Page 55 of Stat: Love In Scrubs
Ron stood with his wife as she placed her hand on his.
“We’re going to go. We tried,” he announced.
My father finally stood.
“That would be for the best,” then led them to the front door.
I knew in my heart that this would be my final attempt to connect with them. I would give Esa the opportunity when she is older to reach out again. But I was done, and I had done my part for Veronica. I know she would have been highly disappointed in her parents.
“These damn people fucked up my family dinner, and I rarely get my two kids home at the same time.” My mom said.
I couldn’t help but laugh because she rarely cursed unless someone truly pissed her off.
“We can finish dinner. I’m still hungry. Emotional moments bring it out of me. Not to mention, I’m sure Esa’s not done withher plate. I know she's upstairs, mad as heck, thinking her plate is cold.”
We all laughed and nodded. My mom left the room, leaving Yara and me alone to get Dezi and Esa so we could finish dinner. I turned to face Yara, and she placed her hands on both sides of my face.
“Don’t open your mouth and apologize. You can’t control the actions of others. Not to mention, you didn’t just allow them to dog me out. It’s fine. When people are hurt, they can do anything. Just don’t bring that into what we have.”
“I hear you, Boss lady,” I responded, then leaned forward to place a kiss against her lips.
I didn’t need years with her to know she was going to be my wife, byany means necessary.
The ride home was silent. Esa had fallen asleep in the back, and I could tell, although I told Desmond it was okay. The interaction with Veronica’s parents was still taking a toll on him.
I was silent because what could I say to make this moment any better? Nothing. So silence was my go-to method. I didn’t want him to feel as if he had to speak if he didn’t want to.
We finally made it back to his place. I reached for the door handle, and Desmond cleared his throat. I guess he wasn’t that distracted, so I dropped my hands into my lap to wait for him to open my door.
Tonight, he parked in the garage. Which further clued me into his state of mind. Finally, he walked around to my side and opened the door for me.
“What I tell you about door handles, baby?” he asked with a tilt of his head.
“That you got it.”
“Right. I’m not that out of it. I’ll always make sure I treat you the way you deserve to be treated. I know tonight has been an off night, but I want to put Esa in bed and lay up in it. Can you handle that?” he asked.
The hunger in his eyes was evident, but so was his need for comfort. If all my man needed to feel peace was to be laid up in my haven, I was going to do that.
I nodded, and he leaned down to kiss me, then stepped towards Esa’s door to carry her inside. How easily that man slipped from Big Daddy to Daddy’s role was entertaining to me. I went to grab my bag so I could help him, and he stopped mid-step while holding Esa to glance back at me.
“I’ll come back out for it, baby. Come get comfortable.” He said, nodding towards the garage door.
I released my hold on the door, then went into the kitchen to grab two bottles of water while he took Esa upstairs. I soon followed him up and stood in the doorway as Esa woke up.
“Daddy, where is Yara?” she asked, looking around for me until her eyes fell upon me.
I stepped away from the doorframe, then entered the room. I sat on the edge of her bed, and Desmond stood to grab her pajamas from her dresser. I reached out my hand to take them from him. He paused for a moment, then relinquished his hold on them.
“I got it.”
He nodded, then left the room. I’m sure to grab my bag from the truck. I returned my attention to Esa, whose eyes were heavy, but she was keeping them trained on me.
“Lift your arms for me, sweetheart so that we can put your pajamas on.”
She nodded and followed my instructions.
“Ms. Yara.”
