“O-okay, I mean, yes. Yes, I have the right noodles for that. I can make that if you prefer?”
He pumps a fist in the air with a “Yes!” and I only flinch a tiny bit. And then his hazel eyes turn serious.
“Avery, I know this has been a bit of an adjustment for you but it’s really important that you know that any dinner you make for us will be perfect. You’re cooking for three bachelors. There isn’t a meal you can make that we won’t love. I promise.”
My head jerks like I’m agreeing but he doesn’t get it. Everything needs to be perfect. I can’t make a mistake. I can’t risk losing this job. His eyes narrow like he can read my inner thoughts so I push a strained smile and nod again.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll let you get back to work.”
And then I flee from the doorway and back to the kitchen.
Zack
Istare at my empty doorway with a deep frown and reach down to rub my knee, all thoughts of the code I’d been working on gone from my mind. I saw the fear in every line of her body and all because she couldn’t make the stupid fucking dish that I asked her to. Some motherfucker trained that fear into her and it makes my blood boil with fury. My mind goes over the bruising on her face, her body, and the way she flinches causing my fingers to dig into my aching leg.
It took everything I had not to leave my chair and pull her into my arms to try and erase that fear. She’s so fucking tiny and beautiful with those huge violet eyes that I can’t wrap my head around how anyone could inflict such damage on her. I grunt and slide my hand down to pull up my pant leg. I know all about the damage fucking people can do to each other. I unstrap my prosthetic from my leg and drop it to the side so I can massage my stump. The damn thing needs another adjustment. I keep my eyes away from the mangled flesh that makes up my scars as I rub some of the pain away.
I enlisted knowing full well I could lose my life or be seriously injured. It was a chance I was willing to take to serve my country, to protect those who needed it. I’m pretty fucking sure Avery didn’t give herself knowingly to a man who was going to abuse her. That little package of spun sugar that’s her daughter sure as hell didn’t. The pain I see in her eyes and the flinching pulls me back to how I was for months after the explosion took my leg and left me a scared, damaged shell of a man. It took a lot of work and effort to fill that shell back up and there’s still more work to be done. Avery needs some help to fill her back up, to bring her back into the light and I feel privileged to be a part of that for her. Even if it’s just reassuring her, giving her a safe place to heal. I frown down at my stump. She wouldn’t welcome my arms around her the way she welcomed Ryker’s, but I can be her friend. I can be their friend.
I shove my pant leg down over my stump and turn back to my keyboard. Somehow, I need to get a name from them. I need to find the coward who did that to them and…disappear him from the fucking planet.
I lose myself in code. Numbers, letters, and characters are a safe place for me where I’m never not enough. Never only a half of a man. My scared body stops existing as the program I’m creating grows. Here, here in the virtual world, I am a fucking legend.
“Your leg fell off!”
The high-pitched, tiny voice full of worry has me blinking blurry eyes at the girl kneeling next to me. My gut clenches when she comes into focus and I see her holding my prosthetic with two small hands, barely gripping it with one arm in the bulky cast. Fuuu-ck. Her pretty eyes drop down to study the leg she’s holding and then they jump back to mine round as an owl’s.
Her voice comes out in whispered awe. “Are you a superhero?”
She shoots a look over her shoulder at the empty doorway and then back to me in a sneaky look as she whispers excitedly.
“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone. Can I see your cape? Do you have more robot parts? Can you stomp cars flat? I bet you can run faster than the wind!” She swishes my leg and makes a “zoom” noise and then holds it out to me with a huge grin. “That’s so cool!”
I’m at a loss for words as I take the leg from her. Her grin just gets bigger and she uses a tiny finger to push my glasses back up from where they’ve fallen on my nose.
“I like your secret iden-didy glasses. Dinner’s ready!” She says before zooming out of my office leaving me slack-jawed. I look down at the metal prosthetic in my hands from a new perspective. I’ve hated this fucking thing since they strapped it on me. I glance back at the empty door, shake my head and then strap it back on with a little less hate.
I head toward the kitchen and my nose perks up when I smell garlic and tomatoes causing my stomach to growl audibly and remind me that I skipped lunch again. A mountain of boxes in the front entrance has my eyebrows shooting up and my feet changing direction. A quick peek at the shipping labels has me humming in amusement as I try and picture Ryker’s room filled with bookshelves and books. By the sheer number and sizes of the boxes, he could set up his own mini library. I turn away and head to the kitchen, ready for a cold beer and a massive plate of pasta. I find the kitchen empty so I snag a beer from the fridge and walk into the dining room where everyone is already seated and dishing up.
My mouth floods with saliva as I spot the huge serving bowl of noodles with a covering of thick, meaty sauce. There’s another large bowl of creamy Caesar salad and a basket of what looks like garlic and cheese bread knots. My eyes meet Avery’s across the table as I take my seat and I can see the nervousness as her gaze flits from mine to the huge mound of spaghetti. It fucking kills me to see it so I clasp my hands under my chin and bat my eyelashes at her.
“Screw these guys, Aves. Run away and marry me? I’ll make all your dreams come true if it means I get to eat your cooking for the rest of my life!”
Her cheeks turn pink as a soft blush fills them and the tiny smile that lifts her lips has something lurching in my chest. Something I know will never be returned so I push it out of my mind and reach for the bread basket. Chloe slurps a noodle next to me causing me to smile again. This is nice. Having all of us around the table with a cute kid and a pretty woman makes this place feel more like a home. I like it.
Conversation stalls out as everyone digs in. I noticed at the last meal that Avery doesn’t eat a whole lot but she’s digging into her pasta at a decent rate and she could stand to add a few pounds to her slim frame so I wait until she sets her fork down to ask a question that I know will have her nerves strung tight again.
“Avery, I need to get that birth certificate made up.” I tilt my head at the small girl beside me who is sneaking Kanga pieces of her bread roll. “All I need is the name you want to use and a birthdate to complete it.”
Avery freezes and she gets that deer caught in the headlights look on her face but East speaking up has her, Ryker, and me whipping our heads his way with surprise.
“Just use mine,” he says, reaching for another roll.
Avery sputters and starts shaking her head with big eyes. He gives her a bland look.
“It’s just a name, Avery, but it’s a name that will cut through all the red tape and stop unnecessary questions. I heard back from my contact at the school this morning. Chloe can start Monday. Once I have the birth certificate with whatever surname you wish to go by, it will be a done deal. I’ll need your cell phone number for an emergency contact as well.”
Avery is back to wringing her hands and darting her eyes around the room. They land on the bottle of Sam Adams Pale Ale in front of my plate and I see her eyes move over the label. I already know what she’s going to say when she answers East in a tentative tone.
