“You will.” I let her shower first and joined Lindsay in the living room, asking what she was going to wear. She’d brought a few different things and while looking out of the window, decided that a skirt and her favorite t-shirt would be perfect. I watched as Soledad walked out with damp hair. She was wearing jeans and a pale pink t-shirt, looking gorgeous. I moved into the hallway to shower and slipped into shorts and my own t-shirt. I languidly jerked off under the water, wanting Soledad again but knowing that I needed to wait.
I grabbed my keys and we walked down to the car, getting Lindsay inside before we took off. We were both in a good mood for her, but I could see the worry in Soledad’s eyes. She watched as Lindsay ran to the massive structure, hurrying behind her as her eyes canvased the area. I didn’t realize how big this place was in terms of safety with the text I’d received. I walked after her and my eyes dragged over everyone as I wrapped an arm around her. “We’re fine.” I assured Soledad as she watched her daughter carefully.
“It’s been years. Why now? He never approached me in Mendocino. He just watched and made me scared enough to leave. He got to me. Is that what this is about?” she asked as she stared at me. “What if he just goes away?”
“Did he call back then?” I asked as she shook her head.
“He’s called work and the cell. I think he wants to hurt me this time.” Her voice was a whisper as she watched Lindsay with a manic expression.
Fuck me. He knew the cell number. I made a note to call the company and get her another number that couldn’t be found. We’d only give it to certain people at the office that knew her and swear them to secrecy. I stared at her as I realized this must have been her life for the last few years. I knew why she hadn’t been with anybody. She was trying to be a mom and take care of her daughter as she slowly fled from place to place. She’d never had a happy experience raising Lindsay, not like a normal mother.
I needed to end this. I reached for my phone and sent a cryptic message to get details about Keith. I needed other options. We took Lindsay to a local museum and wandered around slowly, taking in her enthusiasm, and trying to decompress. “I need to tell Rosie what to do.” Soledad told me as I looked down at our joined hands.
“I’ll put her into the nice hotel around the corner for now. She can come to my place to watch Lindsay. It’s a secure building and they’ll be safe.” I told her as I heard my voice called out. I turned my head to see Kathy, an assistant to one of the other managers. She was with two kids and I noticed that she took in Soledad beside me, who was staring intently at Lindsay.
“Hello, Alexander. How are you?” Kathy asked with a bright smile on her face.
“Great, Kathy. This is my girlfriend, Soledad and her daughter is the one trying to climb on the tree over there.” I chuckled as I watched her, sliding down for who knows how many times.
“I’ve seen you at work. It’s a pleasure to meet you. These are my twins, Zack and Logan.” She beamed at the small boys proudly and I searched my memory to try and remember their birth. I really did keep away from my staff since I was drawing a blank. We made small talk for a few minutes before she went running after the kids. I knew that Soledad wasn’t into it and she pulled me over to where Lindsay was drawing.
“I guess the whole office will know now.” Her voice was low as I searched her face for her reaction.
“We’re out in public and have been for a while. They’re going to know, and I don’t give a fuck.” I knew that I was getting tense and she stared at me. ‘Sorry. This is getting to me.”
“I want you to ask what you asked me last night because you want it completely. Not because you feel like you must protect us. I hate this timing when I’m so crazy about you,” Soledad said softly as I stared at her.
“You are?” I asked as she glanced at me before w
atching Lindsay.
“I haven’t so much as gone on a date since she was born. I knew the moment I looked into your eyes that I was a goner even as scared as I was.” She smiled slightly and shook her head. “I wanted it to be perfect and completely separate of my old life. I wanted Lindsay to have everything.”
“She does, and she’ll continue to do so. She has both of us wrapped around her little finger.” I assured her as I smiled at her. “I love you both, Sol.”
“I love you so much. I’m sorry I’m so much trouble.” She told me before I kissed her hair.
We returned home to have some lunch and watched Lindsay doze off on the couch. I called to set Rosie up in the suite of the hotel around the corner after Soledad called her. She was watching me in bed as I dropped my phone on the mattress. “It’s room 1235.” I told her as she raised an eyebrow. “Should I start looking for an apartment for her as well?”
“You still want that?” Soledad asked as I smirked. I crawled over to her, reaching under the sheet to tug her pants down. I carried Lindsay to her room after she passed out on the couch, so her door was shut.
So was ours.
I tossed the pants to the floor and maneuvered my body under the thin cover and between her legs. Soledad moaned as I stroked my tongue over her, finding her deliciously wet. She always was. “I love the way you taste.” I murmured before going in for another firm lick.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about the other night.” She told me as her hands gripped my hair. “The way you fucked me so hard made me feel alive at a time when I was struggling. Meeting you made me feel like I was breathing again.” I pressed my mouth over her and sucked her nub into my mouth as she groaned softly. “Oh, God.”
I made her come that way before she stripped and climbed over me to ride my cock. We had to be quiet to a degree, but I felt the way she rocked slow above me. I was buried inside of her and gripped her hips as I came. She whimpered as our release joined together and dropped onto me, her skin pressed against mine.
We cleaned up enough to nap until Lindsay got up and she joined us in the bedroom. The window was open, but I doubted that Lindsay would pick up on the scent anyway. She was young, and we kept that part of our relationship under wraps for now apart from some mild PDA. She wanted us together from the start and welcomed it.
Lindsay cuddled with her mom, still dozing off and I watched them. I imagined her growing up in this room, seeing a blur of the little girl as a teenager. I imagined us all in a house down the line, grilling in the yard as Soledad rubbed her swollen belly with a warm smile.
I woke up with a shock when I watched Soledad die giving birth to our baby in my dream. She was in the hospital and our son was so small. He was barely hanging on and she just bled too much. I looked around to see my girls asleep and stroked Soledad’s hair gently before going to get some water.
Rosie got settled in her room with the assurance to make herself at home. She knew what was going on and thanked me for my kindness to keep them all safe. She looked at me shrewdly when we first met. I knew that she saw me as the player that I was prior to meeting her friend. I was transitioning, after all.
We got along well as time went on. She learned to respect me as we cooked together and talked over meals. I assured her that I had Lindsay’s best interests at heart as well as Soledad’s. I wanted to take care of them and that was before all of this went down. Now we were close, and she trusted me with this new sense of danger.