Page 35 of Fire

Lyla laughs out loud, shaking her head. “I think that can be arranged.”

“Where’s T at, Butterfly?” Ford asks.

“He’s in our room taking a shower. Asher and I will take the baby in there for him to watch while we make cookies. Maybe you can have a talk with Grace.”

Ford shakes his head at his daughter but keeps a smile on his face. “I’ll do that,” he answers simply.

I watch as Lila and Asher leave. I keep staring at where they disappeared, even after Ford and I are alone. “God, I feel like I’m in an episode of The Twilight Zone.”

Ford laughs. I force myself to stand so I can lean against the paneled wall. Ford doesn’t even let me do that, taking me into his arms. “I know, sweetheart,” he croons. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours?”

“You can ask, but honestly, I’m not sure. I just don’t know. I can understand why you came after me, why you protected Asher and, most of all, why Asher thinks you want us all to be a family.” Ford’s eyes never leave my face. Without a word, he gently picks me up, making a gasp leave my lips. I cling to him in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“You’re tired, Grace. Hell, I’m damn tired, too. We’re going to go to my room and take a nap.”

“Ford, I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

“That’s odd, because I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever had in my life,” he counters, dismissing my concerns.

He continues carrying me down a hall and into a bedroom. I give up arguing. I’m actually starting to think that maybe Benny knocked me unconscious and I’m just dreaming all of this right now. It’s the only thing that makes sense because I know there’sno way Ford would tell me and my son that he loves us—no matter how much I would like for it to be true.

And I really wish it was.

26

GRACE

Ford gently sits me down on the bed. I think it’s probably a queen size, but the rest of the room is small. In fact, I think the bed is just four or five steps from the door. I frown because the entire room is about the size of my small bedroom at home. There’s a television on the wall, the bed, and one nightstand. That’s it.

“Wow, this is kind of small,” I whisper before I can stop myself.

“Yeah, I gave the bigger one to T and Lyla. They have the baby.”

“What about Asher’s room?” I ask, knowing he gave my son a really nice room.

Ford shrugs. “I wanted him to know he belonged with us. That he was cared for.”

His words are simple, but they touch my heart. Not only did Ford make sure Asher was safe and take care of him when I couldn’t, he wanted him to feel secure and maybe even loved. I’ve never had that in my life and sadly, except for me, Asher has never had that before. I’ve been fighting my feelings for Ford hard. Mostly because I know he deserves better than me, butalso because I’ve accepted that I’m not made for love. I have my son’s love and that’s enough. I’m tired of the pain.

“I should go rest in Asher’s room,” I murmur.

“Don’t move,” Ford orders, pulling off his shirt and then kicking off his boots.

“Ford, what are you doing?” I squeak as he sits on the bed and starts taking off his socks.

“I meant what I said, Grace. I’m exhausted and I know you are. We’re going to nap.”

“It’s still daylight outside,” I argue, nervous about sharing a bed with him. He’s never pushed that, went so far as to make sure I had my own bedroom in our suite the last time we were in this hotel together.

“That’s why they call it a nap, sweetheart. It can happen any time. We’ll nap until it’s time to get up and have supper. Lyla said she was making enchiladas tonight, and the only thing better than that is her chocolate chip cookies. So, we can’t miss that.”

I frown, listening to him. “I didn’t realize anyone actually used kitchens in hotel suites.”

“Nah, my girl will cook anywhere, but she’s good at it so it works out,” he brags, as he stands back up and begins unbuttoning his jeans. That’s the minute panic really hits me.

“Stop!” I cry out and he freezes his movements, then looks down at me with a wicked grin.

“You’re safe, sweetheart. I’ve got pajama pants here on my nightstand. I’m just going to put those on because they’re more comfortable. I’m not going to try anything with you—yet. I know you’ve been through hell. I just really want to sleep with you in my arms. I haven’t really allowed myself to sleep that much while I’ve been searching for you.”

---