Chapter 6

My cheeks heat as he says those words just loud enough for me to hear them. It isn"t as if I haven"t noticed the hottie I"ve been living with. I"ve probably noticed him too much. I try to stay up until he comes home from work, because I find myself worried that he won"t. I worry not only for Rachel, but for me too. I"m starting to grow accustomed to him being in the house, even if he isn"t around as much as I thought he would be. When I get to the charger, I reach over, and grab it.

Turning it on, I see the black and white video of Rachel sleeping the way only small children can. She"s oblivious to everything going on around her. I wish I could sleep as well as her. Turning for the back door, I slip outside, and join Shane on the back porch. He"s already got the fire going, my drink opened, and sitting next to the chair.

"She good?" He asks, leaning over to stoke the burning wood.

"Yeah." I hand him the monitor. "Still laying how I put her down. She sleeps so hard. Are you like that?" I"m embarrassed that I just asked my husband how he sleeps.

He takes a drink. "Yeah, when I sleep, I"m out. It takes four alarms to get me up. I"m surprised you don"t hear them."

"I do." I laugh. "Which is why I"m asking. I just thought maybe you need that many to make sure you get out of bed, not to make sure you wake up on time."

"Oh, I need them to make sure I"m awake." He snorts. "I usually sleep through the first two, then I snooze the next one. The last one is what makes me get up. It"s sad, really."

We"re quiet for a few moments. I"ve not sat out on this back porch, because I didn"t feel comfortable doing so without him around. There have been a few times when I"ve wondered if I"m supposed to figure this all out by myself. While I know he"s busy with work, I have felt lonely. "Do you think you"ll be done with overtime soon?" I manage to push out. "It"s been kind of lonely here, with just me and Rach."

"I know, I"m sorry." He reaches behind his head, the sleeve of his shirt slipping on his bicep, showing off the tattoos he has. "I didn"t expect it to happen as soon as we got married. There"s always a chance, but I really am sorry I"ve left you here by yourself so much. I think the OT is coming to an end though. I"m hoping for the rest of the week to be home on time, every day. Maybe we can start getting to know each other better."

"Maybe we can." I agree, taking a drink of my Corona. "Maybe we can start by asking each other a few questions?"

His eyes shine with mischief. "You wanna play twenty questions?"

"I"m down if you are." Even his answer is a good indication of the type of man he is.

My ex-boyfriend would"ve thought I was trying to gather information to use against him later. He was always suspicious of everything. Knowing Shane is as curious as I am, gives me a contentment. "Who goes first?"

"After you." He raises his bottle to me. "Ladies always first, in everything." He raises an eyebrow.

The alcohol, because I don"t drink much, has loosened my lips. I"m not even slightly embarrassed when I ask. "Does that include in the bedroom? I didn"t have that before."

He stops right in the middle of bringing his drink to his lips. His big body leans forward, elbows resting on his knees. "Especially in the bedroom. That"s the most important place for a woman to come first."

It"s hotter than fuck out here, and it has nothing to do with the fire or the beer. "That"s good to know." I swallow hard.

"One day I"ll show you for sure, as long as you want it to happen," he says, with a voice dark as the night around us.

I don"t know what to say, so I roll my dry lips together and think of what I can ask him that won"t increase this tension between us. "How did you find out about Rachel?"

A chuckle escapes from his large chest, and Shane leans back in the chair. He spreads his legs, feigning an ‘I don"t give a fuck' attitude. "True story. She was left on the doorstep with a note, and her medical history, along with her mom"s. There was legal paperwork where her mom had relinquished all rights to her."

"What?" My heart drops into my stomach, after spending the last few weeks with her, I can"t imagine someone not wanting her. "She"s one of the sweetest baby"s. I can"t believe that."

"Believe it. It"s been a struggle, but I"m glad her mom knew that she couldn"t handle it. I spend portions of my days dealing with people who knew they shouldn"t have children, but decided to anyway. There"s nothing worse than seeing a kid unloved by their parents, and a parent just be indifferent. Regardless of whether I thought I was cut out to be a dad, or if I knew that she"d be my daughter, I"m extremely happy to have her." A small smile spreads across his lips, and his eyes lift to mine. It"s obvious he loves her. "I know what I had before her, and I know what I didn"t have. Rachel"s made my life complete. You"re helping make our lives full."

I hadn"t expected the question to be answered in such a way that it would affect me. "I think you"ve made her life too. She looks for you, ya know?"

"Does she?" He sits forward.

"Yeah, when I mention you her eyes dart back and forth. She gets this little look on her face where she scrunches her eyebrows together. Rachel misses you."

"I miss her too. I"m glad the next days, at least I"ll be able to be home on time."

I play with the edge of the shirt I"m wearing. "I look forward to it, too."

"So...it"s time for my question?" His voice is low and full of interest.

My heart flutters in my chest, and my stomach shakes with the nerves of what he might ask. "It is. I"m worried about what you"re going to ask."

He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small cartridge. "Bet you know I didn"t vape, huh?"

My eyes widen, as does my mouth. "I had no idea. What else do I not know?"

"Oh, a lot, but this is something I keep a secret from everyone." He takes a hit off of it. "You"re the only one who knows this about me."

For some reason this makes me feel more special than anything else any of my previous boyfriends have ever done. It also makes him seem like so much more of a bad boy than I imagined. "Hit me with your best shot, Deputy. What is it you wanna know?"

He seems to think on it longer than makes me comfortable, but when he speaks, I"m surprised with what he asks. "What"s in this for you? Why did you decide to marry someone you met once? I know we kind of had that discussion at our dinner, but now that you"ve been here for a few weeks. Has any of that changed?"

The question is deep, and thoughtful. More thoughtful than I imagined this man to be. "A few things I hadn"t realized would be extremely important to me have become so." I cross my legs up under me, and rest my chin on my knee. "There"s a security and safety with you that I"ve never felt before. As a kid, I didn"t have that with my mom, no dad in the picture, and I think I may have been searching for that with early relationships, but never found it. I have that here. I"m not worried that the electricity will be cut off, or there"s no food in the fridge."

He takes a drink from his bottle and gives me a tilted grin. "And I promise you"re never going to have to. With me, you"re going to be safe, and you"re going to be taken care of. That I fuckin" promise you."