Page 17 of Louisiana Protector

He turned on the television and then went back into the kitchen to make himself something for dinner. It took only minutes for him to build a big ham and cheese sandwich. He added chips to his plate and grabbed a soda from the refrigerator.

Carrying his plate in one hand and his soda in the other, he returned to the living room and sat on the recliner. He tuned the television to a game show and then began to eat.

The lively show couldn’t begin to compete with the thoughts of Mimi that blossomed in his head. Even though he’d found it difficult to interact with her in the evenings when her friends were all there, he enjoyed just sitting and watching her.

She moved with a natural grace, and he enjoyed seeing her laugh and talk to the others. She was warm and gracious, and he especially loved watching her interact with her son…with their son.

His heart expanded as he thought of the little boy. Danny had immediately taken to him, often leaning into him with complete trust as he showed Johnny one of his little cars or some other toy.

Johnny loved those moments, and he longed to tell Danny he was his father. But he had to be patient. First, he needed to break through Mimi’s defenses. He reminded himself that it had only been a little over a week since he’d returned to her life. That wasn’t a long time. He just needed to be more patient, although he would freely admit that he was sick of the other men showing up at her shanty every damn night.

What did concern him was that he believed all three of the men were in love with her. He saw it in the depths of their eyes when they gazed at her. What if she suddenly realized she was in love with one of them? They had a real history with her that he didn’t have.

The very thought of that upset him, but there was nothing he could do about it. If that was the case, he’d only have himself to blame. He’d had her love and devotion years before, but he had thrown it all away.

All he wanted now was a real chance to see if they could reclaim the love they had once shared. But he didn’t know if she’d give him a chance or not.

HE LOVED MIMI with all his heart and soul. He had been in love with her since she’d been pregnant with Danny. Even with her big pregnant stomach, he’d found her achingly beautiful. It hadn’t mattered that she was carrying another man’s baby.

He’d been there for her over the years. When Danny had been colicky, he’d given Mimi a break and rocked the fretful baby for hours until he finally fell asleep. He’d bought diapers and toys and provided them plenty of fish and other meat to eat. He’d had long conversations with her, listening to her frustrations and her dreams, sharing their souls in a way that cemented his love and support of her.

He had taken damn good care of them.

Yes, he was deeply in love with her. And he believed that once he spoke to her of his love, she would realize she was in love with him, too.

So far, he hadn’t told her how he felt about her. He didn’t want to give her a chance to break his heart.

But as far as he was concerned, she belonged to him and he wasn’t going to let anyone else have her, including the smarmy man who had come back in town and went to her shanty every damn night like he had a right to be there.

Johnny Night. The man was scum. He was the one who had broken her heart five years before, and now he was back and sniffing around her like a dog in heat. There was no way in hell he would allow Mimi to get back with that man. If she showed any signs of weakness where Night was concerned, he would have to straighten her out.

Because she belonged to him, and he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had her completely to himself.

Chapter Four

Mimi went around the room, lighting the lanterns against the darkness caused by the approaching storms. Danny played on the living room floor with his miniature car collection and occasionally looked toward the windows while Gramps was in the kitchen cooking dinner.

She had been grateful to get home from work before the storm unleashed. A wind had kicked up, and the skies definitely looked threatening. It appeared as if at any moment the rain would be upon them.

Maybe they would have no visitors tonight. Maybe the weather would keep everyone at home this evening. That would be nice. She wouldn’t mind an evening of it just being Gramps, Danny and herself. The idea of a quieter night was definitely appealing.

It was slightly draining when all four of the men were here every evening. The conversation among her three friends was often loud, and she felt as if they were each vying for her attention. Then there was Johnny…silent…watchful and creating all kinds of chaos in her mind.

Besides, Danny was always unsettled by storms. He wasn’t exactly scared, just uneasy and a little bit anxious. She would far rather spend the evening reading stories and playing with him than with a houseful of people. However, certainly she would never turn away anyone from her door.

Dinner was Danny’s favorite: hot dogs, baked beans and Gramps’s delicious home-made seasoned french fries. As they ate, thunder began to rumble overhead.

“Sounds like we’re going to get a real belly washer,” Gramps said.

“A belly washer.” Danny giggled. “Is the thunder going to wash my belly?”

Gramps and Mimi laughed. “No, son,” Mimi replied. “That just means we’re going to get a lot of rain.”

By the time they finished the meal, the thunder boomed overhead, and lightning slashed the skies far more frequently than it had minutes before. After the kitchen was clean, they moved back to the living room.

Danny returned to playing on the floor, and Mimi got down on the floor with him. For the next half hour she drove a miniature Corvette over imaginary roads. Danny drove a police car and occasionally pulled her over for speeding or some other infraction that he made up. He giggled often as their playacting got silly, and she loved the sound of his laughter.

Gramps alternated his attention between them and a book he was reading. She loved that Gramps was a reader and often read to Danny. She was hoping when Danny got older he would be a reader, too.