CHAPTER NINETEEN
DID DYLAN whimper? Myah brought her brain on alert only to find a hard, warm chest floating her up and down as lungs expanded and contracted. Greg.
She pushed off and blinked to take in the fully-lit living room. Keir’s soft snore ended in a snort. His eyes closed tight before they blinked open and squinted at her. The soft gaze lingered, then snapped wide.
“Jolie.” His voice came out in a roughened rasp as he sat up with a start. His body heat fled with him. He angled his elbows on his thighs to rub his face, checked his watch, then he exhaled and looked back at her. “I gotta’ go, babe.”
Go? What? They’d barely become conscious and he wanted to walk out the door and drive? Was he okay to drive? She glanced at the wall clock showing her it was after two. “I need to wake Dylan.”
When she rose, a strong hand strapped around her wrist and brought her back. For a minute they sat side by side staring at each other in silence. Slowly, she raised her free hand and delicately traced her middle finger from the bridge of his nose to soothe wrinkles under each sleep-laden, puffy eye, one at a time.
Keir’s lids closed as she pampered his face and smoothed stress lines all the way to his hairline. At one point he puckered his lips and kissed her passing palm. She laughed, and the brown eyes opened in a dreamy look.
“Keep that up I’ll fall asleep behind the wheel. You’ll have to do it again when I have time to stay.”
“Oh, you think you’ll get to stay?”
Keir gently caught her other wrist, his thumbs massaged the insides. “I like it when you touch me. I like your hands.” He slid to massage her palms.
She’d always hated the rough and wrinkled texture of her hands. Keir liked them. That meant a lot.
His thoughtful face said he wanted to say more, but must have changed his mind. He bit his lip, cringed, then hissed in a breath with a chuckle. “Haylan dropped Jolie off in my garage—my house garage—and I need to get to her.”
They rose at the same time. She rubbed his hand between hers as she followed him to the front door, mildly annoyed that he chose to leave her for a dog. “See you later in the morning.”
“I’ll pick you up at eleven.” He twisted just enough to plant a kiss on her forehead before yanking the door open and disappearing into the brisk night.
After he drove out of sight, Myah woke Dylan and had him use the washroom before letting him fall asleep again. His cries of woe and pain tore at her all the while. She doused the lights and curled on top of his bed. She thought of Keir’s pepperoni promise. We share things. Even their problems? No man stayed for her problems. Not her father, not Greg.
Now Keir said he wanted to be responsible for her and Dylan. She had to be responsible for him. Wait, did that include the dog?
WITH four hours of sleep under her belt, morning came too soon. Grocery shopping turned into a juggling act. She’d left Dylan’s stroller at her sister’s, and opted to carry his listless form when he refused to go in the metal seat. He’d been so out of it he hadn’t noticed Jolie scurry about in the carrier cage beside him. The florescent bright lights bounced off the polished floor and made her even more aware that the night’s sleep hadn’t been long enough. Keir pushed the cart, looking like he, too, hadn’t slept a wink.
At some point he must have felt sorry for her. Although accustomed to Dylan in her arms, Keir pried him away so she could replenish what she discarded unrestricted. Every time she turned around, a new item sat in the cart: a brand of bread she didn’t use, toothpaste, oranges, pears, razorblades.
When men’s daily vitamins were thrown into the mix, she smiled to herself. It would be interesting to shop for a household of three; to pick up men’s products without a second thought as she’d seen others and her sister do. She’d go for more than miniature tightie-whities, they’d be…she looked over…boxer briefs.
Emitting an involuntary noise, she turned to the display of deodorants.
“You good?” asked Keir.
She only half turned with a muffled, “Mh-hm.”
With Dylan draped over a shoulder, Keir paused to read the back of a men’s care product. Myah erased the underwear image as best she could to study the foreign brands in the cart. She’d never been down this road. The simple act to shop with a man.
Images of the promise from last night and their intense special minutes after they awoke penetrated her thoughts. There were a lot of firsts with Keir. Moments too passionate to absorb all at once. Her heart stuttered that she let herself be indebted to a man. What did he expect in return that she couldn’t supply?
She shook her head. Their intimacy went beyond physical. But it frightened her that he wouldn’t be the man or she wouldn’t be the woman each needed them to be when the relationship was tested.
God, I don’t want to follow my own heart with him. Guide me. Show us the path.
Half in thought, she browsed the boneless chicken breast prices. Keir stopped in line at the meat counter, and Myah did a double take. She never bought anything at the butcher’s counter. She looked around before deciding it wasn’t anything weird, then wheeled the cart to a nook out of the way.
It appeared Keir did this regularly, and when he placed three packages in one section and two in the other, she gasped and clutched his sleeve. He remembered what she’d thrown out.
“Thank you. You’re the best. You cook, too?”
He owned a lopsided grin as they resumed their walk. “Wipe that surprised look off your face, I might tell you.”
She placed a finger over her straight mouth. Cutting his eyes, he brushed his knuckles over her chin in a fun test of her solemn sincerity. It was odd but comfortable to be open and affectionate in public. Greg had taken her out often, but never touched her except in private. She regretted how she’d ended Keir’s kiss last night. Greg always used to massage her from shoulder to hip. It disgusted her that it’s the first place her mind descended.
Keir took over the cart to steer it down the next aisle. “Let’s see. I make a mean meatloaf, shepherd’s pie, and cabbage rolls.”
“Yumcious. Impressive. Anything not loaded with meat?”
“Not loaded with meat? I don’t understand. Is that a trick question?”
She bounced him with her hip.
“Hey, careful with the love of your life here.”
She feigned shock then winked at his deep blush even though she understood he spoke of Dylan.
Sliding his gaze away, Keir gestured to the groceries. “Do you want to come over tomorrow? I’ll grill steak if you bring the salad.”
“Potato, green, macaroni, or bean?”
“Green.”
“Sounds good.” And she’d already grabbed cherry tomatoes.
Dylan stirred in Keir’s arms. She’d put ointment and a fresh bandage on his face, but would let it air when they returned home. He opened his eyes and found her, then frowned as he pushed away to see if he approved of who carried him. He and Keir exchanged a look before his arms spread around Keir’s neck, and he settled in.
I know, Dyl. He’s snuggable huggable.
Keir drove them home and promised to call later from the shop. Myah got her own snuggle on the couch with Dylan as he fought his cold in labored breaths. He half played with his toy soldier, but since the children’s channel held no interest, he soon fell asleep.
Myah tugged her phone from her back pocket and sprinkled light kisses on his lacerated chin as she dialed.
“Hi, Aunt Myah.”
“Hello, Laya.”
“How goes it?”
“Good and bad. Hon, is your mom in?” Ingrid must have been close because she answered in an instant. “Sis. Just called to see what trouble you’re into.”
“Couldn’t you tell? Laya’s got the bug, coughing up a storm this week.”
“I’m fighting something, too, but had to stay up with Dyl all night.”
“Aww. What happened to my little boo?”
Myah smiled through her fatigue. Throughout the time with Ingrid’s family, including her sister holding her hand through childbirth, Ingrid proved to be Dylan’s second mom. Myah knew should anything happen to her, it would be Ingrid and her family, not Greg, who’d raise him.
She ran through the events of the previous day, through to the grocery run.
“And you’ve been so enamored you forgot to tell me you’re dating? This is big news! Your other one-date-wonders never stocked your fridge. I need to meet him.”
“Maybe in a couple of weeks. It’s too early to meet families, we just established we’re…” What? “…dating. That’s all.” Though everything in her screamed it was more, that she’d known him forever. She smiled at nothing.
“All right. He sounds nice so congratulations, I hope it works. Now, on to important matters, you know you’re never going to get better staying up all night.”
“No kidding. I have a huge headache, but Dylan needed a forty-eight hour watch. One more night to go.”
“Nonsense. Bring him here. I’m off the night shift and have four days to kill.”
“I’m better at doing favors than taking them. I don’t know why you and Miss Violet are so good to me.”
“Because you did the same when the kids were small and Ed and I needed a break. And Miss V has raised more kids than you have hair on your head.” Ingrid laughed at her own sorry joke. “I’ll take Dylan until Sunday. It’ll give you a couple of days.”
“Don’t let Laya be kissing on him while she’s all germsy.”
“Darren survived, didn’t he?” The two of them cracked up in stomach-aching laughter. “I’m surprised Mom and Dad didn’t keep him under lock and key the way we thought he was a living doll. I don’t think a boy has ever been so accidentally beat up in all his life.”
Myah snickered. With some of the stunts they pulled, she was surprised they hadn’t killed him. “Oh, I forgot. Keir’s doing a grill for us tomorrow. He has a puppy, and I don’t want Dylan to let this incident ramp up his fear of dogs. He gets along with this one, Ingrid. You should see him. On the way home today he even put his hand inside her cage. I think it’s good exposure for him. Sick ‘n all.”
“Have I not taught you ‘Rest and Recover’?”
“Rolling my eyes now.”
“Girl, I’m going to beat you when I see you. You both need rest.”
“And we will, just not at our place. I’ll bring him by afterward. Promise. But he’s attached himself to something that’s alive and breathing, and he did it all on his own.”
“He has a dog, this amazes me. Since when do you like dogs?”
“Since the man I like likes dogs.”
“All right, all right, but let it be known you chose your boyfriend and a canine over your health.”
“Yeah, yeah. You know I wouldn’t do it if it jeopardized Dylan’s health. And, Ingriddy? He’s white.”
“The dog?”
“Yes, Ingrid, I’m going to tell you the dog is white.”
A throaty sound of intrigue came through the line. “Now I really need to meet him, this, Keir? Okey-dokey, love. Keep Dylan warm and hydrated. Yourself, too.”
“Yes, Nurse Johnson.”
When they ended the call, Myah snuggled closer to Dylan to breathe in his little-boy scent and press more kisses on him. He stirred. She ought to sleep while he was knocked out, but she had laundry and dishes to do.
She put him to bed, then dashed down the hall to the kitchen. Weekends were prime time for dates, perhaps she and Keir could spend the whole day together tomorrow. She did a little jig and packed the dishwasher.