Page 5 of Falling for Lucifer
“That new baby smell.” Harley gushed. “I can’t wait to get a whiff of my own baby.”
Ellodie caught her rubbing her belly from the corner of her eye. “How long do you have?”
“Couple more weeks, which means it really could be any time.”
Ellodie looked down at her daughter for a few more seconds and whispered, “It’s all worth it.” Then she looked up at Harley. “All the shit pregnancy puts you through, . . . it’s all worth it for this moment right here.”
Ellodie watched as Harley blinked tears away as she smiled down at the new mother and daughter. “I can’t wait.” And then, in a softer tone, she asked, “Do you want me to get your mother?”
Ellodie rolled her eyes. “I doubt she’s still here.”
For some reason, a lump formed in her throat after she said those words. She was used to her mother being absent unless it was for something that benefitted her. Who she really wanted was her father, but she knew if she called him, her mother would come, too, and it wasn’t worth it to Ellodie.
“Why would she leave? Do you want me to check?” Harley asked.
Ellodie shrugged. “You can, but like I said, I doubt she’s here. She’s not the type to wait around in a waiting room. She thinks she’s too important for something like that.”
“Where’s your cousin?”
The thought of Yasmine made her smile, but then sadness hit her all over again. “She had a modeling gig in Dubai. She won’t be back for another week.”
Harley rubbed Ellodie’s arm. “I’m sorry, honey. I’ll go check to see if your mom is still here. Do you need anything in the meantime?”
Ellodie looked around the room and immediately noted the absence of a certain someone. “Is Lu still here? I wanted to thank him.”
Harley flashed a knowing smile. “He’s probably out in the hallway. I’ll send him in.”
Butterflies soared around Ellodie’s body at the thought of laying eyes on him again. She’d sworn off men long ago, but there was something about Lucifer that had her acting as if that wasn’t the case.
She adjusted the sheets over her and snuggled up to her baby while she waited.
“I’m your mommy.” A fresh lump formed in the back of her throat. “I don’t know the first thing about being someone’s mama, but I promise to do right by you, Etta.” She sighed before taking in a deep breath of her daughter’s hair. “Your great grandmother would have loved you.”
Tears fell freely as she got acquainted with her baby. So many emotions swirled around her, but fear was the most prominent one.
When Lucifer stepped into the room, everything seemed to calm. Her breathing from exerting so much effort over the past few hours steadied. Her tears stopped. Her heart rate evenedout. Etta twitched in her arms as if she was dreaming. Ellodie rubbed her small body soothingly.
Finally, she mustered up enough courage to look up at Lucifer. Seeing him for the first time without the haze of pain almost knocked the wind out of her. He was too damn fine. His skin was a couple of shades darker than her deep chocolate skin. His hair was freshly lined and cut, and his beard glistened under the soft lighting throughout the room. She found herself mesmerized and staring, which prompted him to speak first.
“You asked for me?”
She blinked and tried to refocus her thoughts. “Yeah, sorry. I just wanted to thank you. You didn’t have to step in for me when my mother was, . . . well, . . . yeah. Just thank you.”
A flash of embarrassment overtook her as she dropped her eyes back down to Etta.
“Aye, look at me?” It came out more as a question than a demand, but her body immediately followed it like it was a command. When her eyes landed on him again, he looked down at her intensely with his brows pulled in. “I ain’t with that bully shit . . . I don’t care if that is ya mama. No child deserves that, especially not in this kind of situation. I’m glad I could help. You ain’t gotta be ashamed of the shit ya mama puts you through.”
She saw a glint of sincerity there, along with a speck of pain, and that caused her to wonder what his story was. He definitely had one, and she instantly yearned to know it.
With a soft smile, she said, “You know, you kind of have to play the part of being my baby daddy now, since you made my mama think you were.”
He chuckled and ran a hand down his face. “Yeah, I ain’t really think about all that. I ain’t into playing pretend, love.” He glanced down at Etta while her heart did a funny dance in her chest at the sound of him calling herlove. “I wouldn’t mindcheckin’ you and Ms. Etta out again, though, since I did witness her birth and all.”
His lopsided grin unarmed her completely. And those dimples? Jesus, be a fence. Ellodie figured it had to be the hormones of giving birth because she normally had such a steely attitude toward men.
Jumping at the opportunity, she said, “Take my number. I wouldn’t mind you coming to visit us once we get out of here.”
Lucifer pulled his phone out of his pocket, and she rattled off her number before saying, “Call me so I have yours. I’ll lock it in once I’m able to get up and moving.”
