Chapter 8: Chapter 8

ANDIE

A couple of days had gone by since Andie had seen or heard from Eli. The days had gone pretty smoothly. She had received half of the order she had placed a few days ago.

Unfortunately, she was still waiting on the crib.

Before the girls had woken up from their daily nap, she had parked her car a little more crooked in the driveway. Today she had to get the spark plugs and wires changed.

It was a beautiful day, not excruciatingly hot like the other day when she had wanted to mow, but it wasn’t chilly either.

The girls were due to wake up soon, so she began to get the baby food and bottles ready.

Then she folded up the Pack ‘n Play to put out under her huge maple tree, where the abundant leaves would shade the girls while she worked on the car.

She headed back inside just as the girls began to wake. After changing their diapers and feeding them, she managed to settle them in the Pack ‘n Play outside.

She found the wrench she’d need to loosen the spark plugs, but something was churning in her gut, telling her to text Eli and ask if they could meet later.

She needed to apologize for the other day but also wanted to get him to understand why she didn’t want him hanging around so much.

If she, by some miracle, let him in, would he break her heart? Because who wanted to be with someone who wasn’t supposed to be able to have kids? Lucy had been a blessing and a miracle.

After her check-up, the doctors were surprised and amazed that she had carried Lucy to full term and was still so healthy.

She took a deep breath as she grabbed her phone off the hood of the car and typed the text.

Andie

If you want to come see Lily today, that’d be fine, just let me know where you’d want to meet, and I’ll be there.

She went to the driver’s side, popped the hood, and laid her phone on the front seat since her outfit didn’t have anywhere she could hold her phone.

She had opted for a skinny-strapped black tank top and shorts with no pockets, but they were both so beat up it didn’t matter if she ruined them while working on the car.

She smiled, watching the girls play as she lifted the hood. Then, she began to dive into the work that needed to be done to her car, hoping Eli would text her back by the time she was finished.

She didn’t expect her task to take too long.

ELI

Eli felt his pocket vibrate. He slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket as he threw the last scoop of manure into the wheelbarrow.

He unlocked his phone and went to his messages. The new message was from Andie, and for some stupid reason, he could do nothing but smile, and it grew as he read the text.

Eli

We don’t have to go anywhere. I don’t care what the idiots in this town want to say.

You’re taking care of my niece, that’s the only excuse they need to know why I am at your house so much. I’ll be there in ten.

He grabbed the wheelbarrow, dumped it, and headed inside to get cleaned up. He shot Dale a text to let him know where he was going.

Dale

Okay, boss.

He headed to his truck and made his way into town. He couldn’t wait to see Lily, Lucy, and Andie. It had almost killed him to stay away the last couple of days, but he also knew he had to give her space.

He just hoped this move proved he didn’t care what anyone else would say about the two of them being around each other.

He was getting a little nervous. He finally pulled up outside of Andie’s house and was a little confused when he saw her car parked crookedly in her driveway.

He jumped out of the truck and rushed over to the car when he heard her yelling.

“You stupid, stubborn piece of junk. Come ~on~!”

He walked closer and saw the hood was up, and Andie was kneeling on the edge of the frame, leaning over the back of the engine.

“Oh, you dumb thing. You’re the last one I have to get off!” She yanked harder, and he heard the pop as he moved closer behind her, and she went sprawling backward off the car.

Before she fell, he managed to grab hold of her hips, steadying her on the frame.

She let out a scream and turned her head back at him.

“What’re you doing?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Her eyes seemed to sparkle a little at the sight of him.

“Fighting with spark plug wires,” she mumbled.

He raised his eyebrow even further. “Would you like some help?”

She sighed as he lifted her from the hood and set her feet on the ground.

“Sure, why not? I’m not in the mood to argue right now.” She moved out of his way and leaned against the car, facing the Pack ‘n Play as the girls babbled to each other.

Eli hadn’t expected her to admit to not being in any mood. He yanked off his hat and pulled his white T-shirt off, leaving himself in only a gray tank top and dark jeans.

He placed his hat on top of her head, pushing it down over her eyes a little.

She looked back at him and tilted it up.

He took in a sharp breath. Man, that had probably been a bad idea. She looked so sexy in his hat. He swallowed hard, turned to the car’s hood, and began to take out the spark plugs.

“Is it safe to assume you need the oil changed as well?”

“Yeah, but I’m doing that tomorrow. Who knows how long the girls will tolerate being confined to the Pack ‘n Play?”

He glanced over to where she was looking and smiled at the sight. Those two got along so well. At least now they would have each other. He turned back to work under the hood.

“I could change it while I’m here, then if they get restless, you could take them inside,” he suggested.

He glanced at Andie as she shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever. What happened to meeting somewhere so you could see Lily?”

“Makes more sense for me to come here than you dragging two babies around the whole county just for me to spend a little time with her. Didn’t you get my text?”

“Um, no. My phone is in the car. I don’t have any pockets and didn’t expect a text back before I was done.” She glanced at him and then went around to the driver’s side of the car.

He could barely take his eyes off of her in that skimpy tank top and tight shorts. She knew how to get his blood boiling without even trying.

He tore his gaze from her and began to switch out the spark plugs.

ANDIE

Andie felt the butterflies in her stomach, all because of Elijah Cameron. She’d never felt this before because of a man, but why’d it have to be that man?

The minute he sensed trouble, he would take Lily before she had time to blink. She opened the door and grabbed her phone as she sunk into the gray cushioned seat.

She glanced over to check the girls again, and they were still okay. Then, she looked back at her phone and opened the message from Eli. She began to read it as she tilted his hat up on her head a little.

She locked her phone and exited the car when the chill ran up her spine again. She quickly turned as the hair along her arms stood on end.

Her eyes flicked around. Nothing was there. Nothing was different.

She looked over at Lily and Lucy, and they seemed fine. Then she rushed to the back of the car as her eyes darted around. All of a sudden, she didn’t feel comfortable being outside at all.

Lucy pulled herself up as Andie got closer to them. Lily did, too. She scooped them up and headed toward the house.

“Andie?” Eli called out to her.

She turned toward him but didn’t say anything. Her eyes were glued to him as he walked up to her. She almost whimpered when he laid his hand against her arm.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, concern written on his handsome face.

“I-I don’t know. I just feel better having the girls inside.”

He reached out to help her, and Lucy went into his arms. “Okay. C’mon, let’s get you guys inside.” He held Lucy in one arm and moved her toward the door.

Andie stepped closer to him, feeling safe from the unknown threat she was feeling.

He wrapped his arm around her tightly, and she looked at him from under her eyelashes. This was going to be a conversation between them. She could already feel it coming.

She reached for the knob and turned it, and he let her go in first. This was just going to give him more cause to take Lily. Maybe he’d let it go?

As soon as he shut the door, his arm wrapped around her again, guiding her into the living room. He placed Lucy and Lily on the floor, then moved Andie to the couch and knelt in front of her.

He tilted the hat up so it wasn’t hiding her eyes. As he moved it, her eyes locked with his golden ones. “What happened out there, Andie?”

She was so afraid to tell him but knew he had a right to know. “Do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?” she whispered as she looked at Lucy and Lily, who crawled to their toys.

“Not particularly. Is that what you felt?” He laid a hand on her bare knee, which made her look at him.

She nodded her head a little. “It’s the third time it’s happened this week. The first time happened the day Rose and Bruce left and then again, just now.”

He moved to sit on the couch, and this made her turn her body toward him a little as he glanced out the huge bay window behind the couch. “Who do you think would be watching you?”

Their eyes locked together. The only person she could think of was Daryl, but that would make no sense. No one knew where she went when she left North Dakota because there was no one to tell.

“I honestly don’t know, Eli. No one knows where I am because I had no one to tell except Rose and Bruce, but there’s not really anyone who would try to find me.”

Eli looked at Lucy for a minute as she squealed and began to chew on her ring of keys. “What about Lucy’s dad?”

Andie shivered at the thought and actually moved closer to Eli. “God, I hope not. Last I knew, he was with someone else,” she whispered.

He put an arm around her. “Okay, look, I’m sure we’ll figure it out. For now, why don’t you stay here with the girls? I’ll finish the car, change the oil, and then we can get some food.

“I don’t want to leave you alone right now, so I’ll stay until you feel comfortable.”

All she did was nod, but the sad part was she didn’t know if she’d feel comfortable later. She took a deep breath when he stood up from the couch and watched him leave out the door.

Already she wanted him near again. She sighed and bit her lip as she closed her eyes tightly.

~Don’t be such a silly woman. You’ll be fine. You’re stronger than this. Don’t let the lack of sleep and stress get to you.~

She got down on the floor and played with Lucy and Lily, trying to push the uneasy feeling away. She felt a little better that Eli was there, but what would happen when he went home?

Whatever it would be, she would face it head-on. She would not show more weakness than she already had.

ELI

Eli’s eyes darted around as he walked out of the house. He didn’t see anything, but he wasn’t going to doubt Andie. Something had definitely spooked her.

He headed to the car and quickly finished the plugs and wires. Did he dare to do the oil? He didn’t want to be away from Andie and the babies much longer, but it needed to be taken care of.

He was sure he could do it quickly.

He looked in the garage, found the oil pan, and headed back to the car. There, he found the oil and filter she had bought. He couldn’t lie. Andie knowing how to do these things for her car was an even bigger turn-on.

He let a smile touch his lips as he grabbed the filter and oil, then went under the car. There was just enough room for him to squeeze underneath.

He pulled out the plug and unscrewed the filter, keeping his ears alert while he let the oil drain.

His mind began to wander. What if Andie’s ex was here? What if he suddenly wanted something to do with Lucy? That made his blood hot. Over his dead body.

He didn’t know a whole lot about her ex, but any man who would abandon her and his daughter was a worthless pig, and Lucy and Andie both deserved better.

Hell, they deserved better than his hot-headed ass. Not that it had even been discussed, and he didn’t really know what he felt toward her.

The oil finally stopped draining, and he replaced the plug and filter. He got out from under the car, and his eyes darted around again. Still, no one stood out to him.

He filled the car up with the new oil and dropped the hood. He pulled the oil pan from under the car and put it in the empty jug. With a marker he’d found in the garage, he wrote “used” on it, then set it on the floor.

He’d get rid of it later.

As he shut the garage door, a UPS truck pulled up. The courier got out, went to the back, and pulled out a semi-thick, long, wide box.

Eli went out to him. “Need some help with that?”

“Sure, thanks.”

Eli grabbed the other side, and they walked up to the door. “Thanks, I think I can get it inside.”

The UPS man nodded and returned to his truck.

Eli waited for him to start driving away before he opened the door and pulled the box inside the house. “Special delivery!” he called out as he shut the door.

Andie poked her head out from the living room. “Oh, the crib,” she said excitedly. She headed back to get the girls and returned with one on each hip.

“Do you need help getting it to the bedroom?” she asked, her gray eyes meeting his.

“Nope, I got it.” He pushed the box down the hallway and into the nursery and was opening it when Andie entered the room and put the girls in the white crib already occupying the room.

“I’ll be right back. I have to get the Pack ‘n Play.” She began to leave the bedroom, but he caught her hand, turning her back to him.

“Why don’t you stay in here? I’ll get it.” He tilted his hat up that she was still wearing, so he could see her face better without the shadow.

“Are you sure?”

He moved his hat up a little more. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll be right back.” He brushed her jaw with his forefinger, then headed out to get the Pack ‘n Play.

He grabbed it, put it back in the living room, and returned to the nursery.

He let out a chuckle when he found Andie among the parts of the new crib, sitting Indian style, still wearing his hat, and reading the instructions to the crib.

He cleared a spot beside her to sit and glanced at the instruction pictures. “I still say you should have taken the one from the house. It would have been a lot easier.”

She shot a look at him, her eyebrows raised so far they went beneath his hat. “I would have had to hook it up to my car and drag it here, and it would have been ruined.”

He nudged her shoulder with his. “Yeah, because you don’t know a cowboy with a long bed truck who could have gotten it here and has the manpower to get it inside this tiny house.”

She pursed her lips for a minute. “Well, that cowboy with that long bed is trying to take Lily back, so my trust for him is limited,” she tossed out at him as she looked back to the instructions.

He snatched the paper out of her hands and, with a finger on her chin, gently turned her head to look at him.

“I want you to listen to me and listen good. I’m not taking Lily away. I was pissed off at first between my lack of sleep and the grief we’ve both been enduring.

“I couldn’t understand why they chose you. One day I will understand better because you’ll tell me why because I think deep down you know why they chose you.”

She looked away quickly as she tried to hide the tears that clearly formed in her eyes. She moved to start putting pieces of the crib together.

He began to help her.

ANDIE

An hour later, and with a few snappy comments between them, they finally got the crib together.

They moved it to the wall across from Lucy’s crib, put the new mattress in it, and Andie got some sheets for it. She was too short to slip the sheet on, so Eli did it with ease.

Lily let out a squeal, making Andie and Eli turn to her, and she held out her hands to them.

Andie stood back and let Eli get her. She smiled as Lily nestled her head against his shoulder.

He kissed Lily’s cheek as Lucy stood, bounced in the crib a little, then held her hands up to Eli. He didn’t hesitate to pick her up. She snuggled against his other shoulder, and he kissed her cheek as well.

Andie bit back a sigh and started to clean up the mess she and Eli had made. He had really set her mind to working on why Candice and Caleb had chosen her.

There could have been so many reasons or none whatsoever. Maybe because she knew what it was like never knowing her parents? Never knowing what being loved felt like?

All she knew was hate and disgust from people, so no, she didn’t know what a parent’s love felt like.

She saw Rose and Bruce with Candice, so she saw their love. And she just knew to do what they would have done or just the complete opposite of what had been done to her.

She managed the cleanup and got the box out to the garage. She pulled Eli’s hat off her head as she walked back into the house.

There was so much Eli probably deserved to know, but she wasn’t ready to tell him. She honestly didn’t know if she would ever be ready to tell him everything about her life.

“Hey, why’d you take the hat off?” His voice broke her train of thought.

She looked up and, seeing him with both girls, walked forward to take Lucy and placed his hat on his head, even though she loved seeing him without it and could feast her eyes on the multi-shades of his blond hair.

It was light but had darker lowlights and natural highlights through it. She wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through it and how soft it actually was.

Andie cleared her throat a little. “I just figured you’d want it back before you left,” she murmured as she settled Lucy in her arms.

He slid his now-free arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, I guess, but we’re still having supper. Would pizza pique your interest?”

“Sure.” She kept her answer short and sweet, even though quite a few other things were piquing her interest at the moment.

They sat the girls in their highchairs in the kitchen, and Andie went to the pantry to get their finger snacks when Eli snapped his fingers.

He pulled his hat off and placed it back on her head.

“I’ll be right back. I need to get those pictures you wanted out of my truck, and I have something else you might want. Keep that. I like how it looks on you. What do you want on your pizza?”

“Anything but anchovies, mushrooms, and pepperoni.”

“Okay.”

All she could do was watch him leave like a streak of lightning. She shook her head, gave the girls their snacks, and went to get the baby food. She’d make them bottles after they ate.