“Your screaming woke him,” I tease. Her hand flies over her mouth, realizing how loud she was. “I’ll get him.” Quickly, I kiss her forehead and adjust the aching bulge in my pants, then rush down the hallway and grab Finn from his crib.
Finn’s got big crocodile tears covering his little face, his hand stuck in his mouth with a waterfall of drool running down. Walking back to my room, I find Paige fully dressed. “Look, there’s Mommy,” I say, soothing him.
“What’s wrong with my boy?” she says, taking him and snuggling down on the bed. He lays his head down on her shoulder.
“Sleep,” I say, placing a blanket over her legs.
*
How did my bed get so crowded? Leaning on my side, I watch Finn and Paige sleep. Seeing them side-by-side so still, it’s the first time I’ve noticed they have the same little nose. Finn’s almost totally bald, so it’s hard to know if he’ll have her brown hair. His little hand is holding a fistful of her hair, and she’s completely out. Moving the blanket down slightly, I see her cuts and bruises look even worse today, a yellow color setting in. My plan to kiss those and make them better was interrupted last night. Clearly, I’m not going to be the only man in her life. And Finn is demanding for such a little guy, so I better up my baby game.
Finn squirms a little, his little mouth making a sucking motion. He’s going to be hungry when he wakes up. I want Paige to sleep. I don’t know the last good night’s sleep she had.
How hard can giving a baby a bottle be? I’ve seen Paige do it a dozen times. Scooting out of bed, I stretch, hoping to get downstairs and have the bottle ready before he wakes up. Finn makes another noise, and I turn around, finding him about to crawl right on top of Paige.
Quickly, I scoop him up. Mistake. I must’ve scared him because he starts to cry. “Shh!” I say, holding him to my chest. “Don’t want to wake Mommy. How about a bottle?”
Well, that gets his attention. Little dude might be on his way to alcoholism the way he loves his drink. We make it downstairs without incident, and I get the bottle Paige left in the refrigerator. Finn is wiggling around like a maniac. Do I just give it to him? Does she heat it up? Dammit, I can’t remember. He seems to really want it, so I lower it to his mouth. He reaches up to hold it, but as soon as I let go, it falls to his chest, the baby pout following.
“Okay, I guess I hold it,” I say, taking him into the den and sitting down with him. He reaches up with one hand, feeling the stubble on my face. His eyes study my face, so innocent, so trusting. “So here’s the deal. You can’t be such a momma’s boy. You’ve got to give me a shot. I won’t do it like your mommy, but we can have some fun.” His little face scrunches up, forcing the bottle out of his mouth. “Don’t be like that.” I lift him up, and the biggest, most manly burp comes out of him. Then he giggles, a little regurgitated milk dripping from his chin. Even though I know the formula is not milk, it still smells like spoiled milk. He reaches for his bottle, and I stick it back into his mouth. “So we eat, then we burp. Easy enough.”
Honestly, I never thought kids were in the picture for me. It’s not that I don’t like them. I do. It’s that they come with a lifelong commitment to their mother, and up until this point, that was a non-starter for me. All that has changed.
A few more gulps, another burp, and I’m in the zone. He finishes the bottle, still sucking on the empty nipple. Even I know that will give him more gas. No one wants that. I lift him up, and he giggles and burps at the same time. Drawing from my middle school days, I make myself burp right back at him. He squeals so loud, and I hear a little giggle behind us.
Turning to look, Paige is standing on the stairs, still in her clothes from yesterday. I should notice the highlights in her hair and her soft skin, but it’s her smile that holds me hostage. Her eyes turn down, her skin turning a warm pink. “Good morning,” she says shyly like she’s waking up after a one-night stand.
Getting up, I meet her at the bottom of the stairs. She kisses Finn on top of his bald head while I kiss the side of hers, giving her ass a good squeeze. “Good morning.”
“How long has Finn been awake?” she asks. “You didn’t need to get up with him.”
“Not long,” I say. “We were just having some guy time.”
“I heard,” she says, taking him from me. “Did this happen to involve a diaper change?”
“Shit, I knew I forgot something.”
She giggles a little, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “Thank you for the extra sleep.”
“What time does he nap?” I ask.
“Usually around . . . Wait, why?”
“Because I need to take you back to bed,” I say, capturing her in my arms.
She raises an eyebrow at me. “It’s a workday, and my boss can be grumpy.”
“I’m sure he understands that you get breaks.”
The doorbell rings, and she starts for the door. “That’s probably my co-worker now.”
As soon as she opens the door, I know it’s not Catrine or Jon. Her entire body stiffens. It’s almost like her DNA changes at that moment, morphing her into someone else.
When he steps through the door, I know why. He fucks with everyone he meets.
“Son.”
Lyle Turner, my father, but I don’t call him that. I haven’t called him that in years. Paige’s eyes catch mine, and she looks like she just got thrust into a horror movie. She might as well have been. My made-for-TV life is just as bad. His blue eyes bore into me. Everyone says we have the same eyes. I hate to share anything with that man. But if he’s focused on me, maybe he doesn’t recognize Paige. She’s not made up like she was the night of the party.
“Lyle,” I say. “What are you doing here?”
“My son’s home was destroyed in a tornado. I’m checking on him, and his . . .” He looks over at Paige and Finn. “Or should I say my lady friend.”
Shit. I knew I couldn’t hide her from him forever, but I hate that she’s been blindsided, having no time to prepare for this. I motion for her to come to me, wanting to shield her from my father’s wandering eyes.
“I knew you had Jon escort her out of the party,” he says. “But I had no idea it was to your bed. Didn’t think we had the same taste in women.”
“We don’t,” I say, angling myself in front of Paige and Finn.
He shakes his head at me as only a father can. “You’ve gone and gotten attached.”
“I work for your son,” Paige says. “We’re only here because the ranch suffered so much damage.”
In some ways, she’s so innocent. She’s got no idea the man she’s dealing with. “Similar work to what you did for me?” my father asks.
“I never did anything for you!” she barks, causing Finn to start crying.
Without looking back at her, I say, “Paige, please go upstairs and change Finn.” Much to my surprise, she does what I ask. When she’s out of earshot, I step toward my father. He’s just as tall as I am, but I’ve got size and youth on my side. Still, there’s a power a father holds over his son, no matter how terrible said father is. “I want you to forget you saw her here. Forget you ever met her.”