Everything seems to move so slowly as I watch her take it out, lay it on her knees, close the hinged door. I can’t wait forever.
I bring the back of her hand to my lips, holding it there as I palm the wheel and ease us down the street to the Victorian house I bought the same day I met her. Paid cash. Because somehow, I knew, from that very first day, I would make this my home with her. One look. One conversation and I knew.
It’s taken me a few months to get my affairs in order, get my head out of my ass, and make my move. Running the business busied me for years. Brought me as close to what I thought was happiness, until I knew better.
The front of the envelope reads “Daddy’s Rules for His Babygirl,” and I watch her pick it up as I bring the Wagoneer into the driveway of my house.
With her inside, it will finally be a home. Our home. She just doesn’t know it yet.
“I’m taking you inside my house, Lexi. The house I bought the day I met you. Then we are going to open that envelope. Are you ready?”
So many things unspoken, and yet I can see in her eyes she understands completely. The connection between us is uncanny. I’ve never come close to feeling this way, how I feel with her. How I feel about her.
“Yes. I’m good.” Her eyes dart from me to the house as we approach, a smile starting to tug at the corners of her mouth. “This is the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen.”
My eyes glance toward the hundred-year-old gingerbread-trimmed structure. It’s painted a fanciful green and highlighted in deep purple with a touch of bright yellow.
“I picked the colors because they reminded me of you. But it will be a lot more beautiful when you are inside.”
That tugging on the corners of her mouth gives way to a flash of her teeth. She’s so fucking sweet I want to steal her away from this world and never give her back.
“You know I want things from you, don’t you, Lexi? You know I need things?”
She nods as I pull the car into the circular gravel drive and put it into park. Wide wooden steps lead up to the porch, putting images in my head of holding her hand to bring her into her new world. Her new life. Her new home.
“Yes. I think I do know.”
“Good. Because I’m done wasting time. And you need me too.”
“How do you know I need you?” Her whispered words are not a challenge; they are her way of asking me to reassure her. To take her where she belongs.
I lightly kiss her hand before letting it go to get out of the car. I’m making my way around to her side. No longer will she be required to open her own door, to risk falling ever again. I’ll be there to do it for her, because that’s my job.
When I open the door, I take the envelope from her hands and put it in my back pocket. We will get to the rules soon, but I need her safe and sound inside first.
Once she’s out of the car, I guide her toward the front of the house, helping her up each step. “Do you remember when you were at the supermarket checkout four weeks ago and then discovered you didn’t have enough money to pay for your food?”
Her eyes flash with confusion before answering slowly. “Yes. How did you know about—”
I cut her off and continue as we reach the front door. “There was a woman behind you. About forty years old, dark hair in a ponytail, she gave you the difference and said it was her good deed for the day?”
Lexi’s face twists a little with the effort as she tries to understand. I punch in my key code on the electronic lock, and the front door swings open. I may have bought a hundred-year-old painted lady, but I’ve spent a good half a million in renovations and upgrades to make it perfect for our future.
My hand grazes just above the swell of her ass, ushering her through the door for the first time. She’s quiet, looking around, taking in her new surroundings as I ease the door closed behind us.
“Then twelve days ago, you were walking home after your shift. It started raining, and you had to run? You tripped and fell, but you didn’t hit the ground. Instead, you found yourself caught in one hand by a monster of a man holding a red umbrella?”
“What is going on? How do you know all this?”
“He walked you home. Told you about his mother, who lives just around the corner from your place. You’ve waved to him since then because he turns up now and again, doesn’t he?”
I relieve her of her bag, setting it on the turquoise blue upholstered chair in the foyer, before reaching down for her hand and guiding her into the living room. I turn her to sit on the white velvet sofa, and her eyes pin onto my face as I see her swallow hard.
“I need things from you, Lexi. And you need things from me. But the one thing that is nonnegotiable, the one thing I will always do above all else, is keep you safe. I’ve been doing that as best I can since the first day I saw you. I’m sorry, don’t be scared, please. I hired people to follow you when I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t sleep at night. Couldn’t function if I didn’t know you were okay.”
“I should be completely freaked out right now.” She turns her toes inward, and her hands come to rest in little fists in her lap as I crouch down in front of her. “You’re like, stalking me. You’re a stalker. Like, a legit stalker. I mean, you hire people to do the actual stalking, but still.”
I accept her accusatory title for me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a moniker I’ll wear proudly. She doesn’t know I watch her from the rented apartment, but I decide that extra information could push her over the edge right now.