Chapter 17: Chapter 17

“What in Sam Hill are you doing under there?” Bambi was barely awake, but who could sleep with all that banging around going on?

“Igsheei shob ljdefgu.”

She rubbed her eyes and frowned as she came fully into the kitchen, stopping in front of his bare feet to bend down and see what he was up to.

Curtis was on his back, inside the cabinet below the sink. From the look and sound of things, he was tinkering.

“Say that again.”

He grunted a few times, then scooted forward until he was clear and sat up. Shirtless. Bambi couldn’t stop herself from looking, even if she’d wanted to. Curtis wasn’t like a lot of the guys at the clubhouse. He didn’t spend hours on the weights, so he wasn’t buff. He was naturally slim and fit, but no less sexy for it. His hours of working on bikes and other manly tasks had honed a nice body with lean muscle that she couldn’t get enough of.

But she would have to, she told herself, reminded that she was still mad at him.

“I said,” he said in an annoyed tone of voice that got her hackles up, “there’s something caught in your drain and I’m finding out what it is.”

“Oh, the disposal?” Bambi’s eyes grew wide with a mix of excitement and fear as she thought of what, exactly, was caught in that drain.

“Yeah. I went to use it this morning, but it sounded like something was rattling around in there.”

Oh, no, what if he’s mangled it? She should have told him not to use that side of the sink. But to her credit, she hadn’t expected him to stick around. “It’s my grandmother’s ring,” she said mournfully. “I dropped it down there a few days ago and didn’t have the tools to open the drain up to get it.”

“Now why would you go and do something like that?” Curtis smirked, and even mad at him, she couldn’t find a reason not to smile. That playful teasing he did always had a way of putting her in a better mood.

“Gee whiz, it just sounded like such a good idea at the time,” Bambi snarked back.

Flipping the wrench in his hand, Curtis replied, “Well, good thing I always carry some tools with me. I’ll have it out in a jiff, dollface. Why don’t you whip up some breakfast while you wait.”

Bambi kicked his shin with the flat of her foot instead. Curtis jumped and the resounding bong! and cursing that followed made her smile inside. Now was as good a time as any to set him straight. “I know you think you’re moving in here and all, and that’s something we’ll talk more about later, but don’t go thinking I’m going to play the little wifey while you’re here. If you want to eat, find something. If I happen to make breakfast and feel like sharing, I’ll let you know.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with a chuckle.

While he worked, Bambi took a quick shower and got dressed before Beau decided to wake up. Once he did, everything would be a process. When she emerged from the bathroom and he still wasn’t awake, she moved on to making breakfast. Despite what she said, Bambi went to work putting together something a little more substantial than her usual buttered toast.

Taking care to avoid tripping over his long legs and all the crap from under the sink that’d been set out, Bambi managed to make pancakes and eggs with little fuss and in record time.

“Breakfast is done if you’re hungry,” she told Curtis as she set out two plates.

“Oh, so you’re including me this morning, huh?”

“You would do well to shelve the cocky attitude,” she informed him as she took a sip of orange juice. “There’s plenty for both of us. And besides, you are fixing my plumbing.”

“In more ways than one,” he uttered cockily. Of course he did. Men were always looking for an opportunity to sling innuendoes.

After a moment, Curtis emerged from under the sink, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “All fixed,” he announced. He extended his hand. “Here.”

Bambi gasped the instant she saw the glittery yellow, cushion-cut diamond. Setting her cup to the side, she plucked it from his fingers. “Thank you so much.” It was still a little grungy and would need a good scrubbing, but she slipped it onto her finger anyway, thrilled beyond words to have it back.

“You’re welcome. This looks great, dollface,” Curtis said, switching gears as he took in the spread of food and started loading up a plate.

“Thanks.” She was too preoccupied to care about her own hunger anymore, too grateful to have the ring that had been in her family for generations safe and sound again.

After breakfast was eaten and the kitchen was put back in order, Bambi set to work getting everything together for the day. She needed to go to the store to pick up a few odds and ends, and then she had an evening shift at the gas station to tackle later. Unfortunately, it was one of the nights that Tina wouldn’t be available to watch Beau, as they had been put on the same shift, so Bambi would have to take him to night care. She hated leaving him there, but as a single mom, she did what she had to do. Plus, Beau would be learning from the other kids eventually, which would be wonderful for character development. At least that’s what she told herself.

“I can’t believe he’s sleeping so long,” Bambi said, checking on Beau again. Normally, he was up and roaring, demanding all of her attention. This morning had been nothing but smooth sailing. She’d lost track of how many times she’d looked in on him to make sure he was still breathing.

“Would you calm down. He’s fine. I fed him early this morning while you were still asleep. He’s good,” Curtis said from his place on the couch. He was kicked back watching the sports channel, looking as if he really did live there.

She had to admit, she liked having him in her space. It was a little fantasy of hers, and one she hoped but never thought she’d see come to fruition. Certainly not like this. She didn’t like that he’d invited himself into her home to stay. She wanted it to be on different terms—because he wanted to be there for her and their son, not out of force or anger.

But she was going to let it slide for the moment. He had already fixed her sink and apparently helped with the baby without her even knowing it…and she owed him some time with his son. But just for today, she told herself. She’d let him stay until she had to go to work, and then he’d have to go home. They’d work out the details for future visits later.

Returning to the couch, Bambi sat at the opposite end from him and said, “You did?” She was shocked, and her expression showed it.

“Don’t look at me like that. I was up, he was up. We hung out together for a while so you could rest.”

“That was, um…really nice of you.” Honestly, she hadn’t had a solid night’s sleep like that since he’d been born. She was refreshed and energized. It was a feeling she’d missed more than she realized.

“Well,” Curtis said, looking guilty, “I may have tried to wake you up several times, but you were hibernating or something. Didn’t even flinch, so I got it figured out.”

Her eyes widened a fraction. “Um, thanks? I guess…” She laughed a little, imagining how it must have gone. “I’m impressed you figured all of that out on your own. From never changing a diaper before to getting up in the morning and doing it all. That’s a huge leap.”

He grinned pridefully. “Well, I’ve always been adaptable. Throw me into the deep end and I’ll swim every time.”

She just smiled at him. “Really, Curtis, I’m proud of you for being able to do all that. I know how hard it is.” She’d never had brothers or sister to take care of growing up, so when she had Beau, she didn’t really know the first thing about child care either. She’d just gone off instinct and a whole lot of trial and error. Thank God for the nurses at the hospital, though. They’d been instrumental in teaching her a few of the basics, so she wasn’t completely in the dark when she finally brought him home.

Still, it had been a hell of a crash course in motherhood.

Looking a touch uncomfortable with the praise and the way she was staring at him, Curtis leaned forward and grabbed the pack of cigarettes he’d left on the table, along with the silver, engraved lighter. He stuck a cigarette between his lips then cupped his hand around the lighter.

Bambi was so caught up watching him, she almost forgot the rules of the house.

“Oh, no, sorry, no,” Bambi told him, plucking the now-lit cigarette from his lips.

“Hey, what gives?”

She was up off the couch and headed for the door. “No smoking in the house. It’s bad for the baby,” she informed him, opening the door to throw it out.

Curtis wasn’t having it. “Wait a second there, dollface. No need to go throwing good money out the door. I’ll just take it outside.”

She paused, handing it off to him. “Are you sure?”

“Well, I don’t prefer it, but yeah. I get it. Rules are rules, and I’ll respect them. But I need my vice right now.”

“You really should think about quitting. It’s not healthy. Even secondhand could hurt Beau.”

Standing on the front stoop, Curtis puffed on the cigarette, appearing to think about that. “I know, and you’re right. But I don’t know that I’m cut out for carrying around one of those pussy vape things.” He cringed thinking about it, and Bambi laughed at his expense.

“Yeah, I bet the brothers would be after you, too.”

He scowled. “Those fuckers would never let me live it down.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, Beau is more important than a sterling reputation.”

He looked at her sideways. “Dollface, ain’t nothin’ about me ever been sterling.”

Wasn’t that the truth. Bambi knew by his record alone from studying him back in her FBI days that Curtis Nash had been making a record for himself since adolescence. All petty crimes, nothing too heinous or irredeemable though. At his base, he was a good man, as far as she could tell. Otherwise, she never would have gotten mixed up with him to begin with.

Well, now she was stuck with him for eighteen years, for better or worse.

The day progressed smoothly. Curtis helped where he could getting Beau up and ready for their outing, insisting on tagging along for the duration. He was, for lack of better comparison, a shadow. But Bambi appreciated the help regardless. So much so, she even ignored several texts from Steve. Curtis might have been absent for the first months of his life, but Beau had taken to him like a fish to water. Bambi was continually impressed by how easily her son responded to him, as he knew instinctually Curtis was his father.

She was also enjoying watching how quickly Curtis warmed to his son. She’d never thought he’d be a truly bad father, but she hadn’t thought he’d be ready for the role so early in life. Curtis was a wild card kind of guy. He was always moving, never settling down for too long. She just always assumed he was the kind of man who’d have to burn himself out, age eventually taming him. But he seemed to be falling into his new role with enviable ease.

For a brief moment in the checkout lane, while Beau was kicking up a fuss, she couldn’t help watching Curtis scoop him into his arms, and, seeing how easily and quickly he calmed, comparing him to Steve.

She felt kind of bad for ignoring him earlier. Steve was such a nice guy, caring and attentive, but Beau didn’t react to him the way he did to Curtis. It was a stark difference, and one she couldn’t ignore. Beau was comfortable with his father, and, she considered, maybe even better off with him as an active participant in his life.

But she still wondered how they would work this out. The distance alone was going to be a problem, and she couldn’t allow Curtis to uproot their lives in order to fit him into it.

So what was she going to do?

The question sat heavy on her mind all the way home. Curtis was extra helpful, as if he could sense the storm brewing inside her head. While she sat down to nurse the baby, he carried in and put away all the groceries. She didn’t imagine she’d have an easy time finding everything, since he kept asking where it all went, but again, she was finding herself grateful for the help.

It was nice having someone around to shoulder the responsibilities. While Tina was a great help, she couldn’t be there daily, and that was something Bambi imagined she would miss once Curtis went back home.

“I’ll be riding back home to pick up a few things tonight,” Curtis announced as Bambi finished towel drying Beau. She loved how he smelled fresh out of the bath, all warm and baby fresh. “But it shouldn’t take me long. I’ll be back in a couple hours at most.”

“Oh, um, well…” She hesitated. She’d been building up to this conversation all day, and it still felt as if it’d come on too fast.

“I already know what you’re going to say, so you can save your breath,” he told her, cutting her off at the pass. “You’re going to tell me not to come back, and that you have everything handled. I’m not living with you, blah, blah, blah.”

Bambi arched her brows. She was busily taping the diaper to Beau’s rear end and determined not to fight with Curtis in front of him. “Curtis,” she said, ready to launch into all the reasons why this situation he had worked out in his mind wasn’t going to happen.

“No, now, just hear me out,” he insisted. Coming up beside her, he stepped into her place, taking over dressing Beau, and she had to wonder if all his help today was because he’d been building a plan in his head to prove his worth.

His next words proved just that.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and I think you need me here. I’ve seen everything you do in a day,” he said, stuffing little Beau’s arms into his onesie. No longer was Curtis so afraid he might break him. “It’s a lot for one person, and I can help with that. You said you have to work tonight, and I can help there too.”

“How? I’ll be dropping him off at night care.”

“But you see, with me here, you don’t have to. You can save money and time, and you’ll know that he’s in good hands leaving him here with me.”

Bambi sighed. “Curtis, I appreciate what you’re saying, I do, but—”

“Cut me some slack here,” he told her. Finished snapping all the snaps, he picked Beau up and cradled him as he addressed her fully. “I’m offering the deal of a lifetime here, and imagine how much more comfortable Beau would be if he could stay in his own home instead of with strangers.”

Bambi glanced away. She couldn’t argue with that kind of logic, especially when she thought about it every time she had to drop him off. The staff was nice, of course, and the facilities clean, but nothing beat the comfort of home. Honestly, a small part of her hated leaving him behind.

“I don’t know…”

By Curtis’s reaction to her response, he knew he’d already won.

“You will not regret this,” he said, then caught her by surprise when he dove in and kissed her square on the mouth.

All Bambi could do was stand there and stare at the now-empty doorway thinking that was probably exactly what she was going to do.