Possess Me by Michelle Heard

 

Chapter 36

 

Everleigh

 

I’m woken by Vincent, who’s bouncing on my bed. “Come on, Mommy. I want to see Daddy.”

“Then go to him,” I mumble.

“He’s not here,” Vincent complains. “Get up so we can go to him.”

My eyes pop open. “What do you mean he’s not here?”

My boy gives me a worried look. “He’s gone.”

Climbing out of bed, I walk to the living room, but there’s no sign of Alek. I peek through the curtains, and seeing the car is gone as well, I let out a sigh.

“Daddy had to go to work,” I tell Vincent. “And we have to get ready for the day so we can go to the bookstore.”

Vincent’s face crumbles, and he starts to ugly-cry. “But I want my daddy!”

I rush forward, and picking him up, I coo, “Aww, you’ll see your daddy again. Mommy will call him.”

Crap, I don’t have his number.

I’ll ask Rosalie for Alek’s number.

“There-there. Let’s get ready for the day. You can have something from the coffee shop for breakfast. Okay?”

He sniffles as I carry him to his room, and while I’m dressing him, he says, “What if the angels take Daddy back again?”

“That’s not going to happen, baby.” I wipe the tears from his face. “There’s no backsies.”

Vincent nods and seems to be calming down. “I want a chocolate muffin from the coffee shop.”

Dear God. This child and his sweet tooth will be the end of me.

When Vincent is dressed, I take him to my bathroom so he can brush his teeth while I try to flatten the patch of hair that refuses to go down.

While I’m busy, he mumbles around the toothbrush, “When will I have hair like my daddy?”

“At the rate your hair grows, probably by the end of the month.”

His face lights up. “Yay!”

“You’re spitting toothpaste everywhere,” I chastise him. “Finish up while Mommy gets ready.” I hurry into the bedroom and grab a summer dress that has a green leaf pattern on it. Matching it with sandals, I head back to the bathroom.

Vincent is rinsing out his mouth, then he grins so I can see his teeth.

“Good, boy.” I lift him off the little step stool. “Watch TV while Mommy showers.”

“No, I want to get my favorite cars so I can show them to Daddy.”

“Okay.”

When he hurries out of the bathroom, I quickly switch on the faucets. While the water warms up, I brush my teeth and pin my hair up so it won’t get wet.

I shower at the speed of light, and once I’m dressed, I free my hair and pull a brush through it while I walk to Vincent’s room.

“Are you ready, baby?”

“Yes.” He comes into the hallway with his arms full of cars.

“We need a bag for those.” I grab one from his closet and help him place the cars inside. “Let’s go.”

I grab my house keys and quickly leave the house before locking the door.

When we’re finally in the car, and I’m driving to town, I let out a sigh of relief. I hate opening the bookstore late. It messes with our routine, and then Vincent gets cranky.

I park in front of the store and gather my bag. As I climb out, I see April coming out of the coffee shop to have a smoke break. My eyes widen when I notice her black eye and busted lip.

“April, what happened to you?”

“I went on a date, and the guy got a little violent,” she says, not looking bothered by the fact that a man beat her up.

“Jesus. Did you press charges?”

She shakes her head. “It’s too much trouble.”

What the hell? I’ll never understand how some people’s minds work.

I open the door, and lifting Vincent out of the car seat, I place him on his feet before taking his hand. I walk to my store, and while I unlock the door, I glance at April again. “Can you bring a chocolate muffin over for Vincent?”

“Sure, let me just finish this cigarette. Do you want anything?”

“No, I’m good.”

I push the door open and let go of Vincent’s hand. “Go put your bag in your corner, baby.”

Walking to the little kitchenette, I switch on the coffee machine.

My thoughts turn to April, and I shake my head.

A man must try to hit me. It will be the last thing he does.

Not only will I knee the bejesus out of him, but I’m pretty sure Alek would kill him.

The thought makes me pause, and I focus on how good it feels to know there’s someone I can turn to if I need help.

I have Alek back.

I hear the doorbell jingle and walk to the front. April holds a paper bag out to me. “One chocolate muffin.”

“Your breakfast is here, baby,” I call.

“Yay!” Vincent comes barreling around an aisle of books, and taking the paperback, he hurries back to his corner.

“Listen,” April says to get my attention. “Have you seen a guy with dark blonde hair hanging around? He’s about five foot nine. Seems nice?”

“Barry?” I ask, a frown forming on my forehead.

“Yeah.” She gives me a look of warning. “Apparently, he’s doing his rounds up and down the street. He’s the guy I went on a date with.”

“Barry is the man who hit you?” I gasp.

“Yeah. Just be careful of him. He’s real smooth until you won’t sleep with him.”

“Jesus,” I whisper. “He tried his luck with me the other day.” I walk to the counter, and opening the cash register, I take ten dollars out. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks, Everleigh.” I watch as she leaves the store before I go back to the kitchen to make some coffee. I pour milk into a sippy cup and take it to Vincent, who’s making a royal mess of the muffin.

“Clean your hands and face when you’re done,” I say before I go sit at the counter to enjoy my coffee.

I can’t believe what April told me. I knew there was something off about Barry. I feel sorry for April, though. It must’ve been traumatizing.

Opening my laptop, I check the bestsellers lists to see if there are any new popular releases. I try to stay up to date with what’s happening in the book world.

The doorbell jingles again, and my eyes dart to the entrance. Seeing Alek dressed in an immaculate three-piece suit, my heart skips a beat before carrying on at a wild pace.

Damn, he looks good.

I’m still drooling when he comes around the counter. He places his hands on either side of my hips and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Morning, moya malen'kaya lyubov'.”

I swoon a little as I whisper, “Morning.”

“Daddy!” Vincent shouts, and Alek hardly has time to brace as our son runs toward him.

“Your hands,” I yell, but it’s too late.

Alek lifts Vincent from his feet, and in horror, I watch as my son’s chocolate-covered hands ruin Alek’s jacket.

The doorbell jingles again, and Rosalie comes in with two coffees she must’ve gotten from the coffee shop.

“I’m so sorry about your jacket. I’ll have it dry-cleaned.”

“It’s okay,” Alek chuckles. “A little chocolate never killed anyone.”

“Hi,” Rosalie says, and holding one of the cups out to me, she smiles. “I brought a peace offering. In my defense, I didn’t know you had a history with Alek.”

“Yeah, and you wanted to hook me up with one of the new employees. Can you imagine how that would’ve gone?” I tease her to lessen the tension between us.

“New employee?” Alek asks, a dark frown on his face. “What new employee?”

Rosalie rolls her eyes at him. “I wanted to arrange a blind date between Everleigh and you.”

Immediately Alek relaxes then he grins at me. “See, even Rosalie thinks we make a great couple.”

“Don’t gang up on me,” I warn them. I point to the back of the store. “There’s a restroom in the back. Will you wash Vincent’s hands, please?”

“Sure.”

When Alek walks away, Rosalie takes hold of my hand and gives it a squeeze. “How are you doing? Viktor told me everything last night.”

“I’m processing everything.” I smile so she’ll feel better. “You didn’t know. I’m not angry.”

The worry doesn’t leave her eyes. “But how are you doing?”

“It’s a shock,” I admit. “I’m trying to focus on the positive. Vincent has his dad back.”

“And you? Do you think things will work out between you and Alek?”

I shrug. “It’s way too soon to say.”

“I want you to know I’m here for you. I don’t want this to affect our friendship. I like spending time with you.”

“I like hanging out with you, too,” I say to reassure her, but I can’t help mention, “I’m just not comfortable with the whole ‘bratva’ thing.”

“I understand.” Rosalie lets go of my hand and picks up her cup of coffee. “If you have any questions, just ask.”

“Mommy, look,” Vincent calls out. “Daddy did my hair.”

My eyes fly to Vincent’s head, where the short strands are perfectly in place.

“How did you get the strands to stay down?” I ask.

“Magic,” Alek chuckles. “And years of experience. That’s why I wear my hair on the longer side.”

Seeing Vincent and Alek together makes my heart squeeze. Our son really looks just like his daddy.

I glance between Rosalie and Alek, then ask, “Did you come together?”

“Yes, but I need to get home.” She glances at Alek. “I’ll have Peter drive me home.”

“Tell him to go to the house to make sure the men are doing their work,” Alek says.

“Will do.” Rosalie shoots me a smile. “I’ll call you so we can arrange a play date.”

“Okay.”

After Rosalie leaves, I glance at Alek. “You can put Vincent down. He has a little space in the corner where he plays during the day.”

Alek widens his eyes at Vincent. “You have a little corner?”

“Yes.” Our boy points to the back. “It’s that way.”

I shake my head as I watch them disappear behind an aisle of books.

“I brought all my favorite cars to show you, Daddy.”

A smile spreads over my face, and picking up the cup of coffee Rosalie brought for me, I take a sip as I continue to check the bestsellers lists.

I hear Vincent’s chuckle and Alek’s deep voice, and my smile grows.