Page 18 of Love Unwritten

Jealousy.

I want to shoo her away, but then she shocks me when she places her palm against my back and rubs in a circular pattern. The motion is comforting rather than aggravating, which worries me.

Being near each other is one thing, but touching? Completely inappropriate and unprofessional, but I can’t find it in me to get up and move.

Instead, I sit there, still as a statue, while Ellie tries to soothe me, a man who doesn’t deserve an ounce of her sympathy or compassion. At best, I’ve been marginally polite, and at worst, I’ve been a grumpy, insecure asshole who has taken out my jealousy on her.

All those past incidents fade away as she comforts me, and my body, which was rigid at first, slowly relaxes with every pass of her palm across my wide back.

You’ll move in a second, I promise myself as I lean into her touch.

“I have firsthand experience dealing with bad dads, and you’re not one of them, no matter how much you tell yourself otherwise.” Her words sneak past my barriers and restore a fractured part of me.

I don’t speak for a whole minute, although I wish I hadn’t at all once I say, “I feel helpless sometimes.”

“I can’t begin to imagine what it must feel like to be in your position.” She gives my shoulder a squeeze. It’s strictly platonic on her end, but my heart jolts in my chest.

I turn to face her and instantly regret it as her eyes cast some kind of spell on me. The limited lighting brings out the darker shades of green and brown in her eyes tonight, and I can’t tear myself away.

I’ve never seen eyes quite like hers before, and maybe it was for the best, because a single stolen glance has my skin tingling.

I want to blame the alcohol in my system, but the excuse feels cheap. I’m the problem, not a few beers or a couple sips of bourbon.

Before I have a chance to dive into my reaction, a loud thud on the other side of the house steals our attention. She sucks in a breath, and my stomach lurches as a sharp cry pierces through the quiet.

“¡Papi!”

“Nicolas!” I bang into the coffee table and trip over my feet in my panic. “I’m coming!”

With my heart in my throat and Ellie on my heels, I take off running. Nico’s room feels too far away as I rush toward the sound of his cries.

I throw open the door to his bedroom, ignoring how the knob permanently embeds itself in the drywall as I dash inside. My shaky legs threaten to give out at the sight of Nico curled into a ball on the floor. Blood is pooled around his split chin and soaking into his dinosaur-themed PJs, while tears stain his chubby cheeks.

Based on the bloody footboard and the rug being at an odd angle, I assume that Nico must have tripped and rammed his chin into the wood post before falling to the floor.

“Oh God.” Ellie’s voice rips me away from my stupor.

I drop to my knees in front of Nico. I’m not given a chance to warn him to stay put before he throws himself into my arms with a cry. My whole heart aches at the sound, and it tears me up inside to pull him away so I can get a better look at him. “Does it hurt anywhere else?”

“No.” Nico’s voice is hoarse from crying.

Ellie kneels on the floor beside him and places his glasses back on his head. With shaky hands, I check him for any other injuries, all while he cries in pain. Each tear on his face feels like I took a bullet to my chest.

I’m stunned for a second by the blood oozing from his wound, and my stomach rolls.

Is that bone—

Ellie digs her nails into my arm, yanking me from my spiraling thoughts. “We need to take him to the hospital.”

Nico cries out against it.

I choke on the lump in my throat. “I… He…”

“We need to find something to help stop the bleeding first. I’ll go look while you stay with him?”

Nico crawls back onto my lap and wraps his arms around my neck, answering her question for me. Ellie searches the bathroom while I readjust Nico’s position against my chest so I can carry him while being mindful of the gash on his chin.

Nico looks up at me with tear-stained eyes. “I’m sorry. So, so sorry.”