Still in shock, Kay couldn’t even speak, so she just did the first thing that came into her mind.
She hugged him.
He stood, stiff and unyielding, in her embrace for a moment before his arms came up and around her back. Hope stuck her fingers in her mouth and then looked up at Eli. Then she patted his cheek with her damp hand. He burst out laughing.
“I guess she’s okay then.”
Kay lifted her head and looked up at him. “I think she knew she was safe the whole time.”
Eli disappeared through the door leading to the garage. Kay sat on the couch, Hope still clutched in her arms. So many conflicting emotions raced through her mind. It was irrational, but she wasn’t ready to put Hope down yet. Her eyes went back to the overturned bookcase and she closed her eyes and hugged her daughter tighter.
A few minutes later, he came back with a drill and a small toolbox. Kay watched from the couch as he pushed the bookcase back up against the wall. The picture frames and candles that had fallen off the shelves he set to the side in small piles.
“It’s a good thing there wasn’t much on this bookcase,” he said. Then he rummaged in his toolbox.
The loud sound of the drill made Hope jump. She turned to Kaylee and pointed.
Eli turned and saw her pointing. “I’m making a lot of noise aren’t I, princess? But I need to make sure this room is safe for you.”
He drilled inside the bookcase on the left side and then the right. He did this on the second to last shelf and then the middle one. After that, he pulled on the bookshelf to see if it would move. Once satisfied, he picked up his toolbox and the drill and carried them back to the garage. He came back in and stepped carefully over the gate, then sat next to Kay on the couch.
“I’m really sorry, Kay.”
Shocked, she stared at him. “Sorry? For what? You just saved her from being seriously hurt.”
“It’s my fault she almost got hurt in the first place. I should have blocked off an area that didn’t have stuff she might try to climb. Or bolted that bookcase to the wall as soon as you got here.”
Kay shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Eli. You don’t have children. I wouldn’t expect you to know about child safety hazards.”
“You don’t have to be a parent to know that bookcases are heavy and that a baby can’t resist trying to climb everything in sight,” he said.
Kay regarded him silently. This was the kind of man who took the care and shelter of everyone around him personally. He considered it his duty to help and protect others. Was that the kind of guy she needed to be afraid of? In any way?
Her heart sang out a resounding No.
“I think you’re amazing. Thank you.” She didn’t qualify her statement or explain anything else, just rested her head on his shoulder.
“No thanks are needed. I would never let anything hurt you or Hope.”
She smiled against his shoulder, even though he couldn’t see her. He’d unwittingly just made her decision for her. No matter how scary things might seem, Eli would never harm her. He wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want him to do.
If only she knew exactly what that was.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ELI WATCHED KAY from the corner of his eye as she stirred the pot of soup she’d made for dinner. Every few minutes her eyes would drift over to him. He could feel the heat of her gaze on his back, but when he looked up, she’d glance away. She clearly wasn’t ready to talk about things yet, but at least when she looked at him now it wasn’t with the shocked disgust he’d seen in her eyes earlier. It was with confusion. With questions.
It was only a matter of time before she got around to asking him whatever was on her mind.
Eli sat on the living room floor playing with Hope. Every time he tried to leave, Hope followed him to the gate and held up her arms. The bookcase falling had really scared her, and he blamed himself for the oversight. Even though he didn’t have children, he knew that bookcases were a safety risk. He should have bolted it to the wall the first day they were here. That kind of lapse could lead to a serious injury. Hope toddled over to him and handed him one of her alphabet blocks.
“This is an A. For apple,” he recited.
She clapped her hands, her eyes dancing with glee. “Abba!”
His heart turned over in his chest as she toddled over and brought him another block. When he took it, she patted his cheek as if congratulating him on a job well done.
“You know exactly how to wrap me around your little finger, don’t you?” Eli tickled her under the chin.