by SJ McCoy
His heart hammered in his chest as he looked down into her big brown eyes. He hadn’t registered until now just how different they were from her mom’s; they weren’t the same light green color as Elle’s. They were … more like his.
She was watching his face hopefully. What was he supposed to say? He wasn’t even sure what she meant. Was she asking him to be her daddy, or asking him if he would be when they moved into the house? Damn. She even had him convinced—but he wasn’t moving in with them. He dropped a kiss on her forehead and smiled as he decided to go with the truth.
“I hope so, someday.”
“My old daddy didn’t like me.”
His arms tightened around her of their own accord. “I like you.”
She smiled up at him. “I know. You love me and I love you, too, Dondervan.”
He looked up when Elle appeared in the doorway from the kitchen. He held his arm out for her to come and join them.
She came and sat beside him and gave him his phone back.
“Thanks.”
She laughed. “Jade was worried that I’d think she was calling you to go out or something.”
“I know.” He raised an eyebrow at her.
She pushed his arm. “No! I didn’t. Well, maybe I panicked for a minute at first, but only until my brain kicked in.” She smiled. “Not so long ago, this guy I know told me that maybe I need to check in with myself before I go jumping to the wrong conclusions.”
He smiled back at her. “He sounds a like a great guy.”
She laughed. “He is. He’s the best guy I’ve ever known.”
“Is he hot?”
“Very. And he knows it.”
He shrugged.
Skye rested her head against his chest and looked up at Elle. “Dondervan’s going to be my daddy one day.”
Elle’s smile disappeared in a hurry. His heart stopped as he waited to see how she’d react. He could almost see the thoughts racing through her head. She panicked, no doubt worrying that it’d scare him off. Then she slowed down and took a deep breath. Then she met his gaze, and he smiled. She smiled back and he knew they were on the same page when she repeated the words he’d used; “I hope so.”
Chapter Eighteen
The week flew by, and Elle couldn’t be more grateful that it went so quickly. She hated feeling like she and Donovan were sneaking around. Every time her mom mentioned his name, she changed the subject. Her mom wasn’t stupid—and she already knew that there was something going on between them. She just didn’t know how fast they were moving.
When she left the salon on Thursday night, she hugged Elle before she went. “I like Donovan you know.”
Elle met her gaze. “I know.”
Her mom laughed. “If you don’t want to tell me—if you want to keep insisting that you’re just friends, fine. But I thought now might be the time to tell me what’s really going on with you two.”
“Why?”
“Well, Skye said this morning that Dondervan’s going to help you move into your new house on Saturday.” She smiled through pursed lips. “I thought it might not be a bad idea to get everything out in the open before then. You know, since Cal thinks that he’s the one who’s moving you.”
“Crap!”
Her mom laughed.
Elle blew out a sigh. “What if I keep insisting that we’re just friends for now?”
Her mom’s smile faded. “If you like.”
“I’m not trying to close you out, Mom. I promise. I just …”
Her mom touched her arm. “It’s totally up to you, sweetheart. All I was trying to do was make things more comfortable on Saturday.”
“Yeah.” Elle hated the idea of putting Donovan in that situation. She was tempted to tell her mom now. But there were only a few more days to go. By Monday, her mom and Cal would be engaged—she knew they would. She was probably being stupid not telling them, but the thought had taken root in her mind that she didn’t want anything—especially not anything to do with her—to take their focus off each other.
“Anyway, how’s the packing going?”
Elle’s smile was back at that. Donovan had been over every night and he’d been helping. She and Skye didn’t have that much to move, but he’d helped them box things up and he’d carried the few heavy items downstairs for her and stacked all the boxes in the living room. He and Skye had made a huge mess with packing peanuts last night—they’d all had so much fun.
“We’re almost done.”
Her mom laughed. “I know you better than that. And don’t forget, we’re coming over tomorrow night to help you finish up. Cal’s going to pick up the van early on Saturday, but we’ve only got it for the morning. We need to make sure everything’s ready to go.”
Elle made a face. She had forgotten about that. “Honestly, Mom. It’s okay. We’re almost done. I promise we’ll be all ready to load up the van as soon as you arrive on Saturday morning. You don’t need to spend your Friday night with us. You should go out or something.”
“I’m half inclined to agree with you. But Cal insists. He doesn’t want you carrying the heavy stuff downstairs.” Her mom gave her a knowing smile. “You know, since you don’t have a big strong guy who could help you out, he thinks he has to do it himself.”
Elle rolled her eyes and couldn’t hide her smile. Her mom wasn’t stupid. “I may have had a little help.”
“I’m not saying anything—except that if you want to make plans tomorrow night you should make them for a bit later, because we will be coming by after work.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She could hardly say no. And besides, once they saw that everything was ready to go, there’d be nothing for them to stick around for.
~ ~ ~
Donovan sighed and leaned his head back against the headrest in his truck. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like it one bit. He’d stayed over again last night, and he’d thought that it’d be fine if he were there when Elle’s mom and Cal arrived. He was there to help with the move after all. Elle had been worried about it though and had asked if he’d mind leaving for a while and then arriving after them. He’d agreed, but he didn’t like it. He couldn’t wait for Monday. He planned to go into Cal’s office and tell him that he was seeing Elle—and that they’d been seeing each other for a while already. He’d never really understood why she wanted to wait, but he’d respected it.
He glanced in the rearview mirror at the box van that Cal and Teresa had arrived in. That had been ten minutes ago. Elle had asked him to give it fifteen. He started up the engine and drove around the block then parked behind the van.
Elle greeted him at the door with a big smile on her face. To his relief Cal smiled, too, when he went into the kitchen where they were having coffee.
Teresa gave him a conspiratorial wink that set him a little more at ease. Then Skye came running to him and held her arms up. He scooped her up and sat her on his hip without even thinking how it might look. Even when it occurred to him to wonder what Cal might make of her planting a kiss on his cheek and saying, “I missed you, Dondervan,” he wasn’t worried.
He kissed the top of her head. “I missed you, too, Skye.” What mattered was how she felt about it. And he wasn’t going to let her down by not showing her his usual affection just because Cal was watching him with a frown.
That frown transformed into a smile when Skye looked at him. “Dondervan’s your friend, Grandpa.”
Donovan bit down on his bottom lip, wondering what Cal might have to say about that. To his relief, Cal nodded and smiled at him. “That’s right, sunshine. Do you want to get down now so that he can help me load your things into the van?”
She nodded and kissed Donovan’s cheek again before he set her down.
It didn’t take long to get everything loaded. Between the two of them, he and Cal made short work of it. And Cal seemed to be making an effort to be friendly. Donovan appreciated it, even though he didn’t know if it was genuine or just for Elle and Teresa’s sake.
&n
bsp; When they went back into the kitchen after loading the last few things, he could tell there was something wrong. Teresa didn’t look happy, and Elle was agitated.
“What’s wrong?” Cal asked before he could.
Elle scowled and rolled her eyes. “Apparently, Steve’s here.”
Donovan’s heart sank. He’d thought they were in the clear with that.
Cal looked like he might explode, until Teresa went and touched his arm. “It’s okay. We’re done here anyway.”
Elle shook her head. “It’s not okay, Mom. I told him no and I meant it. I won’t let him spoil this weekend for you guys.”
“Nothing could spoil this weekend, sweetheart. Not even your father.”
Donovan looked around at them. Cal didn’t look like he agreed with that statement. Donovan could see a muscle twitching in his jaw as Teresa rubbed his arm and reassured him.
“It’s okay. Relax.”
Cal nodded, but he didn’t speak. He looked more intimidating than Donovan had ever seen him—and that was saying something. Part of him felt like he should keep quiet and stay out of the way, this was family stuff. He glanced at Elle who was wringing her hands together looking worried.
He already knew that she felt like this was all her fault. He couldn’t let her feel that way. He looked at Cal again. Screw it. This might be family stuff, but if he got his way then he was going to be part of the family before too long.
He broke the awkward silence that had descended. “What did you tell him, Elle?”
“That I was busy, as I’d told him I would be. And that you guys were helping, so I didn’t want him around.” She blew out a sigh. “He said he and Maddie could come over this afternoon and help.”
Donovan took a deep breath and turned to Cal. He was obviously too angry to think straight, and someone needed to get a grip of the situation. “So, how about we get all the stuff moved now. We can just unload it. I’ll put it away later. Then you guys can have your afternoon free, and Elle can see Steve.”
Cal stared at him, and Donovan held his breath
But it was Teresa who spoke. “I think that’s the perfect plan. Thanks, Donovan. Let’s get going.” She looked up at Cal. “It’s not a big deal. It’s not much of a change to what we’d planned.”
Cal frowned. “We were going to get everything moved in and set up.”
“I can take care of it,” said Donovan.
Cal held his gaze for a long moment before turning back to Teresa. “And what about tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry,” said Elle. “We’ll be there. I’ll get rid of him by lunchtime, and we’ll be at your place just like we planned.”
“See.” Teresa smiled at Cal. “It doesn’t have to be a problem.”
Donovan felt himself relax when Cal laughed and asked, “As long as I don’t make it one?”
~ ~ ~
It didn’t take them long to unload everything once they got to the new house. And as soon as the van was empty, her mom came and gave her a hug. “We’re going to leave you to it.”
“Of course. Thanks so much, guys. And … I’m sorry.”
“Don’t, Elle. It’s not your fault.” Her mom gave her a stern look.
Cal came and gave her a hug, too. Then he straightened up and gave a rueful smile. “Your mom’s right, you know. It’s not your fault. Please don’t feel bad because if you do, that’d be my fault.”
“Aww!” She rolled up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. None of it’s your fault. You just forget all about it. Go and enjoy yourselves and we’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
As he nodded, his smile faded, and he turned to Donovan.
Surely, he couldn’t have a problem with him? Especially not now. He’d done so much this morning—not just with the moving, but with taking charge.
She relaxed when Cal gripped his shoulder and smiled. “Thanks, Donovan.” He nodded. “For all of it. I hope you’ll be there tomorrow afternoon?”
Elle’s heart felt as though it swelled in her chest as Donovan nodded and they shook hands. She glanced over at her mom who grinned and winked at her.
Once they’d gone, she went to Donovan and slid her arms around his waist.
“Thank you.”
He dropped a kiss on her lips and looked down into her eyes. “You’re welcome. I’m happy to help, you know that.” He winked. “I’m being selfish, too. I was in a hurry to get you moved over here.”
She shook her head. “I don’t mean thanks for helping move us. I mean thanks for stepping up and taking charge. I don’t know what Cal would have done. He looked like he was going to lose it when he found out that Steve’s here.”
“No. He was angry—understandably so. But he’s not the kind to lose it. I don’t think you have anything to worry about with him. He’s not that kind of guy.”
She smiled. “Yeah. You’re right. Though I think you might be the only person on Earth who’d be brave enough to start telling him what to do when he was that angry. Well, you and Mom.”
He chuckled. “I don’t mind telling you I was scared. But it was worth it. Someone had to take charge.”
She rested her cheek against his chest. He always made her feel safe. Right from the first time she’d met him she’d thought of him as strong and dependable. The way he’d stepped up this morning—in the face of an angry Cal—had only confirmed everything she wanted to believe about him.
“Mommy! Dondervan!” Skye came out of the living room where she’d started unpacking one of her boxes of toys. “Can we go to the beach now?”
Elle shook her head with a smile. “We can’t, sweetie. We’ve got too much to do here. We have to start getting everything unpacked so that we can sleep here tonight. And …” She pursed her lips and shot a look at Donovan. “Don’t forget that Papa Steve is going to come to see us this afternoon.”
Skye’s eyebrows knit together. “I don’t want to.”
Elle could hardly tell her that she didn’t either. She was hoping that they could keep it to a short visit. She planned to tell her dad about the new wine bar over at the plaza and send him and Maddie off to check it out. Then they’d no doubt drink too much tonight and sleep late tomorrow so that she’d only have to see them for a little while before she went over to Cal’s. “It won’t be for long, sweetheart. But they miss you.”
Skye scowled at her. “I don’t miss them.”
Elle blew out a sigh. “Well, for now do you want to help me take some of your things up to your new bedroom?”
Skye shook her head. “I want to go to the beach, and I want to see Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma said Grandpa’s going to put my pictures up in my new room.”
Elle closed her eyes. She didn’t need this. But it wasn’t Skye’s fault. She turned when Donovan rubbed her back.
“I’m sure Grandpa will put up your pictures just as soon as he can, Skye. Is there anything you want me to do right now?”
She turned her scowl on him, but he kept smiling. “Do you want me to put your bookshelf in your bedroom? Benji Mouse needs a place in your new house, doesn’t he?”
Elle let out a sigh of relief when Skye smiled and nodded. “Yes! And Frankie Mouse, too. And all my other books.”
Donovan dropped a kiss on her lips before he followed Skye back into the living room to start collecting books. He was awesome!
She went and grabbed her phone off the island when it rang. It was her dad—Steve. She was so pissed at him.
“Hi. What time are you coming?”
“Is that any way to talk to me?”
She pursed her lips but didn’t answer.
“You’re just like your mother sometimes, Elle. You could show a little more gratitude. Maddie and I have driven all the way up here to see you. You should at least be grateful.”
“Pft! I told you I wouldn’t have time to see you this weekend. I told you that I was moving and that we’re busy tomorrow afternoon. You took it upon yourself to come anyway. We’re trying to get the new house straig
ht. So, when I ask you what time you’re coming it’s because I need to know how much further I have to rearrange my life around you.”
“Elle!” Her heart sank. The tone of his voice. Her hands started to shake.
“What?” She wasn’t a little girl anymore. She wasn’t going to cower or cry. He was a damned bully. She finally understood it. And as she did, she also understood why she’d put up with Tristan for so long. He was another bully, and somehow, somewhere along the way, she’d fallen into believing that she had to go along with what bullies wanted of her. Well, no more.
“Let’s not fight, Elles Belles.”
She narrowed her eyes, recognizing the pattern, the change of tack. When bullying wouldn’t get him what he wanted, he’d switch to wheedling.
“I don’t want to fight. I just want you to tell me what time you’re coming over.” She sucked in a deep breath and waited.
“We’ll be there in half an hour. And I’m taking you out to dinner tonight. Maddie’s been looking online at the new development over there at Four Mile Creek. I want to check it out. Apparently, there’s a new wine bar, and a whole shopping street.” He laughed. “When I still lived here, that whole area was just Joe Walton’s fields.”
“Yeah. It’s like a whole new town over here. You and Maddie should definitely check it out. But we can’t come out for dinner with you. I need to get Skye settled into the new place. We’ll see you in half an hour.” She hung up before he could say anything else.
“Are you okay?” Donovan was leaning in the doorway watching her.
“Yeah. Thanks. I just …” She blew out a sigh. “This sucks!”
He went to her and closed his arms around her, reminding her that life really wasn’t that bad after all. She let out a chuckle.
“What’s so funny?”
She looked up at him. “Just the realization that Steve was right about something for once.”
Donovan raised his eyebrows.
“He told me I should be more grateful. And I am. Not that he’s here, of course. But here I am bitching about him being here and spoiling things. But he can’t spoil a damned thing. Mom and Cal are solid. Did you notice the ring on her finger?”
