Maid for Him.

Chapter Fifteen

Nausea overwhelmed him, thoughts of changing the subject consumed him.

"Can you undress him while I run him a bath?" Tess asked as she pulled the blanket from their tiny scrap of a boy and held him out to Cole.

Cole hesitated, just for a moment, before reaching out and taking him in his hands. The baby's tiny head wasn't even the size of his palm. He laid the newborn on the bed and carefuly peeled the jumpsuit away from his body. His wiry little arms were so delicate, Cole was scared they'd break as he attempted to free them from the towelling cloth. 

This child. 

His child, was so dependent on him and Tess at this point that a new resolve kicked in.

"You were going to say?" Tess prompted. He closed his eyes and let the sound of the running water spur him on. It was a great omen. They'd met when Tess was submerged in water and now she stood filling a plastic baby tub. Her hands were submerged as she tested the temperature of the bath.

"I think we should be a proper family. I want us to all stay together." The words broke out into the air and floated around for a minute before they landed in front of Tess.

She spun to face him with her mouth dropped open. Before gathering herself, she pushed her shoulders back, stuck her nose in the air, shuffled over and took the now naked baby. "Why this sudden change of heart?"

Her voice, so even, it was impossible to read her. But he'd started now, there was no turning back.

"It's not sudden. It's the way it always should have been."

She eased the baby into the bath and he let out a croaky grizzle. Delicately wiping his paper-thin skin with a soft white cloth. "Always? You mean always since you found out about the baby?"

"Well yes." Knowing it was a trap he said it anyway. "Yes, since I knew about the baby."

Looking over her shoulder at him, her eyes narrowed. "What about before that Cole?"

Although he was aware he was entering dangerous territory he wasn't exactly sure how or what he did wrong. So he chose to soldier forward. "Yes before that. Always Tess. From the moment you dripped water all over my thousand dollar shoes and thought nothing of it." He smiled at the memory.

"Well, what sort of person wears shoes like that to the river? That alone should have told me you're infuriating." She lifted their baby from the water. "Grab me that towel please."

He picked it up and held it open. She placed the baby in it and he wrapped it around the tiny body.

"Make sure you have his head." Tess reminded him.

"I know how to hold him; I'd never hurt my son." He furrowed his brow. He was unused to people questioning him and thinking of him as incapable.

"Sometimes people get hurt unintentionally." She grumbled.

Cole watched her as she rifled through the shopping bag he'd picked up from the gift store downstairs. He'd picked up every small, blue outfit they had. Hats, booties, blankets and diapers. She selected a fluffy blue bear jumpsuit, complete with a hoodie that had ears and a round puff that served as a tail.

"Our cub." He sighed. "Tess, I know you're hurt. But I need you to know it's always been you. I've never stopped wanting you."

"Really?" Her hands flew to her hips. "So why did you fire me and send me away then?" She kept her voice quiet, practically a whisper and it unnerved him more than if she just went on a rantage and was done with it.

"I... I have no idea what you're talking about." He placed the now dry bundle on the bed. Tess rushed to him immediately, diapering and changing him.

"Don't even try to lie to me Cole Washington. You didn't even have the balls to do it yourself. You sent your mother."

"What? No, I didn't. Why the hell would I fire you?"

"Maybe you'd had your fun, you got bored and you didn't want me hanging around."

He glared at her. Sucking air in through his nose and out through whistling lips. The vein in his neck throbbed.

"Is that what you think the extent of our relationship was?"

"You were lonely I guess. I was a maid, so I was there. I was available."

"Hell, are you kidding me? I didn't bed you because I thought you were an easy target."

"Well, why did you start this with me? Was it because you knew how much it would piss your father off?"

"You really think that's the sort of guy I am?" His eyes turned dark, while his skin seemed to pale. He glared at her like she was the wort on the back of a toad. Even when she was hiding her pregnancy from him and he'd found out, he'd never been this upset.

"Well, what other reason could it have been?" She practically screamed.

He gathered his jacket and walked to the door, where he stopped, turned and faced her. "It's called love." He said, his voice husky before he turned and stormed out the door, letting it bang shut behind him.