“Three? I’m fairly certain I can give you more than three.” I look her up and down, taking in every delicious curve. “I most definitely can give you more than three.”
She stops in front of me, looking around the room with furrowed brows. “Are there more babies coming, then? Tina said it was just the triplets today.”
Huh? Ohhh. The triplets. The ones we’re both volunteering to hold. Not the ones I fuck into her over and over and over and over and…
“I’ll go ask Tina if she knows when the others will be here—”
“No! No, I think I just, uh, had my babies mixed up. You know how that goes,” I say, wishing I could run my hand through my hair. I settle for a smile since my hands are occupied. “Um, take one of the blue ones. Pinkie and I are bonding.”
Ellie bends over to pick up one of the boys, and it feels like the entire universe shifts. Maybe it’s the way this position accentuates her curves. Maybe it’s the way the brush of her fingers against my chest sets my skin on fire at her touch. Or maybe it’s the way her breath catches when our eyes meet, as if her soul recognizes mine from another life we’ve both forgotten.
“Hi, I’m Elia, but everyone calls me Ellie.”
“I’m Teddy.”
Pinkie hiccups, breaking our trance, and before I can stop her, Ellie is out of my reach and in the chair across from mine.
I’m still lost in her energy when she clears her throat. “So Teddy, are you new? I’ve never seen you volunteering here before. I always come in on Thursdays, so I guess it’s also plausible that you aren’t new and are just coming on a different day.”
“Oh, um, I’m new. I just moved to the city a couple of weeks ago, and some, uh, friends of mine suggested this as a way to give back to my new community.”
“I love that! I try to give back as much as I can as well! Is this something you think you’ll be doing regularly, then?”
Damn straight. Every Thursday that I’m not playing.
“Yeah, this isn’t so bad. I think I’ll come back.”
“Good! So you’re new in town? Where are you from?”
“I moved here from New York, but I’m not from there. I’m not from anywhere, really. My mom was in the military, so we moved around my whole life.”
“Wow! What an adventure! I’ve lived here my whole life. Don’t get me wrong, I love it here, but how lucky you are to have experienced so much!”
“I guess I’ve never thought of it that way. I’ve always beenjealous of people who grew up in one home like you did. You’re right, though. I’ve definitely seen my fair share of the country.”
Ellie laughs, and it’s the cutest sound I’ve ever heard. “What were some of your favorite places?”
In this hospital with you.
“I really enjoyed living on the West Coast. My grandma would take me to the beach all the time while Mom was working. I also really enjoyed the mountains. It was beautiful until it got cold. I really don’t like the cold.” I shiver for emphasis.
Ellie’s gaze meets mine. “Florida isn’t cold.”
“It’s not.”
“Do you think you’ll stay here for a while, then?”
As long as it’s where you are.
“I certainly want to.” I smile softly. “It just depends on my job, really.”
Just take her with you if you have to move. She just told you that she wants an adventure.
“What do you do for work?”
Fuck, I can’t tell her hockey right off the bat. I learned the hard way that once you tell a woman you’re a professional athlete, they look at you like a trophy and not a person.
“I work in, um, net security.”
