“That’s very inappropriate now, although I will take a raincheck.”
He slides his chair over to me and kisses me.
“Ew.” Jolie’s hand moves to his face, pushing it away.
“See, she’s sweet.” I chuckle.
He kisses her forehead before falling back down into his chair. “Chinese, Mexican, or pizza?”
I shrug. “I’m game for whatever.”
“Pick one.” He’s desperately trying to use his mouse with his right hand, but every time he has to click on something, he hits the wrong selection.
I stand from the chair, trying not to disturb Jolie since she’s growing limp in my arms. “Sit down.” I point at the chair I was just in.
“I like you bossy,” he says, sitting in the chair.
I transfer Jolie to him. Her eyes open but fall closed again right away. Cradled in his good arm, she wraps her arms around his neck.
“Well, that was a bad move,” I say, sitting in his office chair to take control of the order.
“Why? She’s still asleep,” he says, oblivious to how good he looks with a baby, especially a little girl, in his arms.
“Yeah. On you.”
He looks down at her. “She’s much more tolerable now.”
Having been friends with Dylan for years, I can order our Chinese food by heart. I order some extra for the employees so everyone can eat since that’s something he’ll want.
“That’s not it,” I singsong, clicking the items he loves.
I sneak another peek at him. He scrunches his eyebrows. God, Dylan holding a child should be illegal. The image could cause ovaries to explode everywhere.
“It’s you and her.” I open my eyes wider at him. “Your attractiveness meter just went into overheating range with her asleep in your arms.”
He smiles and looks at Jolie. “She’s not mine.”
“She doesn’t have to be.”
His smile grows. “So this does it for you, huh?”
I click the moo shu pork and sit back, examining them. His legs are spread open in a casual stance with his broken arm resting on the chair arm. Jolie’s face is tucked into his chest.
“Pretty much.” I slide the chair back to the computer.
“Make sure to get enough for everyone,” he says, ignoring my confession.
I’ve never really thought about having a kid with Dylan. Mostly my time has been spent imagining him in bed, but not really as a boyfriend. I have no expectations of what our relationship will be like. There’s only one stipulation I have and that’s monogamy.
“I did. Are Seth and Knox stopping by?” I ask.
“I don’t know, but I don’t need to feed their asses. My credit card is on file.”
“I see that.” I click the final button and check out using his credit card. “You’re a very generous tipper.”
“Am I?” he asks. “Maybe I should give you a tip for doing the ordering?”
I flutter my eyelids. “Sounds promising.”
“You should give me a peep show.”
“No!” I point at Jolie. “She’s right there.”
He follows my vision. “She’s dead asleep.”
I stand in front of him and look at him one more time. “You have me at a disadvantage. I want to snap a picture just to relive you and Jolie like that.”
He shakes his head, and his smile doesn’t reach his eyes. In Dylan language, that means something is bothering him.
“Does that scare you?” I ask.
His lips purse and he shakes his head. Same reaction I got when I told him I was going out with Jax.
“I think it might,” I say.
“No. But—”
I put up my hand. “Your hot level going up because you’re holding her does not mean I want to have your baby.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
I laugh. “What? Of course! Why would you ask me if I’m sure?”
He stares at Jolie and I step forward to take her, but he shakes his head. “I got her. Keep drooling.”
I cross my arms and wait for him to answer my question.
He blows out a breath. “You’re a girl who thinks about the future.”
I laugh again and he gives me a blank stare. “Sorry, continue,” I say.
“Now I seem like an arrogant prick.”
I nod.
“It’s just you’re you. All life plans and timetables. I figure you’ve planned out our wedding and how many kids you want.”
“Maybe I’m using you for your body,” I say, raising an eyebrow.
A smirk indents his adorable face. “Nah, it’s not that great.” He crooks his finger for me to come to him.
“You think just because you beckon, I should answer your call?”
The office door opens, and Frankie stands there, watching us before her eyes land on Jolie. “I had a feeling she’d crash. I’m between clients.”
She swoops up Jolie and carries her out of the room, shutting the door. Dylan takes that as his opportunity to corner me, and he successfully gets my back to the wall.
“Look, I came to you.” He locks me with his hips, and his pants do nothing to hide his hard length. “So I’m wrong then?”
“I don’t have us married in my mind. I’m not pregnant, and there’s no white picket fence house in my head. I’m in this to see where it goes. I have no preconceived ideas. Okay?” I place my hands on his cheeks, and he nods. “So relax.”
He stares at me. “One day at a time sounds good. I am slowly becoming addicted to you.”
“Cheesy!” I scream.
But he swallows my yell, and we spend the next twenty minutes making out like teenagers until Lyle tells us the food is here.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Dylan
Three weeks later, I’m on the couch, watching Superbad with Seth. My phone is out and I’m looking at a picture I can’t stop staring at—Rian and Jolie asleep on the couch a few weeks earlier. I didn’t understand why me holding a baby made Rian so gaga until Frankie and I came home that night and found the scene on my screen.
When Frankie went to the bathroom, I snapped the picture before we woke Rian. After that, my fear of having a family dissipated and I can’t stop staring at the picture and thinking what if we do make it long term? A baby on Rian looks like home.
Rian’s bedroom door swings open and she raises her hand in victory. “I did it!”
She’s holed herself up in that room for two days trying to finish that math problem.
“You solved it?” I tuck my phone away and open my arms.
She runs across the room and throws herself into the chair with me, wrapping her arms around me and kissing my neck. “I think. I won’t know until Dr. Giroux looks at my email.”
“Way to go.” Seth raises his beer.
She kisses me one more time then tries to slide off my lap, but I wrap my right arm—which has become strong in the past weeks—around her to keep her in place. Seth tries to concentrate on the television as though he’s not witnessing our affection.
But as always, the more I have of Rian, the more I crave. Is this what all those guys who I made fun of for being pussy whipped felt like? That all they want to do is spend their time with their girl?