“That’s what you get for hitting me,” I tell her, as I start to maneuver the clean diaper around his body.
“You’re impossible.”
“You might be right, but look what I did,” I state proudly, pointing down to the fresh diaper.
Ashtyn snickers, closing the dirty diaper and throwing it at me. “The quarterback has quick hands.”
“What if I would have dropped it? It could have hit Row.”
She gives me a sassy look. “I was pretty sure you weren’t going to let it hit the ground.”
“Hell no, I wasn’t. I always make my play,” I reply, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively and making her laugh.
After tossing the dirty diaper in the bin thingy, I scoop up Rowan, inhaling his skin as I bring him to my chest. What is it about babies that makes them smell so good? I’ve always preferred Chanel or the sweet scent of a naked woman, but I admit, this little guy is quickly becoming a favorite too. Weird. Before today I wouldn’t be caught dead sniffing a baby’s head.
“He seems pretty content if you want to hold him for a few minutes before he eats,” she suggests, just as we hear the front door open and close. A few seconds later, Alex comes around the corner, still wearing a navy blue suit and a wide smile.
“Hey,” he says, his eyes softening as he takes in his nephew. When he looks back up at me, there’s a hint of a question in those brown orbs. “You’re still here?”
“Where else would I be? I said I’d stay,” I reply, bouncing from side to side like I’ve seen Ashtyn do.
Alex shrugs, removing his suit jacket. “I just figured you’d have plans tonight. I’m sure this isn’t your usual Saturday night.”
He wouldn’t be wrong. Nothing about tonight is my norm, except enjoying the company of a beautiful woman.
“So how did it go?” Ashtyn asks, excitement laced in her question.
Alex instantly grins. “I got the job. They want me to start ASAP. Like tomorrow.”
“Holy shit, that’s awesome!” I congratulate my friend. His news means he’s going to be moving here, closer to his sister and nephew. And me.
Ashtyn throws her arms around his waist and hugs him tight. “What does this mean? You still work in South Bend.”
Alex sighs. “I’m meeting with my boss tomorrow morning at eight. I was honest with him when I told him I was coming here. He knows I want to be closer to my family. It just sucks I can’t give him any real notice.”
“So you’re quitting tomorrow morning? Wow,” she says.
“Yeah, formally. As I said, he knows. I just refuse to actually do it over the phone or an email. They’ve been too good to me there to not give them the courtesy of quitting face-to-face.”
“That means you’re leaving tonight, if you’re meeting tomorrow morning,” I realize.
“Yeah, my plane leaves in two hours. I have to run back to the hotel and grab my stuff. They’re putting me in an executive apartment for up to six months, so I’ll have time to find my own place. There’s just so much to do, you know? I have to arrange a packing company, move, and be here Monday morning,” he says, shaking his head as if the thought is already stressing him out.
“I’ll help,” Ashtyn says, hugging him again. “I’m just so happy for you.”
He squeezes her tight and smiles. “Thanks, Ash. Listen, I know I’m supposed to be here another day, but I have to go. I’ll be back Monday though, okay? Maybe we can do dinner? I’ll bring something over.”
She waves him off. “It can wait a few days. You’ll need to get settled,” she insists, but her brother is already disagreeing.
“Nope. Monday night. I’ll bring pizza.” With another quick hug to his sister, Alex turns to me. He meets my eyes first before they drop to his nephew. Those all-knowing brown eyes seem to linger on the baby before he steps forward and kisses the top of his head. “Are you heading out too?”
Shit. As much as I’d rather stay, it would be very suspicious if I insisted on hanging back and leaving after him. “Yeah, that’s probably best.”
As I carefully hand Rowan over to Ashtyn, something in my chest tugs hard. Suddenly, I don’t want to leave Ash or the baby.
My son.
I run my hand through my hair in agitation as we make our way to the front door. “Thank you for hanging out with me tonight for a bit. It was nice to have company,” Ashtyn says politely.
Fuck that polite. I want to pull her into my arms and kiss the air out of her lungs. I want to watch as her body sways my way as if an invisible string were pulling her to me. I want to feel her soft skin under my hand and against my body. “You’re welcome. I’ll get your number from Alex and send you mine. He mentioned sharing it, in case you need to get a hold of me.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, uh…”
“I know you’re moving here, but probably still a good idea, right?” I ask my friend.
“Yeah, definitely. I’ll give it to him,” Alex says, kissing his sister’s cheek one last time before we exit the house.
I turn around and give her a look as if to say I’ll call you later. Ashtyn averts her eyes, but I know she saw me. We still have a ton of shit to discuss, probably sooner rather than later.
I can’t sleep. I’ve lain in bed for the better part of an hour and am nowhere near close enough to falling asleep. Usually, when this happens, I either workout in my home gym or call a friend. And by friend, I mean someone who’ll help work me out in the bedroom.
That thought nauseates me. There’s only one woman I want to work out with in bed.
After I got the number I was hoping for and said goodbye to Alex outside of Ashtyn’s place, he took off for his hotel and then the airport. He sent me a message a few minutes ago, just to let me know he landed. Ever since, I’ve stared at his sister’s contact information in my phone, contemplating on whether or not it’s a good idea to reach out. I’ve convinced myself it’s late, she needs her sleep and I don’t want to wake Rowan.
But here I am, retyping a message for the fourteenth time that doesn’t make me sound too desperate or too clingy.
Me: I know we have a lot still to discuss, but I hope you know I’m not going anywhere.
I’m surprised when the bubbles appear a few seconds later.
Ashtyn: Thank you
Me: Why are you up? Is everything okay?
I glance at the alarm clock and see it’s after midnight.
Ashtyn: Yeah, all is good. Rowan was hungry.
I instantly smile at seeing his name on the screen. I smile even more when a photo comes through a few seconds later. He’s cradled in the crook of her arm, his mouth hanging open as he saws logs.
Ashtyn: He just burped, and we’re getting ready to go back to bed.
I run my hand through my hair, wishing I were there. Fuck, I hate being here. Ever since I got home, I’ve felt like the walls have started to close in on me. Usually, silence is sweet, but tonight, it’s suffocating.
Me: I can let you go.