Broken (6 page)

He glanced at her bedside table, and she turned to look too. “Eleven. I’ve got to get back to let Sadie go home.”

“Oh crap. I’m sorry.” She shot up to a sitting position. “We fell asleep.”

“Yeah, we did. Now I want you to get dressed so you can come to my place.”

“And spend the night?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

He finished with his shoes and leaned over to kiss her. “I do. I want to wake up tomorrow and make love to you again. Or maybe I’ll just sleep inside you.”

She shivered, liking the sound of that too much. “Don’t be crazy, Nathan. I can’t sleep over. What about Melly?”

“What about her? She likes you.”

“It doesn’t look right.”

“It looks fine. Get
dressed
.”

She scrambled for excuses to keep her mind from accepting his offer. “We didn’t eat and left the dining room a mess. I have to clean up.”

“I already did it.”

“You’re kidding?”

He grinned. “I had a sneaking suspicion you would make excuses not to come. So what else do you have?”

She grumbled.

“Get dressed, beautiful. I’m waking up on top of you.”

“You’re getting carried away.”

“I’ll make you pancakes and sausage.”

Her stomach growled since neither of them had eaten dinner. She glared at him for tempting her and then threw her feet over the side of the bed. In all honesty, she did want to go to his house, even if it might be too soon. She even wanted to see Melly again, more than she should. Over the last couple of months of them seeing each other, she had kept her visits with the three-year-old to a bare minimum. Melly was so sweet, Ciera could love her, and if she and Nathan broke up, it would kill her not seeing the little girl. Better to keep her distance. Now here he was asking her to spend the night and get to see him and Melly for breakfast. Nathan didn’t play fair at all. She knew that, but she sure as hell was going along with it.

Half hour later, they pulled up into the driveway of his small rancher in Plano. Ciera had been there briefly, but she still got that sense of regret seeing it like the first time. Melly had pasted sun-reflective butterfly stickers in the front windows, and of course her daddy had let her. Their layout had no rhyme or reason. Some were jumbled too close together, and one window was overrun to the point that she figured that room must look like it was under attack from the inside. When Ciera had seen the stickers during the day, she couldn’t help wondering what her little girl would have done to the house if she had one. She speculated on whether she too would have let her daughter get away with crazy notions because she was so grateful to have her.

When they entered the house, everything lay in silence. Sadie napped on the couch, and as Nathan walked over to wake her, Ciera, like the chicken she was, darted down the hall toward his bedroom. She passed Melly’s and peeked in. Melly lay on her back, arms slung out to the sides, and knocked out. Ciera looked toward the living room and seeing no one but hearing Nathan and Sadie talking low, she ducked into Melly’s room. The little girl had kicked off her sheet, so Ciera put it back on and tucked it beneath Melly’s chin.

Melly made a small sound, and Ciera froze where she stood. She couldn’t leave. Instead, she watched Melly’s little chest rise and fall. Her heart constricted, and she found herself reaching out to brush fingers over the sandy curls.

“Hey.”

She squeaked and jerked her hand back at Nathan’s voice. Turning guilty eyes on him, she said, “I’m sorry. Her sheet fell off and—”

He laced his fingers with hers. “Don’t worry about it.” He leaned down and kissed Melly’s forehead, then raised his eyebrows to Ciera. Did he want her to kiss her, too? She kept still. If she kissed Melly, she might scoop her up and never let her go. While her mind told her to get the heck out of there, she bent over and touched her lips to the soft little cheek. Melly’s tiny fingers touched her cheek, and Ciera froze. Nathan chuckled, and he pulled her away. Nervous she had disturbed Melly, Ciera checked, but the girl was still lost to the world. Ciera sighed in relief.

“Come on,” Nathan whispered. “Bedtime for you too.”

She rolled her eyes at him but followed. In his room, they shed their clothes, showered together, and then climbed into bed. Nathan didn’t slide his dick inside her, but he did hold her tight and sling his leg over her as if he expected her to attempt to escape. After a long while of trying to settle down in an unfamiliar bed and with a man wrapped around her, Ciera finally found sleep.

* * * *

Juicy lips touched Ciera’s, and she cringed, opening her eyes. Melly’s bright, happy face was inches from hers. Ciera yelped and tried to hide under the covers, but Nathan had them sealed into place with his heavy arm. At least he hadn’t exposed her boobs because they were both naked. She should have known better.

Melly sat up. She performed a quick sign, which Ciera was proud to note she knew. “Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?”

Melly nodded. She made another where she flipped one hand over the other.

“I’m not sure about that one.”

“Pancake.” Nathan yawned and sat up. He held out his arms, and Melly dove at him. The tickling commenced, and Ciera sighed watching them. Melly’s giggles weren’t more than small sounds that skipped, mostly silent, but her smile was worth a million bucks. She tried tickling Nathan, and he laughed, but Ciera suspected he faked it for his daughter.

At last, they both fell on the bed, exhausted, arms stretched out, panting. Melly signed. Nathan responded, speaking out loud for Ciera’s benefit. She wondered if he spoke out loud when no one was around, or if the house was almost totally silent. She had to ask.

“Of course. Melly’s not deaf. She likes sound. She makes enough of it!” He gave his daughter a phony glare, and Melly’s shoulders squinched while she widened her mouth to show her giggles. Ciera laughed, too, shaking her head.

“Maybe she’ll play an instrument when she gets older,” Ciera suggested.

Nathan performed a dramatic dive to Melly’s ears. “Don’t give her ideas.”

“Y’all are both nuts.” She grabbed the sheets and held them tighter. “I need to get dressed.”

Nathan found shorts to slip on under the cover, and he hoisted Melly into his arms. “Let’s give Ciera some privacy, and then we’ll make pancakes and sausage.” Melly cheered with clasped hands raised as the two of them left the room, and Nathan shut the door behind them.

Alone, Ciera sat up and drew her knees toward her. She glanced around Nathan’s bedroom. There wasn’t an article of discarded clothing in sight. Even the closet door was closed, and the items on the dresser were arranged with care. She breathed in, and Nathan’s scent teased her senses. This was definitely his room, but she recalled now the shorts he had grabbed had been folded and waiting on a chair near the bed.

Ciera thought of Melly’s bedroom from the night before. The place was a disaster area with toys extending to every corner. She couldn’t remember how the living room looked last night. She had rushed to the back, and the first time she visited, she hadn’t come inside more than a minute.

After brushing her teeth and getting dressed, Ciera walked out of the bedroom and found Melly and Nathan in the kitchen. Melly wore pink denim overalls with a long-sleeved white shirt under them. Nathan was still in shorts, and she realized he’d needed access to his bedroom to get dressed. He had respected her privacy and maybe even realized how awkward she felt with Melly there and her sleeping over.

For herself, Melly seemed to take the visit in stride. She pulled Ciera into the kitchen and patted a chair. She signed, and Ciera understood she needed to park it there. Obeying, Ciera watched the busy bee set out plates and silverware.

“Wow, she’s a regular helper, huh?” Ciera said.

“She’s my big girl,” Nathan agreed. “Who wants the works, eggs, sausage, and pancakes?”

Melly jumped up and down, patting her chest and making a sound that was similar to “Ma, ma, ma.”

“You can’t eat all that,” Ciera said. “You’re too little.”

“Oh, she’s a little piglet. Don’t let her fool you,” Nathan said. Melly ran over and smacked her daddy’s butt with a frown.

Melly signed furiously, and Ciera burst out laughing. “I’m guessing that one means ‘bad daddy’ or something similar. I don’t think she likes being called a piglet.”

Nathan laughed, and Melly went after him again. He abandoned the eggs on the counter and ran out of the kitchen. Melly tore off after him. Ciera leaned on the table to wait impatiently for breakfast. She wouldn’t mind waking up to this kind of family life every day.

Chapter Eight

Ciera studied the manual before her, trying to memorize a few phrases. She had already learned most of the alphabet but figured if she didn’t pick up some actual words, she wouldn’t be able to follow anything that Melly said. The girl was a genius in Ciera’s opinion, and her tiny hands flew as she made the signs. Even though Ciera felt frustrated, she was also desperate to understand.

“I’m not sure what you’re asking me, Melly. Maybe I should call your dad. He said he’ll be right back. He had to run to the base.” She groaned, her stomach clenching. Weren’t they too early in the relationship for him to be leaving his daughter with her? Even if it was for no more than half hour?

Melly stomped and balled her hands into fists. She started to slap at the book Ciera held, but Ciera whipped it away.

“Don’t you even think about it,” she snapped. “We’re both frustrated, but throwing a temper tantrum is not going to make me get it!”

Melly glared at her, but Ciera glared right back. The little girl folded her arms over her chest, and her eyes began to water. Ciera’s resolve dipped.
Oh hell, she’s going to cry and break my heart.
Ciera raised the book to block out the little girl. She had no other defense. How did Nathan deal this level of cuteness and not go down for the count? Then she remembered. He didn’t. He sank every single time. In fact, she wondered if he ever resisted in the first place.

Melly bolted from the room, and Ciera laid the book aside. She considered going after her and then fished her cell phone from her pocket. Enough. Nathan should know better. She had no experience with kids, and he was just trying to make her fall in love with Melly to make her stay with him. Which was ridiculous because surely, he didn’t want her that bad. Did he? Her heart hammered in her throat, and she hated the hope that rose inside. Two months ago she wasn’t ready for a relationship, but they had gone into one anyway, seeing each other often, and in the last week every day. This was the third sleepover.

Ciera unlocked her cell-phone screen. Melly appeared around the corner and jumped on the couch beside Ciera. Her energy never ceased. She held up a notebook and pen, and Ciera sighed. “We can’t use that, remember, sweetie. You might be smart, but you haven’t learned to read or write yet.”

Melly ignored her and started scribbling. After a half page of nonsense, she pushed the book to Ciera.

“Um, the dog barked?” she said, being silly and trying to ease some of her tension.

To her surprise, Melly grinned. Melly scribbled again and then tapped pen to paper. Ciera took it and instead of scribbling, she drew a dog barking. Melly clapped her hands, eyes bright. Ciera finally got it. “You want me to draw, don’t you?”

Melly’s little head bobbled up and down. Ciera set the book down and awkwardly moved her fingers in positions they didn’t want to go in.

“D-R-A-W. This is how you spell draw. Let’s see how the book says it.”

Melly looked with her at the pictures when Ciera found it. Then she signed, and Ciera copied her.

“We both learned something new!”

They jumped up and danced around the room, Melly cheering silently, and Ciera whooping. The bell rang, and Ciera froze, but Melly darted over to it.

“No, Melly,” she called after her. “You don’t open the door until I check. Melly stopped cold and waited although she was eager to see who had come. The tiny thing was nosy, but Ciera already knew that.

Ciera walked over to the door and peeked out through the window, then wished she had ignored it. “Damn. I mean shoot.”

Melly moved her mouth like she was saying
damn
too, and Ciera narrowed her eyes at the girl. Melly hunched her shoulders, mouth gaped in a giggle.

“You’re not slick,” Ciera told her and unlocked the door. She opened it to find Kathy on the other side. “Hello, Kathy, I’m sorry. Nathan isn’t here.”

Kathy’s eyes widened at seeing her, but the woman had to have known Nathan wasn’t in since his car wasn’t in the driveway. So if she knew that, why would she ring the bell? Unless of course she suspected Ciera had stayed over and she wanted to catch her alone. Kathy wasn’t fooling anybody. Ciera knew she hated her, and she knew Kathy wanted Nathan for herself. Well, the feeling of dislike went both ways.

“Is that Melly? He left her with
you?
”

Ciera put her hand on her hip. “I don’t appreciate the tone. What are you trying to say?”

“Nothing. I’ll come in and wait for him.”

Ciera was about to tell her she wouldn’t, but Kathy wasn’t a weak woman. Those muscular arms weren’t for show. She blocked Ciera from shutting the door and managed to get in. Upon seeing her, Melly’s face crumpled in disgust. Ciera didn’t bother to correct her.

“It’s very irresponsible to leave an inexperienced person with Melly,” Kathy said as she scanned the living room. “I’m going to tell Nathan that when he gets back. She needs special care.”

“No, she doesn’t!” Ciera had had enough of the condescension in Kathy’s tone. “She’s just as smart as any other three-year-old. It’s not like she’s retarded or something.”

Kathy puffed up. “We don’t use that word.”

“Of course you don’t! Melly’s not learning impaired.”

“How would you know? Have you ever had kids?”

Ciera went silent for a minute, pain closing her throat. Then she forced out, “Have you?”

“No, but my degree is in early childhood education, and I have the training to care for special-needs children. It’s my chosen career path, and I know what’s best for Melly.”