Read Online It All Started With a Lima Bean by Kimi Flores - Free Book Online

lap.
    “Pumpkin, do you want me to call your daddy to come?” She didn’t know what else to do. This was not typical behavior from her. Without a word, Madison rubbed her eyes while moving her head up and down on Abby’s shoulder answering yes to her question.
    Picking up her desk phone and dialing the number on her emergency contact list, Abby’s heart began to speed up. Regardless of the reason, she was about to call Caleb. Get it together Abby she started to repeat in her mind before hearing his deep masculine voice. “Hello?”
    “Um, yeah this is Abby, I mean Miss Abby. I’m here with Madison, and I think she needs some daddy love right now.”
    “Is she okay?” Panic was evident in his voice.
    “Well we had an emergency drill today, and it truly upset her. I haven’t been able to calm her down. She won’t tell me what has her so bothered about it.” Abby rubbed Madison’s little back with the palms of her hands.
    “Leaving now.” The line went dead. She hated to call a parent in before the end of school but couldn’t let this sweet girl spend the rest of her day so shaken. Abby called the front office and explained what had happened. Then she held Madison’s tiny, shaking form up against her, and started to sway as she sang the song her late grandmother always crooned to her when she was a little girl and needed comforting. Madison started to release her hold slightly, so Abby continued the lullaby.
     
     

     
    Caleb raced through traffic after getting that call from Abby. His baby girl needed him, and he would be damned if he wasn’t going to get there as soon as he could. He was in the middle of writing a chapter, but she was more crucial than any deadline. He parked in the only empty spot in the parking lot. It may have been the principal’s space, but he couldn’t care less. Throwing the car into park, turning off the ignition and jumping out of his SUV, he began to run to the front office of the school. He pulled the door open, grabbed a visitor badge, and signed in before heading to the classroom. Just as he started to enter the door, he could hear a beautiful melody being sung. Caleb peeked around the corner, and his heart melted at seeing the beautiful woman that now starred in his nightly dreams, rocking his baby girl, and singing a lullaby to her. He craned his neck around to look into the adjacent classroom and saw the two kindergarten classes combined watching a movie with another teacher sitting close by. One boy was bouncing around while the others calmly sat and watched.
    “Look, it’s Madison’s daddy,” he heard a little girl yell then all eyes were on him, including Madison’s and Abby’s. He barely had a chance to squat down before a small body slammed into him and clung on for dear life.
    “Daddy.” Her body quivered, and tears freely flowed from her eyes. “Justin said we were all going to die when the alarm went off just like my mommy did. I was so scared.” His wide eyes connected with Abby’s right before she mouthed, ‘That little shit.’ She placed her hand up asking him to give her a minute then walked over to the crowd of kids until she stopped at the boy that had been bouncing around. She crouched down in front of the boy that now had panic written all over his face. Caleb whispered words of comfort into Madison’s ear as he watched Abby talk to the monster that upset his angel. She pulled on his small hand so he would follow her then started to pass Caleb.
    “Would you please give me a minute?” She pleaded. “I honestly don’t want her to leave like that. Go ahead and grab a seat.” She pointed to the seat behind him.
    “Sure.” He walked over to the chair she’d been sitting in, and plopped down.
     
     

     
    Why? Of all the kids that could be placed in her classroom, why on earth was Justin Zuckerman in hers? She normally handled these situations on her own. Although it wasn’t a pleasant one, she had a personal relationship with this