She looked down at her shirt where he was pointing and he tapped her nose.
Picking her up he headed up the stairs with her in his arms, which she seemed to like, as she placed her head on his shoulder and clasped her arms around his neck.
In his room he found the smallest button down shirt of his in the closet, while she sat on the bed singing to herself again. He'd be fucked if he'd let her wear any of the shit that bitch had bought.
"Up." She held up her arms for him to remove the shirt she now wore and he put the other one on, buttoning it up and tying it at the waist. She was a sight.
"Let's go." On his way back he stopped off at the library where the clueless bitch was busy combing the shelves for the book he kept on his night- stand. If Jenna wasn't there with him, he probably would've done a hell of a lot worst than he was about to, but this will have to suffice for now.
"Get out of my house; if I ever see you again I'll shoot you on sight." To say she was surprised would be putting it mildly, but when she saw the young girl held close in his arms, a place she'd been trying for the better part of a year to be, she put two and two together.
How was she to know the girl would repeat what she'd said to her? She didn't think her kind had enough sense for that. She was about to argue, to find a way out of it; convince him that the imbecile had misunderstood her somehow. But the look of fury on his face waylaid her.
She was no fool, she'd heard the stories about this man and what he could do when riled, and she did not believe for a second that she would get off lightly because of her gender. So with one furious glare of her own for the simpleton in his arms she grabbed up her bag and flounced from the room.
"You're pretty amazing my little Jenna, the most amazing girl in the world." He looked into her eyes as he said it and reveled in the joy he saw there. Good, hopefully that would erase the ugliness of the viper's words. The thought that that shit had happened in his home did not sit well with him at all, and he found that his shit list had grown by one.
She had to say bye to Willy and Sue before she left the house. He watched the two older people with her, but he should've known he had nothing to worry about. Then again he would've thought that about the bitch that'd just left, and look where that had got him. She seemed comfortable enough around them that he didn't have to worry so he sighed in relief.
"We're taking the tank." He called to his shadows as they all headed for the door. The tank was gramps' idea, shit always made him feel like he was in downtown Baghdad, but if it made the old man happy he'd oblige. Now with his Jenna here, he was thinking of even more ways to beef the shit up.
The grounds fascinated her and he promised to show her around once they got back, that was the only way to get her into the truck. He answered all her questions as they headed out the gates, not once losing patience with her seemingly never-ending stream of ‘Angel guess what'. And when she reached for his hand in her excitement he figured there wasn't anything else he'd rather be doing.
Chapter 6
Their first stop was the local Salvation Army, where one of the guys ran inside to drop off the shopping bags full of overly expensive clothing. Andros didn't even bat a lash at the money he'd just pissed away, as long as none of it touched his little Jenna, he didn't really care one way or the other. Who knows what the fuck that idiot had done to them?
She was staring wide eyed out the car window, which she'd begged him to roll down as they rode through the picturesque landscape of the Hudson Valley. He got so much pleasure from the joy on her face from such a simple thing, and for the first time in a long while he found himself looking forward to the holidays. Something he hadn't done since his sister had left him.
The valley was beautiful that time of year, with the houses and lawns decorated. He was sure his girl would go crazy over that shit and made a point to remember to get some lights and shit for their home too. It would be the first time his place was done up.
Home, that was also a first. He'd never really thought of the place as such before, but in the short time she'd been in his life, she had him thinking of shit like that. There was a part of him, a small part that wanted to hold back, to keep back some part of himself so that he didn't get burnt. But he knew that wouldn't be fair to her; he could never live with himself if he shortchanged her in any way. How could someone so small have so much power over him he wondered, in such a short space of time? She seemed to fit so effortlessly into his life, his plans. Where before yesterday he hadn't even known she existed.
"Angel look." She tugged on his arm pulling him out the window with her.
He looked out the window where she pointed, and saw the ducks on the water.
"Stop."
Jameson pulled over to the side and Andros got out and waited for her to join him. With her hand held securely in his, he led her to the water's edge.
He couldn't remember ever having done this; in fact this was the first day he'd not been in a rush to get somewhere. He was always in constant motion because it gave him less time to think, less time to revisit memories better left unstirred. He found it funny that with Jenna, the memories were sharper than ever before, but somehow they weren't as painful. That place in his heart that he'd kept locked away for so long was opening wider and wider as the hours passed.
They stood there for quite some time before he nudged her hand to leave.
"Angel stay."
He bent down to her level and held both her hands in his.
"Can we go do something really important first? I promise to bring you back another day soon okay."
She studied him as if gauging his sincerity and he wondered how often she'd been disappointed by someone else's lies. When she finally nodded he kissed her forehead, before turning her back to the car.
Back in the car he had an idea.
"Find me some ducks and geese and those things for the stream on the property."
Garrett turned around in his seat to look at his boss not sure if to laugh or shake his head in wonder.
"What things? You mean swans?"
Jenna lit up at the word and then peppered him with questions.
"Angel, swans?"
"Yes love it's a big bird like the ducks. Do you know about them?"
She shook her head no and three grown men fell all over themselves trying to explain what they were to her, until Andros got the idea to use the computer on the dash to look one up.
She clapped her hands in glee and leaned farther into him as he ordered Jameson to find a video or something with swans for her.
She was mesmerized all the way into the city, which is where he took her shopping on Fifth Avenue. He probably shouldn't, but he pretty much bought her everything she touched or looked at. He didn't miss the smirks his guards passed back and forth between each other, which he put a stop to with a glare.
She was a typical female, dragging him from one store to the next, anything that had color in the window she wanted to see more of. He knew about bags and that shit from his mom, so he asked some of the sales ladies where to get the best and they were only too happy to tell him. Only once did he have to glare an over exuberant sales clerk to shame when she got too close. Bitch acted like his Jenna wasn't even there.
He did notice that Jenna had a proprietorial streak a mile wide and she seemed to know when the sharks were swarming. He hid his smile each time some female would approach and she'd hold onto his arm that much tighter. Most of them were nice though, and very helpful. Especially the ones that helped him pick out her bras and stuff, because he knew fuck all about that shit.
Chapter 7
By the time they made it back to the car, she was tired and cranky, so he made the guys stop to get her a hot dog from one of those stands, because she'd followed it with her neck craned out the window. He wasn't sure the other drivers appreciated the illegal U turn Jameson made in the middle of the busy street, but he didn't much care either.
When she fell asleep on his shoulder, her mouth smudged with ketchup, he cleaned her up with the tissue she had scrunched up in her hand. He wondered what was going through her mind, wished she could tell him. Did she have a good day? Was she happy? Did she miss her mom? That last thought gave him pause. How the fuck could he fix that if that were the case? He could always have the woman snatched, but that shit would give gramps a coronary for sure. Maybe he'd call her when they got back to the house.
"Okay boss, so while you were doing your marathon shopping..." Before Garrett could finish his statement, they were rear-ended. The car lurched forward and to the side sharply, but Jameson's quick thinking brought them back under control again. Jenna woke up in a panic until Andros calmed her down somewhat.