C H A P T E R S E V E N
Adam
I’m not sure what to expect when I arrive home, but I am hoping things will be back to normal between Isabel and me. We have gotten into a nice little routine the few weeks they have been here. Even though there may be some awkwardness between us, hopefully, it passes quickly. When I step into the kitchen, I am greeted by Sophie coloring at the breakfast bar, while Isabel is putting dishes in the dishwasher.
I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist while she stands at the sink.
“How are my two favorite girls this evening?” I say as I place a chaste kiss on the side of her cheek.
Isabel jumps in my arms before whirling around with panic in her eyes.
“I didn’t think you would be home this soon. Dinner isn’t ready yet! If you just give me a little more time, I will have it done for you to eat.”
Another rule in the Alexander house I see.
Both she and Sophie are clearly afraid that I am going to lose my temper. I’m not sure how to make either of them comfortable, but I go with an honest answer. Hopefully, it puts both of them at ease.
“Actually, I had a late lunch at work because of all the patients, so I’m not really hungry at the moment. What I really want is to hear how my two favorite girls spent their day.”
I sit next to Sophie causing her face to immediately light up.
“Mommy took me to the park! It has swings, a slide, and even a merry-go-round,” Sophie rambles off excitedly.
“Baby, I am sure he doesn’t want to hear about your day,” Isabel says while looking down at the floor.
“Of course, I do! All I get to do is look at plain walls all day. I would love to hear all the fun things you two did all day.” I turn to Isabel and ask,
“Isabel, what have you done all day?”
“Nothing interesting. I cleaned up a little, I hope you don’t mind. I also did some of mine and Sophie’s laundry since we don’t have too many things. I also washed the bedding in all the rooms. Is that okay?” she whispers
“Oh Isabel, you don’t have to clean up after me. You are a guest here, not the maid. It is more than enough that you are cooking for me. I can’t thank you enough for all the home cooking you have been doing, simply amazing. For the record, you are anything but boring to me.”
“It’s the least I can do, Dr. Patterson. You’re letting us stay in your home, free of charge. I need to do something to repay you,” she responds.
I can see the blush creeping up her checks at my response. She has to be one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. I get up from my seat next to Sophie. When I am close enough to Isabel, I say,
“You two being safe and unharmed is payment enough for me.”
After placing a gentle kiss on her hand. Isabel looks at me skeptically before removing her hand from my grip and turning back to the stove to complete dinner.
I have no idea what she is making, but it smells amazing. I know one thing for sure, if I have to watch her bend down into the oven one more time, dinner is not the only thing I am going to be dreaming of shortly. I want Isabel more than I have wanted anyone or anything in my entire life. In all honesty, I don’t care who or what gets in the way of us being together. As long as I can convince her that us being a couple is a good idea, I can deal with anything else that may follow.
Clearing my head of dirty thoughts, I ask,
“Sophie, you want to help me set the table?”
“Can I Mommy?”
“Be careful, we do not want to break anything else while we are staying here,” Isabel says sternly.
“Isabel, honestly, it was been just a glass. No harm, no foul.” I assure her “Sophie can you please get some silverware from the drawer? Leave the knives, I will get those.”
I turn to reach into the cupboard to grab the plates before I feel a tug on my pant leg. After I grab the plates, I look down to see Sophie,
“What’s up, sweet pea?”
She looks up at me with tears in her eyes, “I don’t know what silver wear is.”
I pick her up and give her a squeeze, “It’s alright. Here, let me show you.”
We walk a few steps down the counter to the silver wear drawer, I pull it open and point to the contents inside.
“Sophie, those are silver wear.”
She looks at me skeptically, with both her hands on her hips,
“Mr. Adam, those are forks and spoons! If you wanted me to get those why didn’t you say so?”
“My apologies, Ms. Sophie. It won’t happen again. Now, let’s go set the table before we are both in trouble with your Mommy.” I say with a chuckle.
Sophie and I set the table just in time for Isabel to bring in dinner. I can get used to family dinners around the table every night. Ever since these two came into my life, my house doesn’t feel so empty, and I am not so lonely.
As we finish up dinner, Sophie and I volunteer to clear the table and do dishes, so Isabel can relax for a little while. After a lot of protesting, she finally relents. As I am finishing up with the dishes, I realize I am not ready to part with these two just yet.
“Isabel, since it is still early can we watch a movie before bed?” I ask
“Please, Mommy? Please?” Sophie begs her mother.
I don’t know how she does it, but Isabel manages to keep a straight face when she answers Sophie,
“One SHORT movie Sophie Grace. Now run upstairs and get ready for bed. I will give you a bath in the morning.”
“Thank you, Mommy! Thank you, Mr. Adam!” Sophie cries before running over to her mother to give her a hug. I am shocked when she runs over to me and gives me a huge hug around the legs.
“That was really nice of you to suggest, Dr. Patterson,” Isabel whispers.
“When did I become Dr. Patterson again? My name is Adam, Isabel,” I say firmly.
I watch her shrink away from me, preparing to be struck.
“I’m sorry. I would never hurt you, either of you. I would die first,” I plead as I grab both of her hands in mine.
“I know, Dr. Pat… I mean Adam. It is going to take some time for me to get used to. All either of us has known is pain and anger from a man. So, it is what we expect daily when something is not done in a specific fashion.”
“What can I do? I will do anything, anything at all.” I beg her.
She moves in closer and gently wraps her arms around my waist.
“Just give us time.”
I pull her body closer to mine and give it a gentle squeeze,
“You can have all the time in the world, as long as the two of you spend it with me.”
Isabel
Getting my heart rate under control is no easy feat. Not only did Adam scare me to death when he touched me unexpectedly, but I feared his anger when he realized dinner wasn’t ready.
But he wasn’t angry, he sat and listened to Sophie tell him about her day and even helped me clean up. He said I don’t have to clean up after him, but he doesn’t know that I actually enjoy doing it. It makes me feel useful like I’m taking care of him, instead of the reverse. Plus, I find myself smelling his shirts before I put them in the washer. His spicy scent mixed with the antiseptic of the hospital is comforting; he is comforting.
My life was filled with nothing but fear until now, but I cannot help continuing to fear. Jason is still out there, somewhere. He’s still searching for us, he won’t stop until he finds us. He does not give up easily. Adam assures me that I can trust him, but after all the years of Jason beating me for the littlest things, the fear response is still there. Adam wants to take care of us, he may even grow to love us.
I want to relax with him, be normal. I want Sophie to grow up in a house where she can be a little girl, and not be afraid to make a simple mistake. I’m not sure how in such a short amount of time, but it’s clear Adam loves Sophie, but can he learn to love me? Am I even loveable, so broken and bruised?
He makes me nervous, but in a good way. I feel safe when we are together. I crave his touch after only a few brushes of his hands against me. Maybe if I allow him to touch me, for us to be intimate, it will be better than I can imagine. Maybe it’s time to let him…