Page 9
