“I’m sorry, Cash,” I whisper, knowing what it’s like to lose someone you care about.
“Caroline and I met in high school. We had similar backgrounds, disinterested parents, and no bright prospects beyond minimum wage jobs. It was the only life we knew. We ran with the wrong crowd, we were all so fucking misunderstood, or at least we thought we were.” He sighs, looking away for a moment before continuing.
“We got into drugs. It let us forget the shit we had to go home to. When Caroline found out she was pregnant with Lily here, she entered a drug rehab program at the hospital and got clean. I went cold turkey too, although I was never as far gone as Caroline. I never injected like she did, hadn’t crossed the line from want to need but it was the right thing to do for my girl and our baby. I wanted to give Caroline the family we never had.”
He runs his fingers over Lily’s head absently while he speaks. “By this time, I was working as a runner for Zodiac, so I buckled down and got the job done, saving the money I made for a nice place for us, away from the rundown one-bedroom apartment we had moved into when Caroline’s parents kicked her out.”
He smiles at Lily as she starts babbling incoherently.
“Lily came into the world, kicking and screaming at 12:31 a.m., in the middle of a thunderstorm and I fell in love the second I laid eyes on her.”
He turns his eyes to me, his smile fading as pain washes over his features.
“I thought we had beat the odds, but two weeks later, I came home to find Caroline dead in a pool of vomit with a needle still in her arm. Lily had been fast asleep in her crib while her mom died a few feet from her.” He shakes his head, and I move closer, leaning my head on his shoulder, smiling at Lily when she reaches out and touches my hair.
“She was a good person, but she wasn’t strong, not like you,” he whispers.
“She was strong enough to save her little girl from becoming an addict too. That takes more strength than you can imagine.”
He’s quiet for a moment, reflecting on my words as Lily decides to crawl toward me. I catch her as she makes a lunge then pause as she snuggles up on my lap. She tucks her head under my chin, grabs a handful of my hair, and promptly falls asleep.
I look at Cash, who has a soft smile on his face.
“I think I’m in love,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around his precious bundle, breathing in the faint scent of baby powder.
“She has that effect on people. It’s something you both seem to have in common.”
I ignore that comment and snuggle back against the sofa and close my eyes, allowing myself to relax, trusting that Cash will watch over us while we sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I wave to Thomas, who waits with his arms crossed as he leans against the side of the car. I know he’ll stay there until I disappear inside, so I hurry through the glass doors so he can get home. After falling asleep at Cash’s, I was out cold until Lily started to stir.
Cash offered for me to stay, but watching him with Lily in his arms, looking adorably sleep ruffled, I knew I had to get out before the lure of domesticity pulled me in.
Making connections is fine, necessary even, but my heart needs to remain out of the firing line. I already have Reid to contend with, blurring the line between us over and over, I can’t afford to add Cash to the equation too.
I hit the button for the elevator and wait in the dimly lit foyer as the glass doors open behind me.
I turn with a smile, expecting Thomas to tell me I forgot something. After all, most people are already in bed at three in the morning, but the smile drops from my face when I see Zodiac heading my way.
“Ah, Gemini, I was wondering when I might run into you.” His eyes trail over my body, his gaze feeling malevolent, but I manage to resist the urge to shudder.
“Zodiac, sir,” I greet him quietly, turning to face forward once more. The elevator doors slide open. As I move to step inside, Zodiac’s hand presses against the small of my back and my step falters for a