Oh God.
“It’s very pretty, baby,” I said to Billie as she clutched the shirt to her chest like she wanted to graft it to her skin, leaned forward and breathed, “I know!” Then she whirled back to the bags.
I decided to get some order so I told the kids, “All right, sort out what’s what. Billy take your stuff to your room, help Billie get her stuff to our room and anything that needs to go in the bathroom, put it in there. All right?”
“Yeah, Auntie Mara,” Billy agreed, looked to his sister and said, “Come on.”
Thus started bag rustling and running back and forth into various rooms. This I ignored because I needed to get something straight with Mitch.
So the minute the kids’ attention was on their chore, I called, “Mitch.”
He turned to me, leaned into his forearms on the bar and his gaze leveled on mine. I instantly forgot what I needed to get straight when I started drowning in the depths of his soulful brown eyes.
“These are groceries,” he dipped his head to the bags. “The kids told me what they liked to have around the house and I got some shit I figured you’d need.”
“Mitch –”
He kept talking. “Colorado law says kids need to be in car seats until they’re eight.” He tilted his head behind him. “That’s for Billie. Got an extra one for my truck.”
An extra one for his truck?
I didn’t get a chance to ask, Mitch kept speaking. “You need to give me your numbers and you need to get your phone to program mine.”
“Mitch –”
He pulled out his phone and talked over me. “Get your phone, Mara.”
“Mitch –”
“Get your phone.”
“Mitch!”
Suddenly, he reached his long arm out, caught my wrist and used it to pull me forward. This made me lean across the counter toward the bar attached to it and he was leaning across the bar toward the counter where I was. Then his hand slid down my wrist and his fingers closed around mine.
“Sweetheart, get your phone.”
I swallowed then whispered, “Um…you’re being very cool and I really appreciate it but, uh –”
“Get your phone.”
“Mitch, I appreciate it but this isn’t your problem. You can’t buy the kids –”
“Mara, phone.”
I tried to pull my fingers from his, his only tightened so I gave up and said softly, “I’m not comfortable with –”
He moved around the bar, my arm moving with him as he did this because he didn’t let my hand go. Suddenly he was in my space, our arms bent, our hands pressed to his chest and his other arm was around my waist. This meant he was pressed to me, I was pressed to him and our faces were super close.
“Mara, baby, get…your…phone,” he ordered gently.
“’Kay,” I whispered because, really, what else could I do?
He let me go. I got my phone. He programmed my numbers in his then he programmed his numbers in mine. When he was done he called out to the kids to tell them he was going and they raced from wherever they were in the apartment to say good-bye. He lifted Billie up and kissed her cheek which made her giggle. He shook Billy’s hand solemnly which made Billy’s chest puff out and his shoulders straighten.
Then he opened the door, looked at me but said to the kids, “See you guys tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?