Page 23 of Cain
Chapter Ten
Emma
I get Amy packed as quickly as possible, which is easy because she is so excited. I'm a different story because there is no way I can walk back into that bedroom. I've gotten the notes before but never anything like this. At this point I'm scared of what he will do.
A hand touches my shoulder and I jump. “Calm down, it’s just me,” Cain says behind me and I take a deep breath. “Is Amy almost packed?”
“Yea, she is.” I stand up and he pulls me against him. Standing here in this mess, I feel safe in his arms.
“I texted Ana and asked if you could borrow some clothes for work tomorrow because I don’t want you to touch anything in there until Dom goes over it. You okay with staying in my room?” I nod against his chest. “Okay, let’s get out of here and let him work. I already texted Ryan and he said Amy could sleep in Casey’s room with her.”
“I figured she packed a whole bag of toys while I was getting her clothes.” I take a step back and see Logan standing in the doorway.
“You okay?” He looks at me and seems softer than he normally is.
I shrug my shoulders. “I will be.”
“That’s the attitude to have.” He takes a couple steps into the room. “You’re one of us now. That means something. You are strong enough to make it through this. Don’t let this asshole take any piece of you away. Then he wins.”
“I’m trying to hold on, but this stuff doesn’t help.” I turn to face Cain. “It scares me that he could hurt Amy or any of you just to get to me.”
His hands rub my arms up and down. "I know it does. You need to trust that we can take care of ourselves and keep the both of you safe. This is not our first encounter with someone like him."
“Are we ready to go to my sleepover?” Amy’s voice cuts through the silence that had settled in.
“I think so.” I take her hand and walk toward the front door.
“Take the girls in the truck and I’ll follow,” Logan says to Cain and we follow them outside.
The drive is quiet and Amy falls asleep within a minute of pulling away from the building. “Is this a more permanent move?”
Cain looks over at me. “You wanting it to be?”
“I don’t know.” My hands fidget in my lap. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to stay there again after everything. I should probably start looking for another apartment building for us.”
“Or”—he grabs my hand—“you could start looking at houses.”
I shake my head. “A house is not something that is in the cards for me right now. The school pays well but not well enough for that. We have been okay with an apartment as far as space, though. We only need two bedrooms, so it’s pretty easy.”
Cain laughs, but I’m not really sure why. “What I was suggesting is that maybe we could look at houses.”
I look over at him. Is he serious? We just met. I am not the kind of mother who is going to uproot my child just to chase after a man. I need to know that he is serious about us before I ever even consider this.
When the truck stops, I realize we are at the clubhouse and I haven’t said anything to Cain. I’m not sure I can say anything right now, because I know it won’t be what he wants to hear.
Opening Amy's door, I start to get her up, but Cain reaches in and picks her up. "No reason to wake her up when I can just carry her to bed. Want to grab her bags?" I move to take them, but one of the guys beats me to it and grabs everything.
I follow Cain down the halls and back to Casey’s room. Ryan is walking toward us. “Thank you for saying she could stay with her.”
He gives me a smile. “No problem. Casey is excited. She actually just fell asleep too, bro, so if you want to just lay Amy on the extra bed go for it and we can sort out their stuff in the morning.”
“Got it. Thanks, man.” Cain walks into the room and comes back out a minute later. “Your turn.” He takes my hand and leads me upstairs with him.
Walking into his room, there are a bunch of clothes on one of the chairs. They must be what he asked Ana for. I’ll have to remember to thank her. Cain pulls my hand and I end up sitting next to him on the bed. “What’s on your mind? You haven’t said anything since halfway through the car ride.”
I know he needs to hear what I think, but I have no idea how to say it. “I just…I can’t act impulsively. I have Amy to think about and I need to know that if I’m making a decision like this that it’s a permanent one.”
Cain looks at me for a minute and I think he is just taking in what I said. “Let me explain something to you. I claimed you in the club. That is something you can only do once, no matter what happens in your life. We have had guys claim girls, get divorced, and they can never claim another woman. I have known there was something special about you from the moment I met you and it has been pulling me in deeper with each day. I wouldn’t have suggested what I did if I didn’t intend to spend every day making you and Amy the happiest you have ever been in your lives.”
