Page 12 of Roam

Sprite nodded and followed him into the house. At the front family room, she paused. He wondered if she didn’t like it. It was an open concept with a large front family room which connected to a cased opening to the large kitchen with an island and room for a kitchen table. There were doors to the front two bedrooms off to the right along with the main bathroom door, which was situated between the bedrooms. Then a hallway ran beside the kitchen, which had the master bedroom and bath. Past the master was a mudroom with storage and a washer and dryer.

He waited a second, then called her name. He didn’t know her well enough to understand the look in her eyes.

“If you don’t like it, we have a couple other options. This is the larger of them.”

Sprite shook her head and held her hand in front of her mouth. When he walked over to her, she looked up at him, then slid her arms around him.

“I’ve never had anything this nice in my life. Thank you for hiring me so my kids could experience this.”

Her choked-up voice had him fighting back tears. This woman could undo him. She was grateful for things he’d always taken for granted.

“Well, I’m glad you said yes because this is a new beginning for you and the kids. Now, how about deciding on the rooms. The master is at the back, but I didn’t know which girl you wanted in which room.”

SPRITE WALKED INTO the first front bedroom. It was bigger than Sprite’s bedroom had been at the rental house, and it had a bay window with a window seat with a cushion. She could see Blake loving sitting there reading or drawing. The closet had plenty of room. Blake’s clothes and toys probably wouldn’t even fill half of it.

“This should be Blake’s room.”

Roam pulled pen and post it note from his pocket and wrote Blake’s name on it, tacking it to the door. He followed her as she checked out the bathroom, then the second bedroom. She knew he did because there was a certain feeling when Roam was close to her. It had a large window and was a little smaller than Blake’s room.

“This will be perfect for Oakley. I don’t think I can thank you enough.”

Oakley and Blake had shared a room at the rental house. They’d be so excited to have their own space, especially Blake. She wouldn’t have to worry about Oakley getting into her colored pencils or markers.

She walked into the master bedroom and en suite bathroom and paused. The large bedroom had a walk-in closet and two large windows flanking where she could imagine her bed. The bathroom had a soaking tub, along with a large, glassed walk-in shower. It had thin rectangular windows up high on the wall. They let in the sunlight, but no one could see into the room.

She followed Roam down the hall to what he called the mudroom. It had a washer, dryer and a drying rack for clothes, along with spaces to hang coats and put shoes.

“I don’t know whether you noticed but we drove through a second gate to get to the houses. No one gets to the houses without being connected to the MC or escorted by someone connected. You and the girls will be safe here.”

Sprite swallowed as they walked into the kitchen. It was a cook’s dream and she couldn’t wait to make stuff in here. She’d been so worried when she went to the competition that she’d spend money and still be desperate for a job.

What she’d found was more than she’d imagined. It was hard to believe this was real and if it wasn’t, she didn’t want to wake up. This place seemed like an answer to her prayers, and she hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed. She opened a cabinet and saw it was stocked along with the refrigerator.

“We have a small grocery store in town but for big shopping we do trips into Dodge City, Wichita and a couple other places. Mom and Dad wanted to make sure you didn’t have to worry about going right away. If there’s something you need, you can order and have it here pretty quickly, or if one of the MC is heading to Dodge City, they usually ask if anyone needs anything. What do you think?”

Sprite smiled at Roam and wondered how she was going to keep this man who set her on fire and was the sweetest at arm’s length. Not only was she attracted to him physically but the way he treated her girls was a turn on too.

“I think it’s perfect. Let’s get the stuff moved in. I hope you’re ready for a six-year-old’s scream because Blake is going to flip when she realizes she doesn’t have to share with her sister.”

Sprite walked out to check on the kids as Roam went out to direct the unloading. Regina was at a patio area along with Clara and the kids. She had to admit she’d been scared about uprooting their life even though she’d have a job and a place to live. Knowing Clara was coming with them had given that little bit of security that Sprite had needed to enjoy the move.

Oakley was young enough she wouldn’t care as long as her favorite people were with them. Blake had taken it better, but sometimes Sprite wondered if Blake had just gotten used to being let down. Her dad was deployed. Although Sprite was proud of him for serving, Blake was left behind with her mother. Sprite and her brother’s ex had never gotten along. The ex had always resented her brother spending any time with Sprite.

When the ex had come to Sprite’s work and asked to speak to her alone, Sprite had been wary. Sprite hadn’t been able to believe her words when the ex said she was done being a mother and Sprite needed to take Blake. Sprite had immediately called her brother’s lawyer and asked what needed to be done. He’d directed Sprite and the ex to come to his office. He’d taken care of all the paperwork, and suddenly, Sprite was her niece’s guardian until her brother returned home. The ex had picked Blake up from school and dropped her and her stuff with Sprite without talking to her about what was happening.

Sprite didn’t usually have much of a temper but if she could have found Mackenzie, she would have beaten her with a baseball bat. She wanted to hit her, but Sprite worked with her hands and wasn’t damaging them on such a slimeball. Blake had been close to being done with school, so Sprite had driven her the half hour drive to school each day. Without Clara, she couldn’t have survived. Clara had watched Oakley for free and then picked up Blake from school, keeping both girls until Sprite got off work.

But then Sprite had lost her job and everything had changed. Seeing the smile on Blake’s face today as she and Phoebe chatted touched her heart. It was a small indicator that Sprite had made the right decision for her family.

“Mama Sprite, Phoebe said they have kittens and dogs here that we can play with.”

Sprite walked over and kissed Blake’s forehead, laying her hand on her shoulder. “Well, that sounds like the best thing ever. When you’re finished with your snack, you and Phoebe can go see your room, which you don’t have to share with anyone.”

Blake’s eyes widened as she stared at Sprite. “No one?” she whispered.

Sprite nodded, grinning at her oldest. “Nope, Oakley has her own room. If she wakes during the night, you shouldn’t hear her.”

Blake jumped up, threw her hands in the air and started dancing while screaming. “I have my own room. No baby junk in my room. Woohoo!”

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