Downfall(25)

I handed out plates and helped Noble find a place where she was least likely to make a mess. She blinked those big baby blues of hers at me and asked if she finished all her dinner if I would reconsider dessert. I told her we would see after she was done eating. Solo jumped in and told her their race would be called off if she didn’t take my rules seriously.

Noble nodded solemnly and then launched into a story about how Riley and a couple of the other kids Erica watched during the day were trying to teach her how to play soccer. It was the babbling, rambling nonsense of an almost-four-year-old, but it was lovely compared to the threats from the landlord and the arguments from the apartment on the other side of the wall.

Thinking about the thin walls, I cocked my head and looked at Solo through narrowed eyes. “You heard me drop everything in the kitchen earlier? Do we bother you coming and going?” Noble wasn’t exactly quiet, and when I had enough money to buy the cowboy boots she coveted, she was going to be even louder.

Solo shook his head as he slurped at a saucy noodle. “Naw. No way you guys could be as loud as the couple on the other side of me. For a long time, I wondered if anyone had actually moved in when I heard this apartment was rented. I’m so busy, when I crash, I tend to be dead to the world.” Something flashed in his gaze and I realized it was an apology. He still wasn’t over the fact that he’d shown up after that creepy landlord had me cornered.

I tried to indicate none of it had been his fault with my eyes. That wasn’t a conversation we were going to have in front of my kid. I changed the subject after taking a bite of the buttery garlic bread.

“So, you’ve lived in the city your entire life? You’ve never wanted to go anywhere else?” The sauce on the pasta had just the right amount of bite, and the little chunks of meatball were juicy and savory in all the best ways. Not bad for what started out as an utter disaster.

Solo’s jet-black eyebrows arched as he lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “My mom is here. My job is here. My friends are here.”

I lifted an eyebrow in return. “So, your future is here?”

He sighed and looked away. “When I was younger, I always imagined I’d leave. I had those dreams, the ones where I left and magically went off and found fame and fortune somewhere else. I was going to buy my mom a mansion on a hill somewhere far away from the city and make sure she never had to work another day of her life. Things didn’t really work out that way, but do they ever? When you grow up, you get different dreams, make different goals for yourself, and so far, I’ve been able to do everything I set out to do, even if it’s in a place I always thought I would leave behind.”

“You no longer want to buy your mom a mansion on a hill?” I thought I was being funny, but I saw his expression change, shutters came down in his eyes, and the way his big body stiffened gave me pause. Clearly, I’d unwittingly walked into a very touchy subject for him.

“My mother was shot in the head during a carjacking when I was a teenager. She was at her weekend job, one she picked up for some extra cash. She always had at least two, if not three jobs when I was growing up. She made sure I never went without and I didn’t realize how much she sacrificed for me until it was my turn to take care of her.”

I gasped and looked over at Noble. The conversation had taken a turn not exactly appropriate for a child, and luckily, she was focused on her food and humming a song under her breath.

I cleared my throat and lowered my voice so only Solo could hear me. “I’m so sorry. That’s all horrible and I hate you went through it when you were just a child. That must have been so hard.”

He shrugged. “She survived. I still have my mom, and that’s all that matters. After therapy and rehab she was able to leave the hospital. I brought her here for the first year, but realized pretty quickly she needed more care than I could provide. The bullet damaged her brain, so she has violent mood swings, and often forgets where she is and who the people around her are. She tried to set the apartment on fire once while I was at work, and she came after me with a knife one night when I was late getting home from a date. It was better for her to be in a facility that could monitor and take care of her needs twenty-four hours a day. I visit her as often as I can.”

I pushed the end of my ponytail over my shoulder and looked at him from under my lashes. It made my heart soften when I realized he was a caretaker through and through. “So now you work a lot of jobs and push yourself to the limit so you can take care of her the way she always took care of you. That’s very sweet, and honestly, admirable. You’re a good man, Solo.” I was an idiot for thinking he wasn’t my type because he looked so different from the polished, boring men I was used to. His loyalty and dedication to the woman who gave him all she had was commendable and explained why he was so good at looking out for everyone else, even when he claimed he was no hero.

“I’ll take care of you, Mommy. Don’t be sad.” Both Solo and I jerked our attention back to our smallest dinner companion. I hated myself a little for almost forgetting Noble was there. Solo’s presence was too distracting. Once again, I realized how quickly I could get in over my head with this man.

“Thank you, baby. I appreciate that. But let’s hope you don’t have to worry about taking care of anyone for a very long time.” I pointed at the last few bites of food on her plate and told her to finish up.