“Hey, what’s wrong?” He picked his head up to look at me and shook his head.
“Nothing, Daisy.” He kissed my forehead and rested his cheek against mine, his breathing still heavy. “Just got a little intense there for a second. Holy shit, that was incredible. I think we should keep the tree up all year long.” Evan chuckled as he nibbled on my swollen bottom lip.
I let out a deep breath. “That was amazing. I’d give you a standing ovation but I can’t move my legs yet.”
“By all means, let’s stay right here.” Evan stood and sauntered his glorious naked body over to my couch to grab a blanket and pillow. He shut my lamp off while he was there, so the only lights surrounding us were the white twinklers from my Christmas tree
Evan unfolded the blanket as he lay down on my rug and then pulled me into his chest. “What kind of weird blanket is this? It has arms?”
I giggled as we cuddled under it. “It’s a Snuggie. You know, like on TV? My mom got it for me for Christmas last year. And don’t knock it, it’s the best gift she’s ever given me. See?” I put my arm into one of the sleeves as I curled into Evan’s side. He propped the pillow behind his head and pulled me closer.
“Sure, Daisy. Get me one, too.” I nudged his side as he snickered at me.
“I’ve never been naked under the tree before. You’re setting the bar pretty high for next Christmas . . .” My voice trailed off. “This was probably the toughest, but best Christmas I ever had. I loved watching you with Jack Junior.” Evan’s smile grew wide and he shrugged.
“I’ve always loved kids and little Jack isn’t just any baby, he’s my godson. I’ll have pretty big shoes to fill. Jack entrusted me with a lot. I can’t let him down.”
I kissed his cheek. “Jack Junior already loves you. You were a natural. And . . . nothing is hotter than a sexy man holding a baby.”
“Is that why I got bitten again tonight?” Evan kissed me across my cheek and sucked on my earlobe. “Animal.” I laughed as he whispered in my ear. Evan pulled back and ran his fingers through my hair. “I always wanted brothers and sisters so I want a ton of kids when I have my own family.”
I leaned my elbow against Evan’s chest and rested my head on my hand to peer down at him. “What does ‘a ton’ mean to you? Like two?” I crinkled my nose at him and he laughed.
“I’ve always pictured a big family. And besides, you would look hot pregnant.” Evan splayed his hand on my stomach.
I furrowed my brow. “Do you see that for us? Married, having kids . . . ?” Evan nodded without hesitation.
“Yeah, I see it all the time.” Evan ran his fingers through my hair and pulled me closer by the nape of my neck. He gave me a slow, sensual kiss and pulled me on top of him. “I see everything with you.” His tongue flicked the seam of my lips and I happily granted him entry.
I wanted that, too. God I wanted it so effing bad, but something held me back. Nothing to do with him, but something wasn’t right with me. I hoped the wish that finally came true wouldn’t get ripped away.
“Ev, what time is it?” Jack put his face in his hands and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Ten,” I answered.
He grunted out a curse as he leaned back in his chair.
“Want to know what time I went to bed last night? Seven o’clock. I only worked two hours a day over the last week. It’s pointless to come in at all, isn’t it?”
Jack was never one to show his emotions, but if I were him, I’d be frustrated as fuck to not have any kind of energy—especially knowing the active guy he always was.
“No, Jack. Never pointless, so stop saying that shit. Hopefully, this girl works out and makes things easier for both of us.”
We desperately needed extra help. I couldn’t keep a good handle on all our jobs, plus make sure the billing was done and our bills were paid. I was good with my hands, but awful with a checkbook. I marveled at how Jack had been able to accomplish this by himself for so long.
Ellie had a friend who was looking for a job, and had great experience as both a bookkeeper and office manager. Jack was determined to get himself into the office so we could both talk to her, even though he’d already met her. These days he could barely keep his eyes open, but he still wanted to feel involved and I would never take that away from him. As long as Jack was still here, he still ran this company with me, even if just with his presence.
“I told you we could have had her come to your house.” It was heartbreaking how every move Jack made took so much damn effort. Even crossing his legs made him wince. His shirt and jeans hung from his gaunt frame, and the swelling of his ankles made it hard for him to walk.
“Stop fussing, I’m fine. After we see her I’m gonna go for a run. Want to come with?” Jack smirked as I rolled my eyes. Always the wise guy.
“Why don’t you get another transfusion? It helped last time, right?” Jack didn’t look up as he shook his head.
“Transfusions are for the living, bro.” He shrugged with an unnerving peaceful smile.
I didn’t want him to be so at ease with this. I wanted him to fight until the end, squeeze every single second out of his life, even if it just delayed the inevitable. Jack acted as though he’d check out of life like a hotel, and that set off a rage in me.
“You’re living until you stop breathing, asshole.” I wasn’t ready to lose him. None of us were.
“That’s deep. Beatles?”
I was about to get in his face when the doorbell rang. I glared at Jack as I traipsed over to answer. There was a tall and slender brunette on the other side of the glass, huffing and tapping her foot as though she had been waiting forever, not two whole fucking minutes.
“Jessica?”
She let out a deep breath and nodded. There was a hint of a smile on her face. “Jessica Hunter. You must be . . . Evan?”
“Yes, come in. Sorry to keep you waiting.” Actually, I wasn’t sorry because I hadn’t left her standing in the cold, but if this woman could file and knew QuickBooks she could huff at me all she wanted.
“You didn’t, I have another appointment later on today and didn’t want to be late. I’m a little OCD about punctuality.” Jessica strolled into our tiny back office in stilettos and sat down in front of Jack’s desk. The heels made her easily six feet tall.
“Hi Jack. How are you feeling?” She put her hand on his and he shrugged.
“Still here. Thanks for coming in. Ellie said you were between jobs and may be interested. We need someone in the office maintaining the job schedules, billing and all the other extra shit that we’ve been trying to do ourselves but fucking up royally. How do you feel about that?”
“Sounds just fine to me. I can use any accounting software you have and I have an obsession with organization. You guys wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. How many days would you need me?” Jack looked at me.
“Five days, eight to four, sometimes a random Saturday or Sunday if we get extra jobs. Would that work for you?”
“Yes, that sounds perfect. Ellie told me the salary and that’s fine too. I can start immediately.”
After going through a slew of questions on accounting software, payroll, and past experience, Jack raised his eyebrows at me and I nodded.
“Tomorrow okay?”
Jessica answered me with a big nod. “Tomorrow at eight, it is. Thanks, guys!” She wasn’t bad looking when she smiled and showed teeth. That didn’t matter, though. My heart belonged to the blonde I left sleeping at the butt crack of dawn.
“Thank you, Jessica. We really need the help.” Jack clutched the arm rests of his desk chair as he pushed himself up little by little. Jessica seemed to notice the trouble he was having and caught his arm to have him sit back down.
“This is a great opportunity, and Ellie is a sweetheart. Happy to help you out.” Jessica turned back to me. “See you tomorrow at eight.”