I reached up and smoothed a lock of her beautiful red hair from her forehead. Our gazes met and we communicated with our eyes all our feelings.
“You know we have done things a bit backward. I haven’t even gotten to take you on a date.”
She smiled. “We’ve had a few dinners and breakfast too. Those count.”
They all had taken place in her house with her family whom I liked a lot, but I wanted to show her what she’d been missing.
“Everything counts when it comes to you, sweetheart.”
Ruby shifted under me and my cock stirred to life again. Her eyes went wide.
“My knight has stamina,” she teased.
I roared with laughter.
Giving her a wink, I said, “Say yes to a date and I’ll show you just how much stamina I have.”
“Yes. Now, get busy.” She playfully slapped my ass.
“Your wish is my command, Red.”
ChapterFourteen
RUBY
The wait was almost over.
It had been two weeks since I found out about Autumn and the social worker had shown up at our door, but I was finally only a couple of days away from meeting her.
A tingle of nerves trickled through me.
My mother and Autumn had lived in Washington and I was three hours away in Oregon. Children’s Protective Services there was corresponding with their locations close to me so I’d been able to get a lot of paperwork done and a home visit as well. Between that, getting time off at the hospital, and getting the bedroom ready for my sister, things had been busy.
While I was the only one meeting Autumn on the first day at the foster home, I wasn’t the only one going to Seattle.
Lyric had suggested we all go. We were going for my sister, but we were also meeting his parents who happened to live in the area. When he’d asked if we would have dinner with them, I just stared at him. I’d never met anyone's parents or family before and I trembled thinking about it. But when I saw the hopeful look in his eyes and heard Jett’s excited cheer, I couldn’t possibly say no.
Lyric, Gramps, and Jett were going to hang out during the day while I was gone and that evening was dinner with his family. Who just happened to be famous.
What was I thinking?
In such a short time I’d met so many new people. People I could have one day and lose the next. The wall I’d placed around my heart was crumbling on its own and with it, some days anxiety rose with the process.
There were so many things running through my head as I stood in Autumn’s room trying to put up the cute corner hammock that would hold her stuffed animals, dolls, and such. I prayed she liked it but would she even tell us if she did? She still wasn’t talking and was withdrawn, the foster parents said.
How she did with me would determine if the others got to meet her on the second day. The goal was to get her home with us soon so she could adjust and start to form a bond with us. They didn’t want her to settle into foster care and then be yanked away to start over again. She was already struggling and we needed to do what was best for her.
Something told me that my sister never had anyone putting her first in the three years since she was born.
My muscles clenched and I blew out a breath.
“Everything’s going to be okay, angel.” My grandfather’s soothing voice washed over me and I felt better instantly. I loved when he called me angel. He said that’s what I was when I came to him and grandma, their little angel. “Autumn is meant to be here with us. She is going to be okay.”
Apprehension sat heavily in the pit of my stomach like a lump of grease.
“What if she isn’t? Maybe I’m not cut out for a small child.” With my life at the moment it was probably crazy to believe I was capable of doing right by her. “There’s my two jobs. The creepy guys that showed up. Jett’s graduating this year and trying to find his way beyond that. What happens when I’m at work? I can’t put anything on you.”
I was out of breath when I finally stopped.
