Page 18 of Finding Solace
"Oh, hello, Mila," she says with way too muchperkiness.
"Are you trying to convince yourself or me?" River says observing my reaction to the scene in front ofus.
Am I thatobvious?
When Reid turns his head, he sees River standing beside me. The neutral expression he had is gone and replaced with one of anger. Jesus, what a pair we are, both of us staking claim to someone that doesn’t belong tous.
"Listen, send me a text about the birthday. We'll be there," I smile as I open the back door and Ava climbs into her car seat waiting for me to buckle her in. I watch as Claire bends down to say something to Reid before she looks at me, waves and makes her way through the preschooldoors.
"Say goodbye, Willow," River says still holding hisdaughter.
"Bye, Ava," shewaves.
"Bye, Willow," Ava replies with a wave of herown.
I toss her things into the back seat and get her buckledin.
Reid tears his eyes away from me and puts the car in drive, gripping the steering wheel the whole ride home. I sit in my seat stewing in my jealousy as Ava sits in the backseat singing The Let It Go song. The irony is not lost onme.
It's after dinner,and Ava has been bathed and put to bed for the night, so I sit down on the couch and start to fill out my paperwork. I'll be going home tomorrow, and Reid finally gets to transition back into having his spaceagain.
"Hey," Reid says from behindme.
"How can you be so quiet on a pair of crutches? That's a little unnerving." I lean my head back and look up at him as he hovers above me from where he is standing. Moving around the corner of the couch, he sits his crutches to the side and situates himself on thecouch.
He's wearing a pair of sweats that are hanging low on his hips, and my gazedrops.
I look up after gazing at his body to find him watching me. Oh god, he caught me looking at his package. Shifting, I squeeze my legs together, trying to suppress the sudden ache I'm feeling between them for this man; trying to ignore the sudden surge of attraction filling the room I mention the subject we both have been avoiding. "Tonight is mine and Ava's last night here. I'll be heading back home tomorrow. I need to thank you for making us feel welcomed this past month. Ava is going to miss you, so maybe we could drop by for a visit sometime? That’s if you're not too busy. I know now that the doctor has cleared you for more activities you'll get back to being busy with work and of course the club," I tell him as the heat starts to rise up my neck, and I feel my cheeks flush because of the way he's looking atme.
Reid twists his body, putting one leg near the back edge of the cushions and leaves the other draped over the side with his foot planted on thefloor.
"Come here, Kitten," he orders in a deep voice. Reaching out, he grabs my hand pulling me towards him. At the moment I don't question what he's doing or reason with myself as to why I'm complying. I don’t think at all. I let what I'm feeling guide me. He pulls me forward until he has my body laid out to where I'm chest to chest with him, and my hips have settled between his legs. My rapidly beating heart feels like it's about to burst from my chest as his eyes drop to my lips. If the hard length I feel pressed against my stomach is any indication, I would say his body is wanting the same asmine.
One taste before I leave tomorrow won't hurt. Will it? I want to know what it feels like to have Reid's lips pressed hard againstmine.
"Momma, Momma," Ava cries out. And just like that, the moment is over. The charge in the atmosphere still so thick I find it hard to breathe, but the climactic moment I feel we were about to have is suddenly pushed to theside.
I look at him knowing we both want this to happen, but neither one prepared to sayit.
"Momma," Ava hollersagain.
Too wordless to say anything I get up off the couch and head towards the hall in the direction of mine and Ava's room. "Reid…" I turn to find him watching me walk away, the same look of want in his eyes, and I smile at him, "Goodnight."
With a heavy sigh and a look of understanding, knowing my daughter comes first he replies, "Goodnight,Kitten."
* * *
"Well,that’s it. We are all packed and ready to go, sweetie. Did you remember to grab teddy from your bed?" I say to my daughter as I zip the last suitcase closed. Teddy is her stuffed bear she has had since the day she was born. Grams gave it to her as a welcome home present when we stepped off the bus. She can't sleep withoutit.
"I got it, Momma," she responds in a sad littlewhisper.
I know she doesn’t want to go, but this was only temporary. Unfortunately, she's too young to understand that right now. "Come on," I kneel and tickle her tummy trying to steal a smile from her, "We can always visit," I tell her. Looking up, I see Reid standing in thedoorway.
"Quinn is here to follow you home since it's gettinglate."
No sooner does he say his name, Quinn appears in the hallway behind Reid. "Holy shit these tacos are good," he says stuffing the last bite of what we had for dinner in his mouth. I watch Ava walk towards the door, squeeze past Reid and his crutches and stop in front of Quinn. I try to hold back a smile because my little girl is on amission.
She cranes her neck to peer up at him, and he looks down at her with a grin, "What's up littlebit?"
