Page 17 of Heat (Drive Me Wild 0.50)

“Anything for you, darlin’.”

It didn’t take long before he switched his strategy to silent persuasion. Sometimes when I left for work, I would find him with the boys in the front yard. He was teaching my oldest how to throw a football while my youngest ran around them pretending to play along. The kids had also taken a liking to the Camaro. As soon as they heard the rumbling outside they would run to the window.

He was getting harder and harder to avoid, especially after Christmas. I'd been struggling to come up with enough money to buy presents for the boys. I didn't have to say it, but I'm sure Elizabeth knew my situation especially when I didn't have anything under the wilted tree I'd rescued from the Dumpster behind the tree lot. It didn't look that bad after the kids and I decorated it with popcorn on a string, bright red ribbons, and plenty of colorful lights.

The boys, especially the baby, were too young to understand Christmas but still woke up every morning expecting to open presents.

“No, babies.” I'd say. “It's not Christmas yet.”

“When?” They'd ask.

“Soon.” I'd reply, all too aware of just how soon.

By Christmas Eve, I'd managed to get a few toys but nowhere near what I’d hoped to have for them. Either way, it would be a special day. Christmas in our first home; not a motel room, a tiny bedroom in someone's house or the backseat of a car. I was baking pies, cooking a big turkey and making all the fixings. Everything I remembered growing up. I might not be able to afford much but I could cook. Dinner that night would be made with love.

I was sitting on the sofa sipping a hot cup of tea and flipping through a cookbook as I planned our holiday feast for the next day. Outside the rumble of an engine grew louder as it approached the house. I didn’t even need to guess. I knew who it was.

After a light tapping on the door, I opened it and saw Hal standing there with several shopping bags and two rolls of colorful wrapping paper tucked under his arm. I stood there staring at him, stunned.

“Well, I’m not that good at wrapping present so I thought it might be better if you did it instead.” Then he walked past me and set everything down in the middle of the living room.

“Hal, I... how...why did you...?”

“Shush, woman.” he said then smiled softly down at me. “I did it because I can.” Tears began to spill down my cheeks and he reached up and gently wiped them away with his fingertips. “And I like seeing you happy.”

I closed my eyes and rested my face against his palm. There was a light brush of his lips against mine, and then he was gone.

It really wasn't fair. I'd had my mind set on finding someone who was good for me and all roads kept leading back to Hal.

When I got to the bottom of the bag, I saw a small awkwardly wrapped box with my name on it.

Not fair at all.

Chapter Fifteen

When I pulled up to the house the lights in the boys’ bedroom was still on. Glancing at the fancy watch H had given me for Christmas, I smiled as I remembered the night I lied about the battery in my old one going dead. I wasn’t sure if he believed me, but the gift was thoughtful…and gorgeous. The time was eleven o’clock. The boys should have been in bed hours ago. I hoped one of them wasn’t having a hard time going down for the night.

As I dragged my bone tired body from the car, I searched my mind for a home remedy to help an overly tired child relax enough to fall asleep. After turning the key in the lock, I pushed open the front door and stepped inside.

“Elizabeth?” I called out after noticing the living room was empty. When there was no response, I tossed my keys onto the side table and headed to the back bedroom.

“Hey, Annie Bananie.” I stopped dead at the sound of that voice and my blood ran cold. Only one person called me that. “Did ya miss ole’ Jimmy boy?”

I turned around and faced the man I’d tried to kill. “I have one of those restrainin’ orders against you, Jimmy. You can’t be here.” I said, trying to suppress my panic. His dark blonde hair was so dirty and greasy that it was a dingy brown. He was skinnier than I remembered with bags under his eyes. I’d never seen him look so bad.

“That restrainin’ order can kiss my ass. I came to see my kids,” he stepped forward from the darkness of the kitchen with a bottle of bourbon in his hand. “My. Kids!” Jimmy repeated much louder and stressed each word by thumping a fist against his chest with his free hand. After darting a glance down the hall, I saw the boys’ bedroom door was shut. I had no id

ea what to make of it and it scared the shit out of me.

“The boys? Are they okay?” I asked with a shaky voice, my mind racing over how to handle the situation. The phone was hanging on the wall behind Jimmy, I just needed to figure out a way around him so I could call the cops.

“They’re fine. Ain’t nobody gonna harm them.” He waved me off with an uncoordinated hand.

“Elizabeth?”

“Sent her home.” He sent her home? I knew she didn’t have a car. “I told her everything was just fine now that Daddy was here. I tossed her a few bucks from your stash in that coffee can and she left.” He brought the bottle up to his mouth and took a long swig of liquor. The bastard found the money I was saving for rent. I was guaranteed to find that can empty.

My thoughts shifted to poor Elizabeth. She must have been terrified and confused. There was a store with a pay phone about a quarter mile up the road, I hoped like hell that she’d already made it there and called for help.

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