Be My Hero(47)

EVA



Reese was more than willing to help me out. "I know you've only been  gone a day, but I already miss you. I had to do a load of my own laundry  this morning. And I actually had to cook last night. It was awful."

I laughed. "Oh, now I see why you hadn't kicked me out yet."

"I know. Not everyone has a free live-in maid. Seriously, E., I never  realized how much you did around our place since you came to stay with  us. But Mason and I definitely noticed it after Sky was born and you  were stuck in the hospital. You do realize you didn't have to take over  all the cooking and housework just because we took you in, right?"

I shrugged, unable to tell her how strongly I'd felt the need to pay her  back somehow. "I actually enjoyed it. I never got to do that kind of  stuff when I was growing up. We always had people to cook and clean for  us, and my mother made such menial tasks sound like they were beneath  us."

"God, it's crazy how different our mothers are when they were raised by the same parents."

Reese braked at the entrance to the first grocery store we came across  in Pick's neighborhood. Yikes, was that a prostitute hanging around just  outside the entrance? When a beat up car stopped along the curb beside  her, the passenger side window rolled down and the driver waved some  cash at her. She hobbled forward in her tight skirt and heels and hopped  into the passenger's seat. Reese and I we exchanged similar, wary  glances.

"Anyway," she said as she pulled right back out of the exit and started  toward the grocer we used closer to her apartment. "My mom always made  me clean my room and do my own laundry once I turned sixteen. Then I had  supper night and one Saturday morning breakfast a month."

Reese had no idea how well she had it by getting Aunt Andrea for her  mom, and not mine. But I couldn't tell her just how fortunate she was.  So I kept my trap shut and glanced back to check on both babies. They  were so cute, all bundled up in their car seats, side by side. Julian  looked like a hulking gorilla next to petite little Skylar, and she  looked pasty pale next to his nice mocha skin tone. They made the  perfect contrast, and I felt grateful to have them both with me for as  long as Julian would be under my care. I already knew I was going to  miss him like crazy when Pick no longer needed me.         

     



 



***



Shopping with Reese and two infants was quite an experience. We needed  two carts to carry around both kids, and I swear Reese had to ooh and  ahh over every brand of kids' cereal and ice cream; she was such a  five-year-old at heart sometimes, but I loved that about her.

I had checked Pick's cabinets before leaving for the store to see what  exactly he needed; I swear, the list would've been shorter if I'd  written down what he didn't need instead. The man had nothing. But he'd  left a butt-load of cash with me, more than Mason and Reese had to  grocery shop with. So we might've gotten a little carried away.

One thing was for sure, Pick wouldn't be able to complain about an  un-stocked pantry any time soon, and Julian now had a good month's worth  of diapers. Reese had to impulse buy a sucker at the checkout line. The  cherry scent it emitted as soon as she unwrapped it and started in  before she'd even purchased it induced me into tossing my own sucker  onto the pile of groceries.

She was such a bad influence.

On the way back to Pick's apartment, the babies slept in their car seats  while Reese and I sat up front, working our way through our lollipops.

At one stoplight, she popped hers free of her mouth to waggle her brows at me. "So how was spending the night with Pick?"

I rolled my eyes and pointed my sucker at her threateningly. "Don't start with me. He's married."

"So? His wife left him."

"He's still married to her, and he's not going to change that any time soon. I already told you why he needs to stay married."

She had to mumble around her lollipop when she stuck it back into her  mouth. "Yeah, I still don't understand why that's keeping you from  claiming him. It's obvious to everyone you two are completely into each  other."

"Because he's married, Ree Ree." How many times did I have to repeat that?

"Yeah, but it's not like a real marriage. They've never even kissed."

I sighed. "But he's still connected in some way to another woman. How  would you feel if Mason married me just to give Sky and I some  insurance?"

Reese instantly frowned. "That's different."

I lifted my eyebrows. "Oh, is it? How?"

"Because . . . because Mason and I are already engaged."

"So?" I lifted my arms, needing more of a reason than that. "What if  Pick and I started something and decided we wanted to get engaged too?  Then what? He can't divorce her."

"Okay, fine. You have a point." She rolled her eyes before mumbling, "I  just wanted you to have a happily ever after, like I found."

Well, so did I. But Reese and I were two totally different people, and I  had a feeling I'd never end up with any of the gifts she'd been given. I  just didn't deserve that, even though I'd already received the most  precious bundle of all, still snoozing beside Julian in the back seat.

Reese left the issue alone after that, thank goodness. She ended up  sticking around the rest of the afternoon to help me put groceries away  and play with the babies.

She booted up Pharrell's "Happy" on her iPhone and danced Julian around  the kitchen while Skylar napped in the bouncer and I finished the  hamburger helper I was cooking. Pick made it home from the garage in the  middle of our supper-fixing party.

"Hey, little man, guess who's home?" Reese smiled at Pick before letting  out a low, appreciative whistle. "Yowza. You know, all you Forbidden  boys look fine in those tight black T-shirts you have to wear to the  club, but this greasy, fresh from the auto shop look is even better on  you. Yummy."

Pick arched me a shocked glance. "Did Lowe's woman just hit on me?"

"What?" Reese asked, clueless. "I can appreciate the aesthetic appeal of  male beauty whenever I see it. Mason doesn't care if I look; he knows  no one else can compare to him. But seriously, I'm going to have to buy  this getup for him too, so we can play Naughty Mechanic sometime."

"Wow." Pick shook his head, stunned. "You are the complete opposite of your boyfriend, aren't you?"

Reese scowled. "What do you mean?"

"At work, that boy avoids women like the plague, never checks them out,  and he never shares details about you two . . . I mean, other than the  jelly thing."

Reese gasped, turning a bright tomato red. "I am so going to kill him  for that. Now if you two will excuse me, I need to go home and . . .  punish my man, probably with a nice strawberry or grape." She touched  her chin thoughtfully. "Though he does have an affinity for peach jam."

While Pick burst out laughing, I rolled my eyes. "Okay, enough. Cut that kind of talk out. Not in front of my children, please."

Reese arched an eyebrow. "Your children?"         

     



 

I flushed hard, and met Pick's grinning gaze before frowning at my  cousin. "The children. Grr. Just . . . quit correcting my grammar. Go  home and spank your boyfriend with flavored jelly already."

Reese tossed back her head and laughed before turning to Pick and handing Julian over. "Yours, I believe."

"Thank you." He took the boy into his arms. "And thanks for keeping Tinker Bell company today."

"No, thank you for fixing up my engine," Reese shot back with a small curtsy. "It runs like a whole new car."

He sighed, disagreeing. "It's still a piece of shit, so let me know if  anything ever sounds strange or acts funny, especially if you're going  to keep driving my children all over kingdom come in it."

Reese glanced back at me and made a pleasantly shocked face before  mouthing the words, "He's a keeper." Then, she turned back to Pick and  patted his cheek indulgently. "Will do, boss. I assume E. will be  playing sleepover again since I checked Mason's work schedule and  already know you'll be working at the club tonight."

Pick glanced at me but turned back to answer Reese before waiting for my reply. "Sounds like a plan."

Reese winked. "Take care of my girls for me, then."

She skipped up on her tiptoes and slapped a quick kiss to his cheek,  right where she'd just patted it. Then she waved goodbye to me.  "Toodles, Tinker Bell. Love ya."

I rolled my eyes. "Bye, Sweet Pea. Love you too."

After Reese had floated out of the room and we heard the front door open  and shut, Pick lifted his eyebrows. "Wow. Is she always so . . . "

I laughed. "Yes. Yes, she is. But I love her to death. She's the only person I know I can trust implicitly."

His smile faded as his eyes turned warm and caring. "You can trust me  too, you know. I would never let anything bad happen to you."