I needed his strength and security so I asked him to lay in the bed with me. The television was on but I wasn’t even sure what movie was playing. I had on sleep shorts and a tank, he wore sweats and a t-shirt. My head rested on his chest and I concentrated on the rapid beating of his heart.
It settled me somehow.
The evening was tough with the ladies. Not because they didn’t understand and support me one hundred percent, but because I didn’t want to think about the betrayal, despair and fear anymore.
Now I just found myself wanting to live the new life I’d found.
“More than okay,” he answered.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Paxton ran his palm softly through my hair. “You don’t need to keep thanking me, sweetheart.”
I raised my head and turned to look at him. “Can I kiss you then instead?”
“That I am not going to argue with, darlin.”
So I kissed him like there was no tomorrow before resting my head back on his muscled chest where I fell asleep within minutes.
ChapterFourteen
PAXTON
I dreaded leavingher for such a lengthy period of time.
It had been two weeks since the night of the break-in and I’d been with Capri pretty much all the time. We went to the bakery together, the store, out to dinner, and anywhere else we needed to go.
Once in a while I ran to my condo to grab stuff if needed, but every night I’d lay in her bed, wrapped around her until the morning dawned and we started our day together once again.
While there had been women that trickled in and out of my life through all my travels, first with the military and then with the rescues, not one made me think of having a relationship.
Until Capri.
She made me think aboutforever.
I wasn’t a man who was scared of much, but I found myself now afraid of multiple things.
For starters, I was worried something would happen to Capri, my sister, and my friends. Sure, I had pals in the military, but when I got out, I moved on. It probably seemed sad, especially looking at Braxton and his group who’d kept close connections to one another. While I had connections, I didn’t have real bonds—until now.
Which brought me to my second worry.
The reason I didn’t bond was due to my upbringing. My mother was mentally ill. I wasn’t about to bring people to my house growing up or go places wondering if she would show up and act out. When she was on her meds she was okay, but the moment she thought she didn’t need to take them any longer, all hell broke loose.
Thinking about what she did recently brought a rush of anger and remorse chasing through my body.
What she’d done to my sister Gemma had been crazy. That may sound awful for me to say about my mother, but it was true. My mother wasn’t in her right mind. But she was still my mother. I was floored when Gemma herself was supportive of me going to see my mother in the psychiatric hospital she’d been placed in. But should I bring Capri into my world with a family member like that? Then I wondered if I was good enough for a beautiful soul like Capri.
All I did know is that I wanted her and for the first time I wanted everything with her.
“I’m sure I can stay alone in the condo while you are gone, Pax,” Capri said as she came up next to me in the kitchen where I was making us some breakfast.
It was Sunday and the bakery was closed. The woman worked her ass off for her business and her dedication was another thing that drew me to her. I knew she would probably be okay here but I’d still asked Rowan and Brinley about coming over while I was gone for peace of mind.
“I’m sure it would be okay, but it’s better this way. Then I won’t be worrying about you.” I turned toward her and set a plate of food on the counter next to her.
She eyeballed it and then looked back up with a tentative look in her eyes. “Thanks for the food. Are you going to tell me where you’re going?”
A few days before I’d said I had some stuff to take care of but didn’t elaborate. Talking about my mother wasn’t easy and Capri had enough going on. But she was also Gemma’s friend and I worried that, unlike Gemma, she wouldn’t understand my feeling of duty to be there for my mother after she’d done something so awful.
