“I like your socks. They’re sexy.”
Mitchell glanced at the hospital socks. “You laugh, but I actually like these. I think I’m going to keep them.”
A small giggle slipped out as I parked my car next to Mitchell’s truck.
Mitchell pushed open the car door and got out. “I’m going to owe Lilly because she stayed with Chloe.”
“At least we weren’t there for more than an hour.”
Mitchell groaned and started up the stairs to his place.
“Good thing you’ve got those anti-slip socks on. So you don’t get a splinter in your other foot and land us back in the ER.” I needed every ounce of my willpower to say that with a straight face.
He didn’t say a word as we climbed the steps and saw Lilly sleeping on the sofa. Chloe was still passed out on the love seat.
Mitchell gently tapped Lilly’s shoulder. “Hey, we’re back.”
Sitting up, she asked, “How big was the glass?”
Mitchell shot me a look that dared me to say something. I forced myself not to laugh.
“It wasn’t that big,” Mitchell said.
“They couldn’t even see it on the X-ray,” I quickly added.
Lilly stood. “X-ray? They took an X-ray?” It was clear she was also fighting to keep in her laughter.
“Lil, I owe you big time,” Mitchell said. “You want me to walk you back to your place?”
She glanced down to his feet. “You want to put shoes on first?”
Mitchell held his head high. “I actually like these socks.”
“What if you step on something else? Two trips to the ER could be costly,” Lilly said with a huge smile.
“Fine!” Mitchell went to his room to get shoes.
“Please tell me there was an on-duty cop there tonight,” Lilly said.
I shook my head. “Nope. He’d just left.”
“Damn. News will get out fast with Bobby Jo there.”
I agreed. “I think she was on the phone with someone when we were leaving.”
We both busted out laughing. My stomach was going to be sore from the hilarity of this evening.
“Let’s go,” Mitchell bit out.
Lilly’s eyes widened as she followed Mitchell down the steps. “Someone is a grumpy bug.”
Once I got my giggling under control, I walked over to Chloe. “Chloe, sweetheart, do you want to sleep in my bed or in Uncle Mitchell’s?”
Sleepy blue eyes met mine. “Uncle Mitchell’s.”
I scooped her up and carried her up the steps to Mitchell’s room. It was the only room I hadn’t been in yet.
The moment I walked in, I smiled. I knew in an instant Mitchell had his hand in designing this room. It had a masculine feel, with gray-blue walls and a dark gray comforter set. The furniture was huge, yet had a classic look. Everything was clean and neat. Not even a piece of clothing on the floor.
“Totally opposite of me,” I whispered.
Lilly must have woken Chloe up to put her pajamas on. I smiled as I set her on the bed and looked at her Disney princess PJs. Pulling the covers back, I lifted Chloe’s legs and covered her up.
“Aunt Corina?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Will you lie down with me?”
My heart started beating twice as fast as normal. “You want me to lie down with you? Um, Uncle Mitchell will be back any second.”
“Please, Aunt Corina? I had a really bad dream and it scared me. I want to be between you and Uncle Mitchell.”
Her little eyes looked so scared, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.
“Of course. Scoot over, sweetie.”
I felt him the moment he walked into the room.
“Uncle Mitchell, I had a bad dream. I need a happy sandwich.”
“Oh no, pumpkin. We can’t have you scared.”
Peeking up, I looked at him. “She asked me to lie down next to her. She wants you on the other side.”
He nodded. “Let me get my PJs on.”
I realized I had yet to get myself into pajamas. Chloe looked at me and yawned. “Do you have PJs here, Aunt Corina?”
“Um, yes, I do. I’ll let Uncle Mitchell get ready for bed first.”
Mitchell headed into his bathroom. I couldn’t read him at all. Was his heart racing like mine? Was the idea of both of us being in the same bed making him think of the night we’d spent together?
When he walked out of the bathroom, I let my eyes travel over his body. He had on sweats and a T-shirt.
My gosh, he is so handsome.
“I’ll, um, be right back, Chloe.”
“Hurry, Aunt Corina! There’s a monster in the house.”
Mitchell sat down on the bed. “I promise you, squirt, there are no monsters.”
Chloe chewed on her little lip.
“Uncle Mitchell is a police officer, Chloe. No monsters would dare come in here. You’ll be safe with him.”
She nodded. “I still would feel better if you laid down with me. I miss Mommy and Daddy.”
My heart broke a little. “Why don’t you go get ready,” Mitchell said to me. “We’ll say our prayers.”
I swallowed hard. “O-okay. Be right back.”
In the guest room, I changed into the pajamas one of the girls had given me. Thank goodness they were modest! A pair of cotton pants with a matching shirt from Victoria’s Secret.
After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I headed back to Mitchell’s room. If I was lucky, they would both be asleep and I could sneak back down to my room.
I heard Chloe’s sweet little voice as I walked up the steps.
Dang it.
When I stepped into the room, Mitchell was lying on his side, singing a song to Chloe.
Boom. There went my ovaries. This man was going to test every ounce of strength I had. Just when I thought I had my emotions in check, he went off and did something like this. Never mind earlier, when I walked in to find him singing and dancing. If he asked me right now to sneak out in the living room and have sex I’d probably do it.
Chloe looked at me, her eyes barely staying open. “I waited for you.”
I rushed to the bed and crawled under the covers. Mitchell had a California king-sized bed so there was no chance of even getting near him, and then there was Chloe, my safety buffer.
“Go to sleep now, Chloe.” I whispered. “Dream of happy things.”
She yawned. “Like what kind of happy things?”
I rolling onto my side, and my eyes met Mitchell’s. “Your mommy and daddy. Patches and all the ranch animals. Butterflies and kitty cats.”
“Where’s Milo?” Chloe asked.
As if on cue, he jumped up and made his way over to Chloe where he flopped down and began purring.
“Keep going,” Chloe whispered.
“Flowers in a meadow,” I added. “Golden retriever puppies.”
Mitchell lifted his brows in question. I shrugged and whispered, “They’re my favorite.”
He smiled.
Chloe mumbled, so I kept talking. “Princess games, playing in the rain, singing songs, family.”
When I heard Chloe breathing heavier, I knew she’d fallen asleep.
Mitchell and I stared at each other for the longest time before a sexy grin spread over his face. “Looks like I got you in my bed tonight after all.”
I scrunched my nose up. “I’m only in your bed because your niece asked me to sleep next to her.”
He pouted, and my stomach dropped. I’d never grow tired of looking at him. “Is that the only reason?”
My eyes fell to his soft lips. “Well, I also wanted to keep an eye on you. Make sure you didn’t need any pain meds in the middle of the night.”
The corners of Mitchell’s mouth rose into a full smile, and my chest pulled with a familiar ache. “Goodnight, Corina.”
I softly whispered, “Goodnight, Mitchell.”
I couldn’t pull my gaze off of him as he drifted off to sleep. Tears filled my eyes as I let the truth settle in my heart. I was in love with Mitchell Parker, and there was no denying it. This man came rushing into my life like a storm surge. He’d left a permanent mark on my heart that could never be erased. The only problem: could Mitchell love me like I needed him to?
Right before I closed my eyes, Mitchell looked over at me. It was as if we were both silently trying to figure this out. He lifted his arm and laid it across the pillows above Chloe’s head. His eyes pleaded as he motioned for my hand. I swallowed hard as I moved closer and laced my fingers with his. It felt like a million bolts of electricity raced through my body. It was clear Mitchell felt the same as he quickly took in a breath at our touch.
When he smiled, I was lost in a world I had imagined a million times in my head.
After a few minutes of gazing into each other’s eyes, I let sleep take over.
Rolling over, I took in a deep breath.
“Hmm.”
The heavenly smell of Mitchell. My eyes snapped open as I sat up in bed. One quick look around proved I hadn’t been dreaming last night. I had slept in Mitchell’s bed, with Chloe tucked in between us.
Chloe’s laughter rose from downstairs, followed by Mitchell’s voice. I pushing the covers off and made my way into Mitchell’s bathroom. I splashed my face and was about to leave when I realized this was the perfect opportunity to be a bit nosy.
Chewing on the corner of my lip, I took a look around. The man was a neat freak. I opened the cabinet under his sink to reveal nothing shocking. Cleaning supplies, extra shaving cream, soap, and shampoo. I turned to face the massive shower. I stepped inside and spun around while looking at all the heads. There must have been eight in there.
I closed my eyes and pictured Mitchell making love to me in the shower. A slow smile moved over my face before I shook my head and said, “What are you doing, Corina? Get a grip, for Pete’s sake.”
Leaving the bathroom, I looked at the side tables next to the massive bed. One peek at the door and I made my way over to the side I’d slept on. “What are you doing, you idiot? You are not a snoop.”
I spun on my heels and went to leave, but froze. “Maybe one little peek.”
Turning back, I pulled the drawer open. I could hear Chloe and Mitchell downstairs. My eyes widened in shock at what I saw: a gun sitting on top of a men’s Bible study book.
“Not what I was expecting,” I whispered as I covered my mouth to hide a giggle.
Okay, enough of that. What did I think I’d find? Condoms?
I started for the door when I remembered the other side table drawer. My pace slowed and some unseen force brought me to the other side of the bed.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled the drawer open. It was filled with stuff. Chargers, a notebook, money. Money? Who puts money in a side drawer of their bed? I pushed the notebook to the side and saw a small blue box. My heart dropped when I realized it was a jewelry box.
Should I look at what was inside? Had Mitchell planned on asking someone to marry him at some point? Why did he have a ring box in his bedside drawer? If it was a ring, shouldn’t it be in a safe or something?
I rolled my eyes. This was Oak Springs, not Chicago.
My curiosity got the better of me. I picked up the notebook and set it on the nightstand as I reached for the ring box. Holding my breath, I opened it to see a beautiful emerald ring.
“Oh my,” I whispered.
A loud bang from downstairs scared me and I shut the jewelry box and put it back. When I reached for the notebook, I accidently bumped it, causing it to fall to the ground. It had opened face down on the floor. Grabbing it, I turned it over and went to close it when I saw my name.
I started to read what was written on the page. Covering my mouth, I sat on the bed and got lost in the words.
I closed the notebook and slipped it into the drawer. Standing, I attempted to calm my racing heart. Mitchell had feelings for me too. He was as affected by me as I was by him. And he wrote about it in a journal. If that didn’t make me fall head over heels, I don’t know what would. Taking in a few deep breaths, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I needed to pretend I hadn’t just read his thoughts.
“Be cool, Corina,” I whispered as I headed down the hallway. Rounding the corner, I saw Chloe sitting on the kitchen island. Mitchell stood with his back to me. He had a giant paper hat and apron on.
“Good morning, Aunt Corina!” Chloe shouted in the happiest of voices.
I smiled at her. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
When I forced my eyes to Mitchell, all I could do was stare. He was holding a spatula and his apron said, I turn grills on. His dark hair was messy and he had on a muscle shirt that nicely showcased every ripped and defined part of his anatomy.
“You…um…cook?”
Okay, is that the best you could come up with, Corina?
Mitchell pulled his head back in surprise. “Heck yeah, I cook. And good morning to you too, sleepyhead. Chloe already watched a movie while I went for a run, and you slept in.”
Focusing on Chloe, I said, “You’ve already watched a movie this morning?”
She nodded. “Uncle Mitchell promised me French toast when he got back from his run.”
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Ten.”
“Ten?” I practically shouted.
Laughing, Mitchell asked, “Do you have plans or something?”
“Oh, I hope not. Uncle Mitchell was gonna take me ice skating. Please come, Aunt Corina.”
Chloe was making it very hard for me to pretend to be angry with Mitchell. “Ice skating? Where could you possibly find ice skating in the middle of summer?”
Mitchell let out a rumbling laugh that moved through my body. “We do have ice rinks in Texas, Corina.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know that, but near Oak Springs?”
“Yep.”
Did I want to spend more time with Mitchell? Or to stick with my original plan of being pissed off at him? Who was I kidding? I was far from angry with him. Still, as much as I wanted to, I wasn’t ready to let him in.
At least not yet.