God, that causes more tears to fall down my face.
This man.
“Tell me,” he says. “Tell me what it is and I’ll fix it.”
He swipes the tears away from under my eyes and then presses the softest of kisses across my face before landing on my lips.
“I haven’t,” I say to him while swallowing back the sobs, “I haven’t had someone take care of me in such a long time. I almost forgot what it felt like.”
Oak’s face falls sympathetically and then he wraps me in his arms. He kisses the top of my head as the last of my tears fall. “I’ll take care of you from this day forward. I fucking promise that to you.”
And I believe him.
But because I can’t be completely selfish, because being selfish is something I can’t do I promise back to him, “I’ll take care of you, too.”
He tilts my head back and looks deeply in my eyes. His icy blues open and vulnerable. “You’ve fought for me harder than anyone ever has. Believe me, Grace, you take care of me by simply existing.”
With me still wrapped in his arms Oak turns off the water and carries me out of the shower. He then places me on the floor as he grabs two towels for me and one for himself.
I go to take the towel from him but he keeps it of reach. Placing my hand on my damp hip I tell him, “I can dry myself, you know.”
“I know you can but this is me taking care of you. Let me.” And all the fight and sass leaves my body and I let him pat me down dry.
“You know,” I start teasingly, “I could get used to this. Then you’ll have to do it all the time.”
He smirks up at me before turning me around to dry my backside. “You act as if that wasn’t the plan all along.” He thenplaces a kiss on my ass cheek and I can feel the burn in the apples of my cheeks.
When he’s finished drying me he slaps me on the ass and I playfully throw him a glare. “And what was that for?”
“For not asking me to shower with you.”
“Seriously?” I laugh.
He nods his head, his expression serious. “For now on if I’m with you we shower together.”
“Really?”
“We’re saving water if we shower together.”
At that I laugh, the sound coming from my belly. “As if you care about preserving water. You just want to see me naked as much as you can.”
He shrugs and winks at me. “You can’t blame me on that, baby. Your body is the sexiest thing I’ve ever fucking seen.”
I wink back at him. “Right back at ya.”
I’m about to give him another kiss when the door bell rings. I freeze while Oak’s body and face transforms to protective mode.
He immediately places me behind him as if whoever is behind that door is a threat to my life.
But then I remember.
“Fucking Steven,” I mutter under my breath.
Oak looks back at me and asks, “What did you say?”
I expel a long breath and place myself in front of Oak. “Connor’s social worker is here to check out the house and see if it’s suitable for him.”
Oak’s eyes narrow as his jaw clenches. “The very same social worker who is keeping you from gaining custody of him.” He doesn’t question it but states it as fact. And it’s a fact I can’t argue with.
