Page 100 of Hesi-Dating
"That needs to change." I tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear.
"It has. So much has improved. I got a job with the Foster Fund. They want me to help the more difficult kids." She smiled goofily. "Me."
"You'd be great at that. You didn't need to tell me all that."
"I did. You deserve to know. I still think you should be with someone nice, like your date tonight. Someone whose past isn't messed up with murder and gangs. Someone who can cook."
"I want someone who's a hot mess. Someone I can't keep my hands off of and who I think about every four seconds throughout the day. Someone who needs me as much as I need her."
"Sounds like you figured some things out over this past year since you got divorced."
"I did. You helped me realize I need someone who forces me to be spontaneous and keeps me on my toes." I needed her to realize how all in I was on this. "I love you. Not some ultra-nice schoolteacher that'd be a perfectly sweet wife. I loveyou.I wantyouin my life, however that's possible."
"Even knowing how messed up I am? That I'm a failure at jobs and school?"
"Especially knowing all that. You're not a failure for the people you love. That's what's important. You'd do anything for them."
"I would." The relief in her eyes almost killed me. "For you."
"I want to kiss you, but we're not going there tonight. We're going to keep clothes on. You're going to stay the whole night. I already cleared it with Amber, but she wanted me to tell you she'll pick you up at any time if you text her."
"You called my sister to get permission for me to do a sleepover?"
"I had to tell her what happened and why you're here."
"What did you tell her about why I'm here?"
"I told her this is where you needed to be. You're safe here. I installed more security on this place than you can imagine. I have an attack dog." Henry chose that moment to roll over and fart. "Okay, he's more an early warning system."
She scanned around. I could sense her panic.
"No one's forcing you to be here. If you want to go home at any time, tell me and I'll take you. I want you to consider this a safe place for you. We don't even need to stay in the same bed. I can stay out here on the sofa if you want. I just want you to be somewhere that you don't need to stress that someone from your past or the Red Crips will get to you. I don't need anything from you tonight other than knowing you're safe."
"Thank you."
"I'm going to make you breakfast tomorrow, and then both of us are going to take a day off."
"You probably have so much paperwork after tonight. We also need to see if I can help you open that box. You can't take a day off."
"I shouldn't take a day off, but I can. I haven't taken a personal day since I started the job years ago. It's about time. I have to ask you a favor, though. Will you help me do something tomorrow?"
"I think the debt I owe you is pretty high at this point."
"I want to go look at a horse. Not a rescue, but a horse I could train." The shadows of happier days with my dad saddened me. "I need to do this. It's what my dad wanted. You can help me open up the tack room and look at the stuff…okay, maybe we need to do this in baby steps."
"I think we should rip off the band-aid. We're opening the room in the morning and looking at the horse tomorrow." She threw her arms around me and squeezed. "You can keep your clothes on, but you're sleeping in the bed. Unless you snore—then I'll kick you out."
ChapterForty-Four
SETH
I spent the night holding her, which was more for me than her. She conked out within a half hour. I had to reassure myself she was fine every few hours, which meant I was exhausted. After a call in to work to sort through details from last night, the police chief told me she had Mitchell held without bail. They'd been able to get to the cop's wife in time, thank God.
I flipped the last pancake and put it on the plate once cooked.
"Smells good."
I whipped around. Dwarfed by one of my T-shirts that came to her knees, Joley looked too cute and a bit lost.
