Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Lulu

Tonight has been . . . nice.

My body feels heavy and worn out. Who knew running around after a five-year-old could be so tiring?

The heat of the fire warms me. The sound of wood popping breaks the silence every few minutes. The smell of burning marshmallows makes me open my eyes.

“You’re on fire.” I smile sleepily.

“Shit.”

Ajax pulls his skewer out of the heat, blowing on the bubbling treat to put out the fire. It’s black and crispy, but my mouth waters when he sandwiches the marshmallow with crackers .

Leaning over, he holds out the oozing treat. He juts his chin. “Open.”

I do as told, moaning as the sweetness fills my mouth. “Mmm.” I nod. “Even burnt, it’s good.”

Ajax laughs, taking his own bite. “Next one’ll be better.”

I blush at his wink. I shouldn’t be this calm or this content, but I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. Only one thing could make this better. My eyes drift over to the bugs and the few fireflies near the tree line.

Fuck it.

Jumping up from my seat, I rush into the RV. Mary is fast asleep but not for long.

“Piglet,” I whisper, brushing her hair back, “baby, wake up.”

“Daddy?”

“It’s Lulu,” I say before gathering her into my arms. She’s heavier than I remember.

Ajax is standing near the RV front door, completely puzzled. I smile, silently walking past him, and indulgently, he steps back.

I take Mary over to the bugs, swatting a few away when they get close to her face. “The fairies came out.”

Sleepily, she raises her head. “They’re bugs,” she says groggily, resting her head back on my shoulder.

“They are.” I nod. “They come out to guard the fairies while they play. ”

I feel her smile on my neck. Is this what it’s like to be a part of a family? To be happy?

Slowly, I start to weave a tale of a princess fairy who was taken from her home by the fairy prince. “The fairy princess is scared, but she’s trying to like her new home. It’s hard because everything is new,” I whisper, pointing at the flies that buzz around us. “Can you see her?”

“Uh-huh?” She nods, lifting her head and joining in. “She has pink wings.”

I gasp. “They are. Oh, look, there’s the prince. He’s come to play, I think.”

“He’s very handsome and strong,” Ajax adds. Warmth surrounds me as he wraps us in the blanket from my chair.

Mary giggles.

“He’s not that handsome,” I mutter to Mary, tucking the edge of the blue throw under her chin.

Ajax chuckles, his hand settling on my hip.

“Will she stay?” Mary asks.

“Hmm?” I blink, distracted by her father’s presence.

“The fairy princess. Will she stay with her new family?”

“I don’t know, baby,” I answer honestly.

Piglet frowns, her eyes growing heavy. “The prince will be sad if she leaves. He won’t have anyone to play with.”

“He’ll fix it, Piglet. He’s already trying to give her a reason to stay. They’ll be a family in no time. I’m sure of it, baby.” Ajax slides his hand to rest on my lower stomach, and I can hear his confidence in his tone.

He already did. I wrap my other arm around Mary and shift her from my hip into a bear hug. I press my cheek to the top of her hair.

Something lodges in my throat at his words. I’m suddenly reminded of our unprotected sex. Would he take the baby from me? Threaten to keep us apart if I run?

I squeeze my eyes closed. It doesn’t matter if I’m pregnant. He already has the ability to pull that card if he chooses. I love Mary as if she were my own. It’s irrational and illogical, but I know without a doubt that I won’t ever leave this little girl, even if it means taking her with me when I run.

Not that you want to leave.

I shove that thought to a dark corner of my mind.

“He wants her, and the prince gets what he wants, even if he has to take her first.” His arms join mine around Mary so that he hugs us both. “She’ll learn to love him back.”

“What if she doesn’t?” I ask.

“She will,” he answers confidently, kissing the back of my head.

The rumble of a vehicle followed by a bang shreds our peace when a motorhome literally crashes its way into the parking area. It clips a tree with the left wheel but keeps driving as if nothing happened.

The driver turns out wide, then starts to reverse . . . right next to us. Really? Three-quarters of the car lot is empty. I must have spent too much time with Ajax already because I shouldn’t be this annoyed by someone being close to our RV. But of all the spots.

I gasp when Ajax tugs us backward, crowding us close to the side of our own vehicle. The motorhome swerves from right to left, and the driver is unable to keep it straight. My jaw drops when the back right wheel clashes with one of our camping chairs, leaving it flat and useless in its wake.

“Get her inside,” Ajax rushes, anger and annoyance clear.

He keeps his large body between us and the still reversing motor all the way to our door. I let out a breath of relief when they narrowly miss the fire we were sitting around just moments before.

We could have still been sitting there! My eyes lock on the now dead seat. Ajax could have still been sitting there.

“Hey, neighbor,” an elderly woman says far too loudly for the time of night as she climbs out.

While I barely smile, the man still guarding us openly glares.

“Oh, sorry about that. My Phil doesn’t drive so good at night anymore. Damn cataract but he tries his best, and that’s what counts.”

“Not really,” I whisper to the man next to me.

He gives a breathy laugh. “Put her to bed. I’ll sort things out here. ”

I freeze at his words. Sort things how? As if he can read my mind, Ajax raises his brow.

“The fire needs putting out, and chairs need bringing in. Chair,” he corrects with a shrug.

My shoulders relax.

Ajax smirks, giving my ass a firm pat. “I’ll try not to kill them . . .” He looks at the ruined furniture. “But I make no promises.”

I glare my disapproval but carefully climb the few steps into our RV.

Not funny.