Hooked (39 page)

     “Sounds good, I love you.  Get some sleep tonight because tomorrow’s
gonna
be a long day.”

     “I will babe, you too, goodnight.”

     I hung up and started wrapping presents.  I couldn’t wait to give Cash his presents.  As I thought about how he would laugh at the boxers
,
it dawned on me that my presents would be the only ones he would receive.  He wouldn’t even get one from his mom this year.  The thought made me sad.  Enough
of this sadness
,
I thought
,
he’s got me and I’m going to love him enough for five people.

CHAPTER
20

     Cash arrived at seven the next morning.  Eli and I were barely awake
,
but I was still excited.  I carried my bag downstairs. 

     “Hey, are you ready?”  Cash asked as he hugged me and grabbed my bag.

     “Yep, Eli should be as well.”

     “I’m ready,
chillax
Millie,” Eli said as he walked into the kitchen.

     “Where are you going?  We have to get on the road.”

     “If we are going to be on the road for five hours, I’m taking something to eat with me.”

     “Yeah, I could eat too,” Cash added.

     “Fine
,
but hurry, I’m excited.”

     They both grabbed a juice and a box of
poptarts
to share.  Eli and I told mom and dad bye before we came down stairs
,
but of course
,
my dad felt he needed to give Cash the talk before we left.

     “Did you check the tires and oil in your car?” 
M
y dad asked like Cash didn’t work at a garage or know anything about cars.

     “Yes sir, I’ve checked everything and all ready filled my tank.”

     “Alright, I gave Millie money in case y
’
all need anything.  It should cover their hotel room
,
too
,
”
h
e added.  Cash just kept looking at him and before he could answer, I did.

     “Yeah dad, we got it.  We will call you once we get there.  Love you,” I called over my shoulder as I walked out
t
o get in the car.  I opened my side of the door for Eli to get in as Cash put our bags in the trunk.

     “What?  I can’t ride in the back, my legs are too long,” Eli complained.

     “You are not sitting up front, I am.  You’re just
gonna
have to deal with it.”

     “Millie, your 5’6”…I’m
5’10”
, this is stupid
,
”
h
e said rolling his eyes.

     “Well, it might be stupid to you
,
but remember
you’re
getting paid.  Now get in and don’t start any crap and ruin this trip.”

     He raised the seat up and got in with a mumbled, “Whatever.”

     By the time I actually got in and buckled my seatbelt
,
Cash was already in.  He laughed and shook his head.

     “What?”

     “You two crack me up.  We haven’t even left the driveway and you’re already fighting.”

     “We weren’t fighting
.
I just had to remind Eli that he’s not running this show.” I smiled innocently.

     “Well, at least it should be interesting if nothing else
,
huh?” he
asked
as he backed out of the drive.

 
  
Most of the drive was quiet.  Eli stayed to himself most of it and listened to his
iPod
.  Cash and I talked a lot about his mom and how he could tell she had changed over the phone.  I was excited for Cash to see her
,
but I was excited to give her my present too.

     I found a silver bracelet at the mall and I had
two stones
placed in the middle of it.  Both stones were her and Cash’s birth stones.  I wanted to start a tradition for her in hopes that one day I could add mine and our kids.  I hope she likes it.  I hadn’t even got a chance to show Cash.

     Four hours and thirty-five minutes later
,
we pulled up to our hotel.  Cash had already
googled
the directions and this hotel was only ten minutes from his
mom’s
hospital. 

     “I’m going to go get us checked
in and then we can grab some lunch and go see my mom
,
alright?”
H
e
asked
getting out of his car.

     “Alright, I’ll stay here with Eli until you get back.  Here, take this money and get his room
,
too.”

     “I got it,” he said walking off.

     “No, you don’t.  My dad sent this money and we are going to spend it on his room. 
Geez
, between you and my dad, this
machoism
is getting on my nerves
.
”
I rolled my eyes.

     He stood there giving me a mixed look full of amusement and being annoyed.  “Fine, I’ll pick my battle here,” he said smartly taking the money and leaving.

     I turned around to see Eli smirking.  “What are you smiling about?”

    
“Nothing.”

     “What
,
Eli?”

     “I just think
it’s
funny, you two.”

     “What about us?”

     “I don’t know, it’s just, it’s like y
’
all are married or something.”

     “What do you mean?”

     “It’s just, he does whatever you say.  He starts out saying what he wants
,
but then you somehow talk him into whatever you want, just like mom.”

     Cash came back out with our keys and handed Eli one.  He walked around to the trunk and handed Eli his bag and grabbed mine and his.

     “What?  Did I interrupt something?”
  He asked looking at both of us with a raised eyebrow.

     “No
,
Eli was
just telling me how we remind him of my mom and dad.”

     “What the hell
,
man?  I’m nothing like your dad.”
  Cash cringed.

     Eli and I both started laughing at how defensive Cash got.

     “I didn’t mean
you’re
just like my dad
,
I just, I don’t know
,
you always end up doing what Millie wants like my dad does with my mom.”

     “Well Eli, I’ll tell you about it later, but girls have quite a bit of power at the beginning of relationships.  What dudes care about is all physical
,
right?” Eli
nodded
his head.  “Alright then, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what you
gotta
do then
,
does it?”

     Cash told him this
crap
like I wasn’t standing there and he wasn’t talking to my little brother
,
but one of his friends.

     “I don’t
care,
I’m not giving into a girl like that.  She can take it or leave it
.
I’m not that hard up
,
” Eli said.

     “Yet,” Cash added.

     “Cash, he’s only
fourteen
!  We don’t need to be talking like that in front of him.”

     “Whatever, look you didn’t get me a room right next to y
’
all
,
did you?  I really don’t want to be kept up all night by a banging headboard
,
” Eli said as he walked off.

     My mouth hung open and I gaped at Cash
.
“Look what you did!  Now he knows we’ve had sex
,
” I whispered yelled at him.

     “Mil, he already knows.  Look sweetheart, I don’t know why you thought he didn’t
,
but he’s f
ourteen
, not ten.  He’s a dude
,
Mil.  Don’t you think us spending the night together kind of gave it away?”  He smiled like this was nothing.

     “I don’t know
.
I was choosing not to think about it.”
 
I pouted.

     “Well, he does by his obvious remark as he headed inside.”

     “Ugh, I wish we didn’t have to bring him, now I feel weird.”

     “Well, if I had known what kind of scheme you were going to come up with,
I
would have made sure we had a plan first
.
”
H
e nudged me.

     “You know I can’t help it.  You could have at least said something about love, now he’s going to think we just do it all the time and---
”

    
“Mil, listen
,
hang on,” he interrupted me.  “I’ll talk to him
,
okay?  I’m sorry I didn’t say everything I should have
,
but sweetheart trust me, he can tell I love you.”

     “Let’s just get to our room and put our bags away so we can eat
,
”
I grumbled.

     He grabbed my hand as we walked to the elevator.  “Did you bring your swimsuit like I suggested?”

     I smiled at him
.
“Yes
,
I did.”

     “Good
,
because tonight we are getting in that hot tub
,
”
he said pointing
out the window.

     I called Eli to tell him we were going to visit Cash’s mom.  “We are about to leave, do you want to come with us or maybe we could drop you off at the mall?” I asked because I felt kind of bad leaving him in the hotel room all day.

     “No, I think I’m just going to chill here.  I’m
gonna
order room service.  I have the money dad gave me.”

     “Alright, I already called mom to let her know we made it.  I figure we will be at the hospital for a while
,
so if you need me
,
just give me a call.”

   
“Okay
,
see you later.”

     It only took us about fifteen minutes to get to the rehab facility Mary was staying in.  Cash held my hand so tight walking up to the
doors,
I thought he was going to cut off the circulation.  I leaned up to him and kissed him on the cheek. 

    
“You’ve got this honey, it’s going to be great
,
” I told him trying to calm his nerves.