than his so he doesn’t cut
his paws on the glass.”
Tuck started giggling again. Even
after Jamie had deposited him in his room with Pumpkin and shut the
door to be sure they stayed there, my son’s laughter rang through
our apartment.
A second later, Jamie came back out
with tweezers and the first aid kit, tossing them over to Brenden.
“You got this, Soupy? I’ll clean up.”
My kids were the ones who’d made the
mess, though, and it was my blood all over the floor. I didn’t want
him cleaning up after me any more than I wanted him to feel like he
had to help me unload my car or put together my furniture. And I
really wanted Brenden Campbell to let go of my ankles so I could
take care of my own feet. I tried to tug them free again. “You
don’t have to—”
Brenden tightened his grip on me, and
his eyes flashed up to meet mine briefly. Gorgeous eyes. They were
a rich, chocolate brown and had these deep-gold flecks near the
pupils. Eyes I could melt into, if he wasn’t glaring at
me.
Good thing he was glaring.
“ Be still so I don’t push
any of this glass in deeper.”
I huffed so hard that my bangs flew up
in the air. That would have made me laugh if I wasn’t so
frustrated. But he was right—the last thing I needed was to send
any of those shards deeper into my feet than they already were. It
was only after he’d started to tend to my feet at all that I’d
realized how badly I was hurt. Adrenaline can get you through some
crazy things, especially if your kids are involved.
After a few minutes, Jamie had cleaned
up the food and glass, both in my apartment and out in the hallway,
and Brenden had removed all the glass from my feet. He methodically
cleaned the cuts and spread antibiotic ointment all over before
wrapping gauze around them both.
He was still wrapping me up when Jamie
was ready to clean up the blood covering the floor between my
doorway and my dining room table. “Where’s your mop, Rach?” Jamie
asked.
“ Hall closet,” I hissed
out. Even just the tiniest bit of pressure Brenden was putting on
the bottoms of my feet felt excruciating. The next several days
would be miserable, until they started to heal. With my luck, then
they’d itch.
Brenden finished with me and moved
back over in front of Maddie. He reached for the washcloth. “Can I
see?”
Jamie took that as his cue to clean
the massive pool of blood under my feet. I lifted them out of his
way, and he gave me a sheepish grin. After a brief glance up at
Jamie, Maddie nodded at Brenden and pulled the cloth away. Her cut
had already clotted, so there was no more bleeding. But he still
took the tube of ointment and squeezed out a little bit, then
fished a bright pink Barbie Band-Aid out of the first aid kid,
settling it into place over her cut. He didn’t touch her anywhere
other than where he had to in order to tend to her wound, which
helped keep me from spazzing out on him.
“ All better?” he asked
her.
She nodded again.
“ Good.” He started putting
away the first aid supplies.
I wanted him to leave, because I
couldn’t decide whether to like him or run him off. He was kind of
gruff, but he and Jamie had been the calm ones who had kept their
cool and sorted out the chaos. But how could I know if I should
trust him—either of them? Maybe they would go with a little urging,
though. I could drop a few hints that my kids and I needed to get
on with our day.
“ How about you go check on
Tuck and Pumpkin and make sure you two get some clothes on?” I said
to Maddie. “Then I’ll figure out what to do for
breakfast.”
Maddie nodded one more time and eased
herself off the table. She headed down the hall but stopped and
returned before she got to Tuck’s room. “Mr. Jamie, I’m sorry I
messed up your surprise.” She didn’t quite look up at him, but that
was still a huge step for her. Maddie didn’t really talk to men
much. Or to any adult besides me and her counselor.
Before I had wrapped my mind
his paws on the glass.”
Tuck started giggling again. Even
after Jamie had deposited him in his room with Pumpkin and shut the
door to be sure they stayed there, my son’s laughter rang through
our apartment.
A second later, Jamie came back out
with tweezers and the first aid kit, tossing them over to Brenden.
“You got this, Soupy? I’ll clean up.”
My kids were the ones who’d made the
mess, though, and it was my blood all over the floor. I didn’t want
him cleaning up after me any more than I wanted him to feel like he
had to help me unload my car or put together my furniture. And I
really wanted Brenden Campbell to let go of my ankles so I could
take care of my own feet. I tried to tug them free again. “You
don’t have to—”
Brenden tightened his grip on me, and
his eyes flashed up to meet mine briefly. Gorgeous eyes. They were
a rich, chocolate brown and had these deep-gold flecks near the
pupils. Eyes I could melt into, if he wasn’t glaring at
me.
Good thing he was glaring.
“ Be still so I don’t push
any of this glass in deeper.”
I huffed so hard that my bangs flew up
in the air. That would have made me laugh if I wasn’t so
frustrated. But he was right—the last thing I needed was to send
any of those shards deeper into my feet than they already were. It
was only after he’d started to tend to my feet at all that I’d
realized how badly I was hurt. Adrenaline can get you through some
crazy things, especially if your kids are involved.
After a few minutes, Jamie had cleaned
up the food and glass, both in my apartment and out in the hallway,
and Brenden had removed all the glass from my feet. He methodically
cleaned the cuts and spread antibiotic ointment all over before
wrapping gauze around them both.
He was still wrapping me up when Jamie
was ready to clean up the blood covering the floor between my
doorway and my dining room table. “Where’s your mop, Rach?” Jamie
asked.
“ Hall closet,” I hissed
out. Even just the tiniest bit of pressure Brenden was putting on
the bottoms of my feet felt excruciating. The next several days
would be miserable, until they started to heal. With my luck, then
they’d itch.
Brenden finished with me and moved
back over in front of Maddie. He reached for the washcloth. “Can I
see?”
Jamie took that as his cue to clean
the massive pool of blood under my feet. I lifted them out of his
way, and he gave me a sheepish grin. After a brief glance up at
Jamie, Maddie nodded at Brenden and pulled the cloth away. Her cut
had already clotted, so there was no more bleeding. But he still
took the tube of ointment and squeezed out a little bit, then
fished a bright pink Barbie Band-Aid out of the first aid kid,
settling it into place over her cut. He didn’t touch her anywhere
other than where he had to in order to tend to her wound, which
helped keep me from spazzing out on him.
“ All better?” he asked
her.
She nodded again.
“ Good.” He started putting
away the first aid supplies.
I wanted him to leave, because I
couldn’t decide whether to like him or run him off. He was kind of
gruff, but he and Jamie had been the calm ones who had kept their
cool and sorted out the chaos. But how could I know if I should
trust him—either of them? Maybe they would go with a little urging,
though. I could drop a few hints that my kids and I needed to get
on with our day.
“ How about you go check on
Tuck and Pumpkin and make sure you two get some clothes on?” I said
to Maddie. “Then I’ll figure out what to do for
breakfast.”
Maddie nodded one more time and eased
herself off the table. She headed down the hall but stopped and
returned before she got to Tuck’s room. “Mr. Jamie, I’m sorry I
messed up your surprise.” She didn’t quite look up at him, but that
was still a huge step for her. Maddie didn’t really talk to men
much. Or to any adult besides me and her counselor.
Before I had wrapped my mind
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