He probably should have been at home resting.Instead, he had fought to protect her.
He stood.He only wobbled a little.The big, strong, tough guy—with a baby girl dressed in bright pink sound asleep on his shoulder.Like that baby belonged there.Maeya’s bright red hair stuck up everywhere, some was even in the stubble on his cheek.He looked so…beautiful.Holding her baby that way.
“You didn’t have to stay.”
“I’m not going anywhere.I’m here now.And I’m staying.Everything…we’ll figure everything else out in the morning.You can’t get rid of me now, woman.Count on that.”
Oh, the man knew all the words, didn’t he?
She just ignored the snickering from Em and Junie behind her.
Those two…brats, both of them.
But…that washerbaby that man was rocking now.Auggie had things to do.
Taking care of her sisters was a good place to start.
She’d deal with Cal later.When she could give him one hundred percent of her.Because he deserved that.For now…she was just going to ignore the wish that she could just curl up in his arms and forget the world, too.If only for a little while.
39
It tookhours to get the girls settled down.Somehow, Jules, Avril, and even little Tobi sensed something was wrong.They were all tense.Which made Markie fussy and cranky.But somehow Auggie and her two lieutenants managed to get the younger five girls into bed, and reassured January enough to at leasttryto rest.But Cal suspected that girl wouldn’t be getting much sleep at all.
He’d told January himself several times.He wasn’t leaving.He would listen for any sound.He would keep her safe.No matter what.Bruce would have to get throughhimbefore he ever got near one of the girls again.
Cal meant every word.
Somehow, it ended up just being him and Auggie in the living room after that.Both Junie and Em had suspiciously headed upstairs to their rooms.Cal appreciated it—and he knew they were doing it on purpose.Em had made a lot of snarky comments, after all.
And Junie had a knowing look in her blue eyes.A look that told himthat onewas probably part witch, when it came down to it.Just like Augusta Dawn.Junie wasalmostas dangerous as her older sister.Men didn’t stand a chance against women like those two.Em probably had the same tendencies, but since he had semi-adopted that one as a pseudo-sister years ago, he probably just couldn’t see it.
“You didn’t have to stay.”
“I wasn’t going to just leave…” Cal just reached out for her.“Damn it, woman…there was no way in hell I could leave you tonight.Or the girls.”
It felt like she had him heart and soul now.And she most likely didn’t even have a clue.Something had changed in him tonight.Forever.
“I am not going to be a charity case here.If that’s what you’re thinking…”
“Of course not.No way.I don’t want you to ever think that.”
“Then what do you really want from me?”
Everything.
This was the woman he wanted everything from—and he wanted to give herhiseverything in return.
Cal was just wise enough of a strategist to know that was the last thing he should tell her now.So instead, he just held out his hand and waited.“What do you think?”
Oh,he was such a jerk.
A beautiful, tempting, monster of a jerk.For doing this to her.She really hadn’t wantedthis.She had told herself the instant she’d learned about the girls and what they needed that she wasn’t going to screw up their safety and security by adding a relationship between her and a man to the mix.She’d told herself that it wasn’t fair to them.
That she would justwaituntil they were older and more settled and more secure.And she would have to find a man she could really, trulytrustfirst.How could she expose them all to a man she didn’t fully trust?And she’d only fully had them for four and a half months—how could she expect them to adjust to everything in so short of a time, and then add in a man like Cal?
It had seemed like such an easy thing to think and say.She didn’t trust men in general, anyway, so why would she trust one with the girls?
She was starting to get the impression that she had been deluding herself there.
