Unexpected Love

Chapter 15 - Greyson

I didn't know what was worse. Watching Bailey sleep or watching Bailey sleep with vomit on my shoes. I underestimated how much motion sickness she actually felt when I was taking her upstairs. I didn't know she wasn't dreaming when she was mumbling 'dizzy'.

On the last step, she tipped over to my front and vomited catching me off guard. She went back to sleep right in my arms after she got sick. She was a deep sleeper.

I was watching her sleep in pure astonishment. As a firefighter, you are wired to get up at any small noise that could wake you up. Accidents happen any time of day, whether it be in the morning or late at night. Once the alarm sounds, your gearing up and jumping in the truck.

I couldn't for the life of me sleep through a full night. God knows at any minor sound I'm up and ready for what's to come. I couldn't even sleep through a simple rainstorm with the thunder jumping me out of my bed. Keeping me on high alert. Like I was a child who was scared and needed mommy and daddy.

For the record, I was not scared and did not need mommy or daddy.

I was just very hyper-aware during the night.

I continue watching Bailey as she sleeps on her side both hands tucked under her cheek, she looks so peaceful.

She looked so fucking mine.

Part of me wanted to slide in behind her and rock her to a night of endless sleep. To wrap my arms around her and feel her warmth. Feel the way she breathes in rhythmic beats. I wanted to feel her, everywhere. I wanted her near me every second of every day. Like I was fucking obsessed and need her as a treatment. She may have been my sickness, but she was also my cure.

I was watching her sleep like the weird shit I was. I wonder how she slept through the noise that happened a few moments ago. Not a single wince or groan. The doorbell rang, and she didn't move a muscle. When I had placed her down in her bed I knocked a picture frame on the floor, and not a single reaction. In fact, that made her even more comfortable.

I laugh and watched as she snuggles the dog stuffed animal tucked in her chest. Taking my eyes off her I look around her room. It was small but fit enough for her. Her closet was wide open and half empty. Most of her clothes probably ended up in the fire. I understood why she didn't have much, why she was slowly buying things to stuff in this small room. She had a couple of notebooks sitting on the table with the lamp on them. I wonder if she wrote her pro/con lists in there. I knew it was an invasion of privacy but that didn't stop me from pulling the pink notebook open. It was filled with different recipes and designs for cakes and sweets.

She had a fucking talent and dammit if I wasn't proud of my fucking girl.

There were many different designs of cupcakes and donuts so many things that I could hardly pronounce and one look at her made me want to kiss her. Even if that meant getting sick.

I'd risk everything just to kiss her.

To feel her plump lips on mine, to find out what noises she makes when I find her sweet spot.

I wanted to memorize her, embed every inch of her in my mind. I wanted so many things from her, I wanted everything, as long as it was with her. She was hesitant. But I knew she felt something. She wouldn't have been jealous if she didn't. She felt something but it was almost like she didn't want to. She didn't want me, didn't want to get to know me.

I was going to convince her otherwise. Getting up from my seat I make my way to the door and with one last look I leave.

~~~~

No one told me there were this many flavors of Kit Kats. I was staring at, at least eight different flavors. The first thing that crossed my mind was that I didn't know Bailey well enough to know which one she liked best.

That would be the first thing I would ask her.

The one time I watched her eat Kit Kats they were the regular kind but did she like the others? Did she like the blueberry? Did she like the lime flavor or the strawberry dark chocolate? Did she hate any of these flavors?

Mint chocolate, birthday cake.

So many fucking flavors I couldn't decide which to get her.

My basket was filled to the brim with different types of soup. A warm blanket, and flowers. Every woman loves to get flowers. 

Without a second thought, I grab two of every flavor of kit kat and make my way to the register. I also grab extra of the regular kind.

She needed someone to look out for her, to take care of her when she was sick. The comment about her dad was stuck in my head on replay. Ever since she uttered those words, maybe I didn't take her seriously then, I really thought she was delirious. That she didn't know what she was saying, the heat was getting to her.

But nobody just fucking says that.

"My dad couldn't be bothered to take care of me."

Gambling?

I was trying to understand what she meant. To make sense of all of it. She didn't seem like the type of girl with daddy issues. She didn't seem like a girl to have any issues at all. She was my Bailey, a girl who liked to bake. A girl who enjoyed eating Kit Kats and watching sad Disney movies.

To think that her dad was a sorry excuse for a human shit was irking me. Maybe he was the one sending threats to Bailey.

Just the thought made me clench my fist in absolute fucking horror. This was ridiculous and I didn't have all the information to start overthinking. I couldn't let my feeling of over-protectiveness take over or I might as well pick her up and keep her locked in my room.

I sounded like I was some psychotic stalker.

I didn't even know what this feeling was. This feeling of tightness in my chest, and the weird ache in my stomach. It was like I got sick every time I saw her. Hell, every time I think, it's about her. These days every thought I did have was about her.

Everything I saw, went back to her.

I couldn't think about Kit Kats without thinking about her and how much she loved them.

I couldn't think about lavender without thinking about the smell of her.

I couldn't think about the color blue without thinking about her eyes.

She was on my mind, every second of every day and I didn't want it any other way.