This was not helping the situation in his pants.
Still leaning against the wall, he took a deep breath as Shelli continued to run her tiny little fingers through the coarse hair on his jaw. He usually didn’t allow a beard or mustache to grow, but the Assassins charity was doing a fund-raiser for prostate cancer. All the guys on the team were growing out their mustaches for donations. He wasn’t having much luck with the mustache, so he decided not to shave at all and hope for the best. He basically had a neck beard, and that was all.
Not his best look.
When Elli Adler turned the corner, he didn’t know if it was he or Shelli who squealed in delight. Elli’s face broke out in a large grin as she looked from her beautiful baby girls to Tate.
“Why do you have Shelli? Where’s Audrey?”
Tate moved his head toward the door. “In there, she—”
“Oh no! Did one of the kids puke on her?”
“No, but could you—”
Before he finished, Elli left for the bathroom, leaving him with Shelli and Posey. He glanced down at Posey just in time to see her puke all over his cardigan.
Wonderful.
“Ew! Baby Posey icky on you!” Shelli giggled.
Even with “icky” all over him, Tate couldn’t help but laugh.
“Audrey?”
She looked up from the sink when she heard knocking on the door. Recognizing the voice as Elli’s, she quickly splashed water on her face, hoping to wipe away any sign of tears. At another knock at the door, Audrey took in a shuddered breath.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, are you okay? Did the kids get you? Little spewers! I end up changing like fifteen times a day!” Elli laughed. Audrey unlocked the door so she could come in.
With a smile, she said to Elli, “You don’t know how lucky you are, spewers and all.”
The look in Elli’s eyes told Audrey her smile hadn’t worked, that Elli could tell she’d been crying. Taking her hands, Elli said, “What’s wrong?”
Audrey shook her head, begging her tears not to fall.
“I know something is wrong, what is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Audrey, tell me what’s wrong, let me help you.”
Shrugging, Audrey said, “I’m so tired of caring so much about someone who doesn’t care about me.”
Elli looked confused. “Okay, what happened to make you feel that way?”
“My ex. He always told me I’m fat, but the girl he just showed up with at your party is twice my size.”
Elli grimaced as she looked away. “Yeah, that sucks.”
“Basically,” Audrey said, choking back the tears, “what made her better? I was so good to him. It just isn’t fair.”
When Elli looked up into her eyes with compassion, Audrey allowed a tear to fall. Elli said, “Saying that you are better than him, and that you don’t deserve it, would be pointless, huh?”
Audrey nodded.
“Yeah, I figured it would be.”
They stood for a moment, neither of them saying anything. Audrey felt more tears rolling down her face and she became disgusted with herself. She hated how much she’d let Levi affect her. Like Elli said, she didn’t deserve this. So why did she let it bother her?
“How’d you do it?” Audrey whispered. She didn’t know if what she said was audible until Elli looked up and smiled.
“Do what?”
Audrey shrugged her shoulders, tears running down her cheeks. “Get so lucky to find such a fantastic man.”
A dreamy look came over Elli’s face. “I didn’t find Shea, he found me,” she declared. “But, Audrey, you have to believe that you are good enough for Prince Charming to sweep you away.”
“I do believe it,” she said. “I just can’t find him.”
“I don’t think you do believe that you are worthy. I think you are settling for less than you deserve and that you need to wait for the grand prize. Stop messing with these idiots and find a man who will love you for the amazing girl you are.”