She worries her lip trying to decide if she wants to trust me with her child. I get it. Not everyone is safe these days. But I’m one of the good guys and right now I want to make her feel like she’s not alone. Like she has an extended army of people to help her when she needs it. “If it makes you feel better, I have a mountain of paperwork I need to knock out. We’ll go to the apartment, put on some cartoons, and when Carson knocks out on the couch, I’ll get some work done away from the office where I can concentrate better anyway.”
Still fidgeting with her phone, she looks up at me, decision made. “Are you sure? I mean, look at him.” Carson runs by with a straw wrapper in his hands. “He could do this all night.”
“So, all the trash in my apartment will be picked up. Sounds like a sweet deal.”
She cocks an eyebrow at me.
“I’m kidding Kiersten. We’ll be fine. I’ll take you back with us and show you around so you can point out anything I might need to put up high really quick. You’ll just be out here. We’ll be close enough you can check in on us, or I can come grab you if we need you.”
She sighs and I’m almost positive it’s with relief, although there may be a bit of resignation mixed in.
“Fine. Okay. I will gratefully take you up on this offer, but only if Tammy agrees,” she tacks on quickly. “Once he falls asleep, he’ll be fine, but promise me you’ll come get me if you need anything.”
“We’ll be fine, Kiersten. I promise. He’s three. How hard could he be?”
TWENTY
Kiersten
“How hard could he be?”
If only Paul knew how many times I’ve regretted saying those words, he would have refrained from uttering them. Instead, he basically jinxed himself. Now I’m almost afraid to go back to his apartment to check on the boys.
When Paul initially offered to watch Carson for me, I was hesitant at best. Not because I don’t trust Paul. He’s never been anything but kind and Jaxon has raved about him for years. It wasn’t a safety or trust issue. It was more about allowing myself to cross that line.
It’s no secret that I have a crush on my boss. Lauren won’t let it go and keeps pushing me to do something about it. And Heath—he’s never said he knows, but he certainly finds ways to harass me about it.
I still don’t know where my feelings came from. Maybe it’s just admiration that morphed into something more real. Or maybe it’s genuine attraction.
Either way, I knew the second I accepted his offer of watching my son that that would be it. The crush would get even deeper and my chances of heartache would get more significant. And yet, I did it anyway. Only a few hours later and I already know my hunch was right.
I’m in trouble. Big trouble. My feelings continue to grow and they’re not going away any time soon. But honestly, how could I not find Paul attractive? The way he treated me when I was late and didn’t have a babysitter—the way he treated Carson as he put himself on trash duty—quite frankly, it was swoon-worthy. And I’ve never used the word “swoon-worthy” before.
Double-checking that the doors are all locked, I flip the last of the lights off in the front. It was a busy night, but a lot of fun. It’s wild how fast Heath’s recommendation to his friends brought in new customers, but that’s exactly what we’ve all been hoping for. I almost got teary closing out the till when I realized we’d pulled in more in one night than we did all last week. That’s not including tips. I thought Tammy was going to fall over when she calculated how much cash she was taking home.
All in all, it was a fantastic night. I’m hoping Paul’s night was just as exciting.
Actually no. I hope his night was boring and calm, but I don’t have high hopes.
Winding my way around the back hallway, I slowly open the door marked “private residence,” hoping not to disturb anyone who may be sleeping. The apartment is nice, if not a little on the small side. I’d best describe it as an efficiency, except there’s a partial wall separating the bedroom area from the rest of the place. It doesn’t leave much of a sound barrier when trying to be quiet in the middle of the night.
Peeking in, I see Paul sitting upright, head rested against the back of the couch, snoring lightly. Carson’s head is on his lap, his baby lips slightly open as he breathes deeply.
And now I’m swooning again.
They look so precious together, I can’t help but document this moment. If I’m going to melt into a puddle, Tammy can fan her cheeks right along with me later. That’s my justification for snapping a quick picture, whether I’m lying to myself or not.
Taking an extra moment to just watch them, I thank my lucky stars for once again putting people in my life that give my son the care he deserves. Funny how I was angry Spence’s family essentially drove us out of town a few months ago, and yet it ended up being the best thing that could have happened to us.
I creep over to the couch and put a hand on Paul’s shoulder, shaking gently.
“Paul,” I whisper. “I’m back.”
He lifts his head, eyes slowly opening. It takes a second for him to register what’s happening, but he eventually comes to.
“Hey,” he says quietly rubbing the heel of his hand in his eye. “How did it go?”
“I should be asking you the same thing,” I say with a small chuckle. “Looks like he wore you out.”
Paul strokes Carson’s hair gently and there go the butterflies in my stomach again, fluttering all around.
“I vastly underestimated how long this kid can stay awake. He spent most of the night running circles around the island in the kitchen.”
“I should have warned you about that. That’s his go-to move when he’s overly tired. But it looks like you eventually got him to sleep.”
“Or he eventually got me to sleep. Could go either way.” Paul sits up a little, careful not to jostle Carson too much. “What time is it anyway?”
“Close to four.”
His eyes widen. “Holy shit. Was it that busy? Why didn’t you come get me?”
“Relax. We only had a few more customers come in after you left. Tammy and I just wanted to make sure the till was balanced correctly so we did it twice. It was… a lot different than normal.”
I can see the gears turning in Paul’s head as he mulls over my words. I’m thrilled to deliver such good news to him, I’m just not sure he’s fully comprehending it in his sleepy state.
As Paul carefully stands up, I realize we can have this conversation later. It’s time for us to go. Daylight will come soon and we have an appointment. I reach out to pick up my son but Paul beats me to it. “I got him.”
“It’s okay. I don’t want you to have to walk through the parking lot barefoot.”
“I’m not going to the parking lot,” he whispers and carefully pulls Carson to his chest. He snuggles right into Paul’s large frame, barely waking up enough to lick his pouty lips. It warms my heart to see my son feeling comfortable. It also makes me long to give him a daddy. “You guys are staying here tonight after we talk about that till. He’ll never go back to sleep otherwise.”