Maid for Him.

Chapter Eighteen

Alone in the hospital room with Cole and their sleeping baby, it seemed unnaturally quiet. The hospital television subscription had run out so there wasn't even any background noise to distract herself with. She busied herself by folding all of the baby's clothes. Every tiny sound seemed amplified in the sterile room. The more they packed the more awkward it became.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you." She whispered finally. "The other day when I said you'd used me. It's not what I believed at the time, and I don't think you're the type of person who would do that. I just... I can't think of any other explanation now."

Cole glared at her, the set of his jaw told her he wasn't ready to be over it. "You didn't hurt me." He said bluntly and turned his back.

"I was trying to apologize."

"Got it." He tossed her slippers into the case.

"You're such a stubborn ass, you know that?"

"Yes. I've been told." He kept his back to her. "Usually by you now I think about it."

Her eyes flittered around the room looking for something to hit him with. Given the events of late, she had a good defence. Sorry Judge, I didn't mean to beat him with a box of rubber gloves, it must have been my temporary insanity.

They worked in silence to pack up the room. She'd accumulated quite a few things in the month since Freddie was born. Mostly due to Cole bringing gifts for the baby every time he visited, which was twice a day without fail. He was never too tired or too busy. So far he was proving to be nothing like his father at all.

Mrs. Washington came to visit every couple of days, took a thousand photo's and left. Tess was quickly beginning to think of her as an ally. They would sit and chat and Tess had learned a lot about the Washington family and why the name was of such importance. There were years of tradition, history, and pride in it. It seemed important to Mrs. Washington that Tess understood the richness of their history.

Tess had never been a part of anything bigger than the here and now. She made enough money to live from week to week, while the Washington's could support generations to come. No one wanted to put the home at risk. Tess had a mother she hadn't seen in years, a father she'd met once or twice and that was the extent of it. The closest she had to family was GG. Well... until now. Freddy was her family now. An actual blood relative.

Determined it would mean more to her than it did her mother and father, she had sudden respect for Cole's history. Cole's father may be a giant ass hat, but he was an ass hat that stuck around and raised a family. He worked hard, allegedly, and he provided a comfortable life. Especially because he could have retired years ago but chose to continue to build and run the family business.

Despite the rough first impression, Tess would love nothing more than to become a Washington. The realization surprised her. She'd had such distaste for them at the beginning but the more time she spent with Cole's mother the more she adored her. She had a good heart.

Then there was the constant effort to keep Cole at arm's length. It was becoming increasingly difficult lately. The sheer amount of time they spent together made getting over him impossible. And besides their original break-up, he'd been perfect. She needed to go to some sort of Cole Washington rehab center where they show you photos of all the other available men in the world. Oh, and checklists, yes, checklists to mark off all the reasons he could be a class 'A' jerk off.

Why did he have to be so darn adorable? The way he talked to Freddie. Entire conversations about life, about his hopes for him and the way he told him how much he loved him at least 10 times a day. Damn you, Cole, for being so perfect.