Until Tia by K.L. Humphreys
Tia
I step into the office and flick on the lights, it’s almost eight and the excitement is brimming through my body. I’ve heard so much about Marcus that I can’t wait to meet him. I'm not sure what drove me to tell Christopher that I'd watch Marcus, especially as I have hardly any experience with children. The only kid I've ever been around is November's daughter, July. I guess I wanted to make a good impression and I spoke before I really thought about what I was saying.
He caught me off guard when he called last night, but as always whenever I hear his voice I was immediately put at ease. Hell he even got me to talk about Jamie, something I hate doing, but thankfully, I stopped myself before I said too much.
The elevator dings alerting me to it arriving on the floor. Christopher steps out and he's closely followed by a mini version of himself. My palms start to sweat and my knees start to shake, I'm so nervous.
He smiles at me. My heart stops for a beat. God, I want more of those smiles. I want them solely for me. "Marcus, this is Tia," he says putting his hand on his son’s back and pushing him forward so that he's standing in front of me. "Tia, this is my son, Marcus." The pride in Christopher's voice is heart-warming, I can't help but grin at him.
"Hey, there, little man," I say as I get up from my seat and walk over to Marcus, his eyes widen as I get closer to him. My heart aches at the frightened look he has, one that I see in myself so very often. I crouch down in front of him so that we're face to face, I want him to be at ease around me, just as I am around his father.
He shifts on his feet from side to side and I hate that he's nervous at all. Children shouldn't be like this. "My name's Tia, but my friends call me, T. What do your friends call you?"
That gets a tiny smile from him, he shrugs, "Marcus, but my daddy calls me bud."
I can't help the grin that takes over my face. He said more than a single word to me, I feel as though it's a good sign. "Yeah? You don't look like a bud, you look more like a Thor," I tell him knowing that he’s a huge superhero fan.
He giggles and my gaze goes to Christopher who's staring at us with a weird look on his face.
"Tia, I'm not Thor, I'm Marcus. Thor is magical." The exuberance on his face is something to witness, he’s the sweetest little boy ever.
I turn my attention back to the beautiful little boy that's right in front of me. "You're magical too."
He shakes his head, "Nuh-uh."
I smile, "Uh-huh. Your smiles are magical, they make your daddy smile and they make me smile. Your hugs, I bet if you asked your dad, he'd tell you they were the best in the world." He turns his head to Christopher who nods in agreement with me. "I'd even go as far to say that they make everything better."
"Like Daddy's does for me?" he says adamantly.
"Yeah, but I reckon yours are so much better," I tell him with a bright smile.
He tilts his head and thinks about what I've just said and that action reminds me so much of his father. Christopher does that when he's concentrating. Seeing it from a six-year-old is adorable and he's obviously been studying his father.
“Daddy’s the best, he saved me. I don't get hurt anymore."
My heart breaks for him.
"He did? He's an amazing man. I'm sorry you were hurt. Sometimes people aren't nice and they hurt us, but that doesn't mean we did anything wrong." The words are spilling from my mouth and I can't stop them. All I want to do is take this little boy into my arms and protect him. I hate that he was hurt. How can someone be so cruel as to harm such an innocent child?
"Daddy will protect you too." God, this boy, he sees too much, but is the sweetest thing ever.
I give him a smile, one that I know doesn't reach my eyes. "Your dad is a good man." It's true, Christopher is, but just because I believe that deep down, I can't get my brain to compute that. I'm so used to being in fear around a man that it doesn't matter who it is when they're close, my first reaction is to be afraid. I have to force myself not to flinch, not to react, but sometimes it's hard.
"Come on, bud, say goodbye to Tia, you'll see her later after school," Christopher tells him and I glance up and see the intense look he has on his face as he looks at me.
I get to my feet and move back toward my desk; I need to put distance between Christopher and I. I said too much today, he knows more than I had ever wished him to.
I'm broken and there's no way that I'll ever be whole. Jamie destroyed me and there's not enough glue in this world to piece me back together.
"I'll see you later, Marcus. Have a good day at school," I tell him as I wave goodbye. Christopher's gaze is still on me, it's unnerving.
"See you later, Tia," Marcus says softly.
I turn my attention to the computer screen and power it on. I need to keep busy, otherwise I'm going to look at them both and I know if I do, I'll want them. Both of them and I can't have them. They both deserve better than me. They deserve someone who'll be able to love them unconditionally and without hesitation. Someone who'll not be afraid or constantly looking behind their shoulder.
The elevator doors close and I sigh in relief, I'm able to breathe again. Being around Christopher is hard, but add Marcus too and it's almost impossible to focus on anything other than them. There's no doubt about it, they'd be so easy to fall in love with.
I push them out of my mind and focus on the tasks I need to do for today. I log into my emails and have a few that need to be replied to immediately. Soon, I'm so immersed in work that I don't notice the time going by.
The elevator doors open and I glance up expecting it to be Christopher, but when three tall men step out my heart rate skyrockets. They move as one, each of them smiling as they walk toward me. One of the men is dressed smartly, whereas the other two are in black tees and jeans.
I glance around the room trying to find a place I can escape to as they get closer to me. Ringing sounds in my ears as my heart gallops and my head pounds.
"Tia, right?" the guy in the suit asks with a bright smile as the other two men take a step back.
I nod. "Yeah," I say in a wobbly voice, it takes me a few moments but I'm able to push the panic back. "I'm sorry, do you have an appointment?"
He shakes his head. "Fucking Chris," he mutters. "Christopher didn't tell you we were coming?"
"No, I'm sorry, he didn't. I think he's had a lot on his mind."
The broadest of the men steps forward, "I'm Sully, Chris should have told you we were coming. I apologize for scaring you." His voice is even and I don't like it, I can't read him. His friend, the one with the ponytail has a scowl on his face, he's pissed. The man in the suit looks upset, but Sully, I can't read him.
I get to my feet, the need to put them at ease immediately hits me. "You're fine, I'm sorry. Can I get you coffee? Tea?"
Sully shakes his head, "No, you're fine, Tia. Don't mind us, we'll wait in Chris' office until he gets here."
Hope spurs within me, if they're in Christopher's office, they're not out here crowding me. I can deal with that. "Are you sure?" As always, my manners are at the forefront.
The suit man gives me a reassuring smile. "We're sure."
I skirt around my desk and move toward Christopher's office, the men don't follow me instead they all stand back and watch me. I open the office door and turn back to them. "If you need anything, please let me know."
"Thanks, Tia," Sully says when I get back to my desk. The other men smile before going into Christopher's office, but Sully hangs back. "We'll never hurt you, hon. Neither will Christopher. Any man that hurts a woman isn't a man."
"Okay," I whisper, hating that we're having this conversation.
"I promise you, no harm will come to you here."
I lick my lips, "I know that, I really do."
He glances at the office door and lowers his voice. "But you've conditioned yourself to be wary. I get it, I really do but, Tia, don't let whoever hurt you rule your life."
"What if I can't? Hmm, what if they won't let me be?"
His eyes flash with anger before he quickly masks it. "Have you spoken to the police?" I nod, wondering why the hell I opened my mouth. "Let me guess, they can't find him or they can't do anything about it until they have proof?"
"They can't find him," I whisper. "I'm okay," I try to reassure him.
Before he's able to respond the elevator dings and the doors open. We both turn to see Christopher standing there, his gaze going from me to Sully and then back again. "Everything okay here?" Instantly I feel safe and that worries me more than anything.
Sully knocks his knuckles on my desk, "Take care of yourself, Tia."
"You too, Sully," I reply and watch as he walks into Christopher's office.
"Are you okay?" Christopher asks as he comes to stand beside me. I nod, unable to speak, I'm still shocked that I feel safe around him. I'm not sure how the hell this happened, but he's gotten to me. "Hey, Tia, what's going on?"
I shake my head, "Nothing, honestly, I'm okay. There're two other men waiting in your office for you."
He curses as he glances at the door before shifting his gaze back at me. He looks conflicted as though he wants to say something to me.
"Go, they're waiting for you," I urge him, hoping he'll listen because right now I need the space to think.
He hesitates for a second before walking toward his office; when he gets to the door, he glances back at me and I know the look that crosses his face is one of regret.