Limitless Love (Lotus House #4)(31)
I shook my head and chuckled, squeezing Monet to me so she could hide her tears and burrow into my chest while she pulled herself together. “Nope. We’re all good. Monet and I were just getting some facts straight. Right, beautiful?”
Atlas coughed. “Ooookaaay. So then you want me to go?”
“Naw, man, we’re cool. Why don’t you get some beers for me and you? I’ll take care of dinner for the family,” I said, making my statement very clear to the woman I held.
I kissed her once, then twice, and let her go.
Atlas placed an open beer next to me and turned to leave the kitchen, probably realizing we needed another minute.
“Hey, could you tell the queen to get in here? I promised her a royal meal, and she’s going to help make it.”
Atlas chuckled and went to find Lily.
The second he was out of earshot, I couldn’t help but push her a little harder. “You believe me? You going to give this an actual shot? Stop thinking I’m going to walk away or disappear any second?”
“I’ll try, Clayton. I want this to be real. I really do. For me. For Lily. For all of us. But I’ve been hurt before. Goodness, I’ve had my heart shattered, and I’m wearing the stitches to prove how badly I’ve been hurt by love.” Her lips trembled and it took everything I had to keep my distance.
I nodded. “Then, like I said, it’s up to me to prove it.”
Right then, Lily barreled into the kitchen and ran right into my legs for the second time that night. Her eagerness to please me slammed into my heart. “Ready for chef duty, King Clay!” She raised her arms, and I lifted her up and held her close, allowing her warmth to lead me through.
“I will prove this is real, beautiful. Just give it a chance. It’s all I’m asking.” I set Lily on the counter and held a bag in front of her, leaving Monet to her thoughts. She needed to process all of this, wrap her head around it, and start living in it the way I already was.
Lily held her hands to her chest and bit her lip. “What are we making?” Cutest fuckin’ kid ever.
“Homemade pizzas!” I showed her the cheese, pepperoni, and additional fixings.
Lily clapped wildly. “I wuv pizza!”
I laughed and kissed her nose. She grabbed my cheeks and kissed mine in return. “Mommy, are you gonna help?”
Monet saddled up to my back, placed her hand in the center, and ran it down to the small indention above my ass. I shivered at her simple touch, letting the awareness of her palm seep deep into me. She moved against my side, kissed my bicep, and then pressed her cheek to it before looking up.
“I want to try,” she said softly. I knew those words weren’t for Lily but for me. For the budding relationship I wanted—that we both wanted but she was afraid to enter. Elation mixed with excitement rushed through me.
“That’s all anyone can ever expect,” I said before leaning down toward her face. She lifted her head and I kissed her lips. “Thank you.”
She kissed me once more. “No. Thank you.”
Finally, a real start. I could put all the shit of the past behind me and start fresh with Monet and Lily. The number of people I cared about was growing by leaps and bounds, and at the front of the pack were these two raven-haired beauties. I was one lucky bastard, and I intended to hold on to that luck for as long as possible.
Chapter Seven
Heart-centered females tend to appear more calm and collected. Others seek them out due to their serene nature. However, if a heart-centered female has a closed heart chakra due to an extreme physical or emotional setback, they may react irrationally and out of character until the chakra is opened once more.
MONET
I’d given myself yet another sponge bath in two inches of water, as a person would an eight-month-old baby. Stepping out of the tub, I stopped in front of the mirror. I’d purposely not looked at the damage Kyle had caused to my back. Every time I tried, I went back there, back to where he held me down against my will, threatening to kill me.
I knew the wound was extensive and ran the length of my back from shoulder blade to hip, but I hadn’t gotten up the courage to actually look at it. Now that it had been a week and a half since it happened and I was getting the stitches out in a few days, I needed to woman up. Rip off the Band-Aid and move on.
With shaking fingers, I dried the rest of my body, bending incrementally so I didn’t stretch the stitches and skin that was newly fused together. The doctor had encouraged me to move around but to take things slow.
Take things slow.
The phrase was my new motto and the exact pace I’d requested of Clayton. And so far, he had. I wouldn’t call him a knight in shining track pants or anything, but he’d made his intentions with me very clear. He wanted me. No matter how hard I’d tried to come up with a good rationale, I couldn’t figure out why. Sure, I wasn’t hard to look at normally, but when it came to baggage, I had heaps of it. Most men I’d met since Kyle didn’t want anything to do with a thirty-year-old woman with a child. And now that I’d been attacked by my ex-husband? Irreparably scarred for life? Just another load in the already full trunk of crap I carried around.
So why did Clayton want to be with me? I agreed we had chemistry and some serious sparks. His essence spoke to me. The way he tenderly helped with my bandages, his intense kisses…and that didn’t even cover his body. I closed my eyes and hugged myself, clutching the towel tightly. The man was sex incarnate. Everything in me wanted to lay him out flat and take advantage of all those bulging, toned muscles and the miles of tanned skin, but I just couldn’t. Physically I was sure I wasn’t ready. Mentally, I was a straight up mess of mixed emotions and contradictions.