Broken

Chapter two

Elliott 

I woke to screaming in the middle of the night. I jump off my living room couch where I was sleeping and run up to my room where Jessie was thrashing from a nightmare. I climb in the bed and pull her in my arms. She starts beating on my chest, freaking out and I speak to her in a soothing voice as she wakes up.

She breaks into uncontrolled sobs and slumps against me, shaking from her nightmare. I rock her side to side and she holds onto my arms around her chest. Her sobs slowly subside and I lay us against the pillows with her head on my chest. Her breaths shook as she calmed down, holding onto me as I played with her hair.

It didn't take long for her to fall back to sleep. I continue playing with her hair, thinking back to how I did this every night for Miranda to go to sleep, especially when she was pregnant with Macy. Tears fill my eyes at the thought of her and look down at the beautiful woman asleep in my arms.

I could feel the brick wall around my heart begin to crumble as she was slowly worming her way in. I just met her yesterday and I was already falling for her. Macy was already attached to her from the moment she asked me to make her her Mommy. I've had people ask me out since Miranda died, but I turned them all down, focusing on Macy. 
 

I woke the next morning with Jessie still in my arms. Her even breaths told me she was still asleep and I smile down at her. Macy runs into my room, as she does every morning and climbs up on my bed. She smiles at Jessie on my chest and lays next to me, caressing her small hand on Jessie's cheek.

Her eyes flutter open and smiles at Macy. "Good morning," Macy says with a smile.

"Good morning," Jessie says in a husky whisper. 

"Daddy makes yummy pancakes," Macy says and Jessie laughs. "Are you joining us?"

"I wouldn't want to miss those yummy pancakes," Jessie says with a smile and they both look up at me.

"I make yummy coffee too," I say with a smile.

"Mmm, coffee does sound good," she says with a smile.

The three of us head down to the kitchen and I get busy making coffee and pancakes. Macy sits in Jessie's lap at the breakfast bar, both of them watching me as I work. "Are you going to live with us now," Macy asks and I turn to see Jessie's answer. 

"Just for a little while. Your Daddy gave me a safe place to stay while I wait to hear if it's safe for me to go home," she says softly, tucking a stranded curl behind Macy's ear.

"Do you have to go," Macy asks in a choked whisper, tears in her eyes.

It breaks my heart to hear her sound so sad. It kills me how attached she's become with Jessie in less than a day. "I could always clean out the guest room and you'd have a permanent safe place to stay," I say quietly and they both look at me, surprised. 

Macy looks up at her with pleading eyes and I watch as Jessie's face softens in defeat. "How can I say no when you look at me with such sad eyes," she says and Macy flies into Jessie's arms.

Jessie and I were both surprised by how Macy responded to Jessie living with us permanently. I have never seen her like this with anyone before. She takes forever warming up to new people so it was a shock to me at how quickly she got close with Jessie. 

"Elliott," Jessie says with a smile and I hum a response. "You're burning breakfast."

She giggles as I quickly turn back to the stove and pull the pan off the burner. "Sorry, I'm just surprised that she warmed up to you this quickly. She's still warming up to her teacher at the daycare center and she's been going there for two years," I say quietly, disposing of the burnt pancakes and starting over. "Its only been the two of us since..."