My Little Love

Chapter 15

Two weeks later, I've finished packing all my things. It's almost four in the morning. I've told Lily that I'm going on a trip for work and that I'll be back in two weeks, and at first, she seemed really cool with it, but now...she's nervous. I can sense it as she watches me get ready.

I'm wearing a light blue dress that shows off my hourglass figure. The dress has dark blue dots on it, and there are buttons running down the middle. The sleeves are slight puffy, and the dress ends right at my knees. I've left my hair free, tucked behind one ear.

Thalia's staying over for the next two weeks along with Valerie and my mom to watch Lily. They promised that there would always be two pairs of eyes on her, and that even when she went to bed, she would be sleeping with one of them.

"Alright, Honey," I whisper, holding out my hands for Lily. 

She crawls forward on the bed and I pick her up and take her down. I hand her over to Valerie and kiss her forehead.

"I'll be back soon, 'kay? I'll bring back chocolate. Promise," I say, smiling at her.

Lily's bottom lip trembles and she tries to reach out for me, but I don't lift her out of Valerie's arms.

"Mama, don't leave!" Lily begs as tears start trickling down her cheeks.

I kiss her forehead again and wipe away the tears, smiling.

"I love you. I'll talk to you ever day, okay? If anything's the matter, you can call me. I'll be back. Plus, you get to spend time with your grandmothers and Thalia! Maybe they'll spoil you a bit," I say, winking.

Lily's still crying as I leave. I watch her through the car window as we drive away.

Damien and I are in one car, and my dad and his dad are in the other. Awkward. It's so quiet.

"She okay?" Damien asks, focusing straight ahead.

I nod, blinking back against the burning in my own eyes. This is the first time I've left her alone.

I clear my throat, and shift slightly, leaning my head back against the seat.

"We have a couple more hours till we get there. Why don't you go to sleep?" Damien asks, glancing over at me.

I start to protest, but sleep finds me before I can so much as finish a sentence.

I wake up a little while later, alone in the car. I blink blearily, just as the door opens and Damien comes back in.

"You're awake. I was just stopping for gas," He says.

I nod.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Six o'clock," Damien says as he starts the car.

He notices me shivering and turns on the heater.

After a few moments of silent driving, I finally get annoyed and lean forward, turning on the radio, connecting bluetooth and pulling my phone out of my pocket.

I connect my phone to the car and then turn on 'Save your tears' by ariana grande and the weekend.

"Seriously?" Damien asks as the song starts playing.

I shrug, "It's too quiet."

Damien rolls his eyes, exasperated.

"I don't understand how you manage to act like a woman around Lily and yet act like a child when she's not there," He says.

I let out a dramatic gasp, clutching my chest as if heartbroken.

And then I grin.

"You're no fun. Why can't it be like old time? You used to sing back then," I say, pouting.

Damien grunts.

"Come on. Don't be shy. Sing," I laugh.

It takes a lot of coaxing, and then we're both singing along and laughing. I stop the songs when my phone rings, and I look at the caller ID and quickly pick it up.

"Hey Thalia! Everything good?" I ask.

"Um..." She says.

"What's wrong?!" I ask, panicked.

I feel Damien's eyes on me.

"Lily won't go to sleep. She wants to talk to you," Thalia explains quickly noticing the panic in my voice.

I straighten slightly, "Give the phone over to her."

A few moments later I say in a soft voice, "Hey sweetie."

"Momma?" Lily asks.

Just hearing her voice, I can tell she's crying.

"Shhh. Don't cry, okay? You're a brave little girl. I'll be back soon, okay? Thalia and you grandmothers will take care of you. Why don't you go to sleep, honey?" I ask.

"There's someone in my room, mama," Lily cries.

I freeze.

"Give the phone to Thalia, honey. Can you do that for me, please? Give the phone over to Thalia," I say, my voice hard.

After a moment, Thalia speaks again.

"That's what she's been saying for over an hour. We've searched the room three times, Eve. There's no one here. I think she's just scared," Thalia says.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"Yes," Thalia says.

"Okay...just leave the lights on, and just play a song or read a story to her. She'll go to sleep," I say.

"Alright," Thalia says after a moment.

"Thanks. Can I talk to Lily for a moment?" I ask.

"Sure," Thalia says.

"Mama?" Lily asks.

"Yes, baby girl. Listen, there's no one in your room, alright? You're safe there. Go to sleep, 'kay? We'll talk in a few more hours." I promise.

"I'm safe?" Lily asks after a moment.

"You're safe," I repeat.

After a moment, Lily agrees.

"Okay, goodnight. Sleep tight. I'll call you after a while," I say.

I disconnect the call after Lily says goodnight.

"What happened?" Damien asks, making me jump in surprise.

"Huh? Oh. Lily's just too scared to sleep. She'll be fine," I say, trying to reassure myself more than him.

"You okay?" Damien asks after a moment of silence.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," I say.

"Is this your first time away from her?" Damien asks.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," I say, blowing out a breath.

The rest of the ride, Damien and I talk about Lily. I tell him stories about her, and slowly, I start to relax again.