She nodded. “I don’t at all, but Gregory picked it because it was safe.”
“I agree with that. Now, you don’t have to live there. I’d like you to move in with me.”
Her mouth dropped. “What? Are you crazy? We’ve been on two bizarre dates. We hardly know each other.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t call them bizarre.”
She snorted. “The first one was when you knocked me down in the rain, brought me home, and we drank chocolate milk. I still say that it wasn’t really a date. The second one was you taking care of my injuries, eating Chinese, and then I fell asleep on you.”
“If you weren’t hurt, it would have been perfect.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t wait to be on a crummy date with you. And then all the ways you’re already taking care of me. It’s like we’ve been together for years instead of hours.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t want you to forget I’m going to be taking you to and from work.”
“I think that’s ridiculous. I’m perfectly able to get myself there and back.”
He tipped his head forward a bit. “I know, baby. But I l
ove taking care of you, and part of that is keeping you safe.”
She saw the determination in his eyes and dropped the subject for the moment.
“Please go on,” he prompted. “You lived in Kansas.”
She nodded. “My grandmother raised me.”
“Why?”
“We never knew who my father was, and my mom had a drug problem, so the state gave me to Grandma.”
“I’m so sorry, baby. That had to have been rough. How old were you?”
“Eight.”
“Hell,” he said. “You were so young.”
“It actually turned out good. Being with my mom wasn’t safe for me, and my grandmother was very sweet.”
“I hate to ask, but where is your grandmother?”
Aleena swallowed and inhaled a deep breath. “She passed away when I was fourteen. Thankfully, it was in her sleep.”
“What happened to you?”
“Foster care.”
“Dammit.” He wiped a hand down his face. “I hate that you went through that.”
“Don’t. They placed me with a nice family, and I got to stay there until I went to college.”
“How did you go to college?”
“I had straight As, so I got an awesome grant to go to one of the universities.”
“How did you end up here in this city?”
“My professor set me up with a job with Gregory.”