A Humble Heart (Hollywood Hearts #1)(44)

“Mommy?” he said thickly.

“I’m right here, baby. You gave us a heck of a scare.” She kissed his face.

“I’m hungry,” he complained.

She wiped away a fresh tear. “I know, baby. I’m so sorry you know I would never leave you with someone like that on purpose. She’s in big trouble, honey. Don’t worry about it, you’ll never see her again.”

“Good. She was mean,” Cole said, burying his face against Edward’s bare chest.

“How are you holding up, sweetheart?” Edward asked.

“Okay. Thank you for taking care of him.”

He reached over with his free hand and wiped away her tears. “Always.” He pulled her forward and kissed her gently on the lips. She kissed his cheek and then Cole’s.

“We’re going to keep Cole overnight and monitor his burns and watch for infection,” the Doctor said an hour later. Dana nodded and thanked him. She waited with Cole. Edward left a half hour ago to change into clean clothes and talk to his family.

Thankfully Cole was now asleep. His little tummy was now happily full and he dreamed in his mother’s arms. “We need to move him upstairs now,” a nurse said quietly.

Dana stood up. “I’ll carry him if you can manage the IV,” she said, not giving the nurse a chance to argue. There was no way she was putting him down. He needed to be held now more than ever.

“I’ll take him,” Edward said, walking around the nurse to take Cole. He took Cole from her as if he was the most precious thing on earth.

“Mom and Dad are taking Elizabeth for the night. They’re getting some food into her stomach as we speak. The police came by and we talked to them. You’re all set for now,” he told her.

“Thank you for everything,” she said, wiping away a stray tear.

He smiled at her and kissed Cole’s sleepy cheek as he carried him towards the patient elevators.

********

Dana knelt over her sleeping son. It had been two weeks since the accident and he was already looking better. He came home a week and a half ago and she’d been babying him ever since. He was still in pain and needed constant care.

Edward’s family immediately fell in love with the kids and was around every day to help. Edward stayed over every night snuggling up with Cole on the couch. Tonight for the first time since he came home Cole was asleep in his own bed.

For the past two weeks they passed the time by studying their scripts. When she wasn’t doing that she was running, cooking, or cleaning. She had to keep busy or she would go crazy. The studio pushed shooting the movie off for another week for Cole. They were amazingly sympathetic.

She was due to start shooting tomorrow. Edward was going to start shooting his own movie tomorrow as well. He would be away most nights for a few weeks then he was off to England for ten weeks.

He needed a break and she felt horrible for all the stress and sleepless nights he'd suffered recently for them. She was also afraid there was no question about it any longer. She was madly in love with him.

There was no doubt in her mind that she had never really been in love before. That had been infatuation. Edward made her feel beautiful, loved, and adored and he was great with the kids. He showed them nothing but love and patience. More than their father ever had.

She tiptoed out of Cole’s room and into the living room to find Edward passed out on the couch. He wore his usual outfit when he was at her house, pants and nothing else. His perfect chest rose gently with his relaxed breathing. She took a moment to admire him before she made her way to her bedroom.

For the last week she had to rush her showers for one reason or another. Tonight she planned on taking a very long shower. She turned the shower on and started shaving. After that was done she washed up and stood under the showerhead enjoying the hot water.

“Are you planning on saving me some water?” a soft voice whispered in her ear.

She drew in a deep breath as Edward’s arms snaked around her waist. “You’re awake,” she noted.

He chuckled. “Yes.”

Since Cole’s injury they hadn’t had time to do anything more than kiss quickly between taking care of children, working on the book, and memorizing their lines.

“Shall I wash your back?” he asked, picking up the bar of soap.

She turned around slowly and faced him. “I would rather wash you,” she whispered softly. Their eyes moved down each other’s bodies.

“Beautiful,” he mumbled as his gaze ran down large br**sts tipped with beautiful rose ni**les. His eyes went further down to a flat sculpted stomach with a tiny thin scar running across her lower belly. He reached out and ran a finger across the scar from her c-sections. He bit back a groan as his eyes dropped to the trimmed golden hairs between her legs, heaven.

*******

Standing in front of a large group of strangers in nothing but floss was surprisingly less frightening than standing na**d in front the man she'd fallen in love with. Although she knew he was nothing like Jeff she couldn't help but wait for the look of disgust or the cutting remark that always followed. When he lovingly caressed her scar and called her beautiful she couldn't help but love him more. He didn't care that she wasn't perfect or that her body was flawed. This man who could have his pick of millions of women thought she was beautiful. In that moment for the first time she truly felt beautiful.