Home > The Stud Next Door (Frisky Business #3)(3)

The Stud Next Door (Frisky Business #3)(3)
Author: Kendall Ryan

“How old is she?”

I turn to see Jessa walking up the steps, a warm smile on her lips. She’s close enough now that I can fully take in her features—light blue eyes, long lashes, and dozens of pretty freckles dotting her nose and cheeks. The neighbor girl is cute as hell.

“Uh, two months,” I say, my tone harsher than I’d like it to be. Why the fuck am I nervous?

“The best months.” Jessa nods, clasping her hands in front of her heart.

There’s something so warm about this girl. It’s like it comes off her in waves. I have to step back to keep from sweating. But she follows me, her arms outstretched.

What the . . .

“May I?” she asks softly.

My gaze darts to Hayes, who offers me nothing but a useless shrug.

“Uh, sure,” I mutter, allowing Jessa to step into the same square footage as me. The smell of her is intoxicating, sweet and floral, a mixture of shampoo and something decidedly feminine.

Her hands brush against my arms as she scoops Marley into hers. My heart nearly stops when she flips Marley over, my dad brain warning me of danger. But when Jessa starts massaging Marley’s back, the baby stops crying immediately.

“Gas bubbles,” Jessa says, all smiles, and Marley sighs happily.

I’m damn near shocked speechless.

“Holy baby whisperer,” Hayes blurts, his eyes wide.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one blown away.

“How did you do that?” I ask, aware of how dumb I sound, but I don’t even care. She’s amazing.

“I’m the oldest of six. I can just tell,” she says, her nose scrunching up adorably in unison with her shrug. “She should be settled now.”

Humble too? Be still my cold, dead heart.

“Are you free for a nannying job?” Hayes asks, looking more at me than Jessa. “One that starts immediately.”

I shoot him a glare and he glares back, his eyes saying, What? You need a nanny, dude, and she’s perfect.

“Oh,” she says with a laugh, her cheeks turning pink. “I don’t know. I’ve never been a nanny before.”

She carefully adjusts Marley so that she’s supported comfortably. An unfamiliar warmth floods through my chest at the sight of my baby girl in Jessa’s careful embrace.

“I guess I do need a part-time job,” she says, more to herself than to me. “What’s her name?”

“Marley,” I say, hardly recognizing my own voice.

“Marley.” Jessa coos, nuzzling her nose against my daughter’s soft hair. “The perfect name for a perfect little girl.”

Hayes cuts in. “And he’s Connor, the dad. Could you give him your number?”

He means well, but this recruitment is downright aggressive. And annoying as hell.

Shaking my head, I say, “Please excuse my pushy ass of a friend. You don’t have to—”

“No, I don’t mind. I’ll put it in your phone. Trade you.”

With a moment’s hesitation, I pull out my phone, and Jessa and I swap baby and device with minimal fumbling.

As her quick fingers type her number into my phone, her thumb ring catches my eye. It’s delicate and feminine, a simple band wrapped around a small amber jewel. Did her boyfriend give that to her?

“Here you go. Nice to meet you, Connor,” she murmurs, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her rosy cheeks. When she gives my phone back to me, our fingers brush with an electric shock.

“Sorry,” she says. “Static electricity.”

“All good.” I chuckle, smiling sincerely for the first time in weeks. Nice to meet you too, Jessa.

As the sun begins its descent, Jessa and the Wilkeses head into the house. Marley is fast asleep in the crook of my arm. The guys are finishing off their final beers for the evening, and I’m utterly exhausted.

“Hire that girl,” Hayes says firmly, clapping me on the shoulder. “You don’t have to do it all by yourself. You need the help.”

“Come on,” I say with a scoff. “You heard her. She has no experience.”

He shrugs. “Well, she knew how to get Marley to stop crying. She seemed pretty experienced to me.”

I release a slow sigh. “I’ll think about it. Now, get out of here so I can put Marley down for the night.”

“Let’s leave the man alone,” Wolfie says quickly. He can always sense when it’s time to leave, which is one of the things I love about him.

The guys say their good-byes, and before I know it, I’m alone again. Just me and my baby girl.

I miss having Wolfie as a roommate more than I’d like to admit, but we’re both better off this way. No need to have both of us losing sleep at night, effectively knocking down Frisky Business’s production levels by half. Besides, the man’s in love, and with my sister, no less. Our friendship needed some space.

After kicking off my shoes, I heat up some leftovers and carry my plate and Marley into the living room. After I settle the baby into her body pillow on the couch beside me, I grab my dinner and the remote.

This is my favorite part of the day. I’ve worked hard to get Marley on a schedule. I know that I’ll have to adjust it as she gets older, but for now, she crashes by seven, so this quiet time we get together before bed is pretty sweet. As I eat, she blinks up at me and listens to my predictions about Chicago’s hockey team this season.

“Nystrom’s looking good this year,” I say, glancing at her. “I wonder if you’ll be a hockey fan like your old man.”

She stretches her arms over her head and lets out a yawn. I chuckle and take another bite of my food.

I hope we can share quiet moments like this as she grows. Eating pizza. Watching the game. Maybe even a little trash-talking about the opposing team. The idea of a precocious teenager with Beth’s blue eyes and my dark hair sharing in some smack talk about any team who’s not Chicago brings a smile to my face. I never imagined myself as a dad before, but now I can’t imagine not having Marley in my life.

By the time I’ve finished eating, Marley’s already asleep.

I carry her to her bedroom where her crib and changing station live. I’ve become something of an expert in changing diapers quickly and without any fuss.

Marley is still sound asleep when I lay her down on the soft mattress pad of her crib. In these moments, I don’t feel like an actor performing the role of father. I am her father.

I watch her sleep, all soft sighs and tiny grasping fingers. I love this little girl so damn much.

The soft look on Jessa’s face when she held Marley flashes through my thoughts. It was almost like she loved Marley too. Like she was her own.

I shake off the thought, recognizing it for what it is—my dad brain desperately looking for a mate to help rear my child. But even I know it wouldn’t be healthy to fixate on the cute neighbor who settled my baby one time.

Talk about delusional.

As attracted as I am to Jessa, I can’t let my imagination get the better of me. Even so, I can admire her bright blue eyes and distinct freckles. I can fantasize about her full lips, how they might feel under my fingers, under my own lips.

She’s beautiful, and if I weren’t emotionally unavailable, I wouldn’t have questioned pursuing her. I would have pursued and kept pursuing until she was in my bed. But the reality is that I can’t afford any distractions right now. Not when a tiny life depends on my full attention.

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