Worth the Risk (Carolina Rebels 5)

It doesn’t.

“Do you have a nice dress?”

His change of topic confuses me for a second. What does that have to do with what I do in my spare time? “No,” I answer him anyway.

“You need to go shopping, then.”

“Why?”

“It’s for our date.”

My eyebrows shoot up and Elias smiles. He’s taking me somewhere really nice then.

“I’ll take Jackson and Henry skating Wednesday, and we’ll go out Thursday,” he adds.

“Sounds good. Why don’t we watch a movie?” If that’s his favorite way to unwind during the season, then I’d like to do that with him. Elias seems to love this idea as well based on the smile on his face. He reaches for the remote to find a movie. We also move to lie on the couch on our sides with me in front of him.

This is all so bizarre, being here with Elias like this, but at least now, I don’t have to worry so much about not ogling him and thinking inappropriately about him. About thirty minutes into the movie, Elias pulls my hair out of the way. He kisses my neck. My breathing shallows immediately. His hand slips underneath my shirt, his fingertips trail up and down my side.

“What do you hope your future has?” he murmurs against my skin.

He wants me to think while his hand and lips are touching me? Doesn’t he realize I’m basically like a teenager right now? I swallow hard and think of an answer. “I want to graduate, figure out my dream job, and one day, give Jackson a sibling.”

Elias’s movements stop. He turns me a little so he can look at me. One of his eyebrows arches. “You didn’t mention a relationship,” he points out.

“My last one left me pretty scarred.” I shrug because maybe those words aren’t as true today as they once were. “I care more about taking care of Jackson, I guess.”

Elias smirks. “How do you plan to give him a sibling if you don’t have a relationship at some point?”

“That’s kinda the problem with my plan,” I say, causing him to laugh. “Especially since I don’t want to have a kid with just anyone. I learned my lesson with Henry.” At this, his expression sobers. “Do you want Bree to have a sibling one day?”

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t be opposed, but I’m like you. I’d need to find someone I’d want to make a baby with.”

All this talk about making babies causes me to look back at the TV.

“Momma?”

I spring upright to see Jackson’s feet descending down the stairs. He didn’t see me with Elias, which eases some of my nerves, but he doesn’t usually wake up in the middle of the night. I stand and head toward the stairs. “Yeah, baby? What’s wrong?” I walk up to him.

“I heard a noise in my room at the window.”

What? That scares me a little. “Elias? Don’t you want to come with us?” When I turn, I see him already at the bottom of the steps to follow us. I take Jackson’s hand. “Come on. We’ll make sure everything’s safe and get you back to sleep.”

The light is on in his room when we get there. I get a reluctant Jackson back in bed while Elias peers out of his window and double checks that it’s locked, even though we’re on the second floor. Jackson says it sounded like something hit the window, but Elias tells him there’s nothing outside. He turns the light off and stands by the door, waiting for me.

“Everything’s okay now. You can go back to sleep.” I kiss his forehead.

He frowns. “You aren’t staying with me until I fall asleep?”

“I can if you want me to.” I never turn him down when he’s scared; it’s the one thing I’ve never been able to do. Jackson holds his arms out for me and with that, I lie on the bed next to him. I don’t sing to him like some moms might. Sometimes, I just hold him. Sometimes, lik

e tonight, I run my fingers through his hair with one hand and soothe away the wrinkles on his forehead with the other. Running my fingers across his forehead and down the bridge of his nose always relaxes him.

He falls asleep within minutes. I slowly ease out of bed to find Elias in the same spot; I figured he’d leave once Jackson asked me to stay. We carefully and quietly leave Jackson’s room.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what? Being his mom and doing mom things?” Elias rolls his eyes. “Don’t apologize, Raelynn. Not for something like that.” As he tugs me in the opposite direction of the stairs, I realize it’s dark down there. Maybe he did leave to turn off all the lights and turn on the alarm. “Will you sleep in my room tonight?” he asks.