Page 35 of Protecting His Woman
“I know.I know.I just ...math is stupid.There is no point to it.It’s stupid.”She rubbed her temples.“Ugh, it’s giving me a headache.”She looked toward him.“Do you know when Vicki is getting home?”
“Three hours.”
Dhalia wrinkled her nose.“Nope, I can’t spend three hours trying to figure this out.”
Damion didn’t want to do schoolwork, but when Vicki got in, he didn’t want her dealing with it either.Even though he had kept his distance from these two since they had moved in, he had no choice but to sit at the table and act like the adult.
He sat down next to Dhalia and held out his hand.“Let me look.”
She handed him the book, and as he suspected, it was algebra, which was fucking stupid, but it needed to be done.So, for the next two hours, he and Dhalia worked through the equation, and he guided her as best he could.
Once those two hours were done, Dhalia closed her books, sunk back, and sighed.“Thanks,” Dhalia said.
“Don’t mention it.”
“You know, you didn’t have to ...take us in,” Dhalia said.Betsy was still coloring.
He got to his feet, because he needed more coffee.Actually, after two hours of algebra, he needed a fucking whiskey, but he was not going to cave in to that impulse.Dhalia didn’t take the hint, and followed him to the kitchen.She grabbed a soda from the fridge.
“Your point?”Damion said, knowing there was no reason for him to put off this conversation.If they didn’t have it now, he had a feeling Dhalia was going to find a way to do it another time.
“Simple, you could have taken Vicki, got her to leave us behind, or at least paid for us to stay in a separate house.No one wants a woman’s baggage, and we’re Vicki’s siblings, not her kids.”
“Again, I don’t see your point.”
“It’s not a point, it’s a question.”
“You haven’t asked me anything, Dhalia.You’ve made statements.”
“Why did you?”Dhalia asked.
He looked at her.“You really want to know?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Because I love Vicki, and I know she loves you, and whatever she loves, I love,” Damion said.
He saw his words hit Dhalia hard, and it was in that moment he realized something.Annette had fucked with these kids’ heads for a long freaking time.They didn’t know who their fathers were, and their mother treated them like a burden.
“Love?”Dhalia asked.
“Yeah, I know we don’t know each other a lot.We’re new to each other, but I care about you, Dhalia, and your sister, and your brothers.Even that little shit that’s joining The Lords.I care, and that is not going to stop.Once I care about someone, there is no letting go.”
Dhalia nodded her head and he saw the tears in her eyes.“I’m really happy Vicki found you.”
“One day, there is going to be a guy, or a girl, whatever your preference is, and when that happens, I’m going to make sure they treat you right.I don’t want to think of you as my kid, Dhalia, because I’m not going to think of Vicki as my kid, but know this—the moment you moved in here, you became mine.I will take care of you, and all that bad shit is over.”
“Thank you,” Dhalia said, then she surprised him by throwing herself at him and hugging him tightly.
At first, he didn’t know what to do.This teenage girl, hugging him.He placed his arm around her and tried to give her the comfort she sought.
“It’s going to be okay now,” he said.
Dhalia nodded and kissed him on the cheek.
He poured himself a mug of coffee and saw he still had forty minutes until Vicki would be home.
Sitting at the table, Betsy lifted from her drawing and looked at him.“Dhalia’s happy here,” she said.“I’m happy here.We’re all happy here.”
