I snuggle Avery for a few minutes until I’m calm again, then put her down on the play mat in the living room for tummy time, sitting next to her and typing out a text to Aubrey.
Me: I changed my mind. I’ll go out with that guy you wanted to fix me up with.
Aubrey: Great! I’ll give Douglas your number.
I groan as I text her back.
Me: Uhhhhh…his name’s Douglas?
Aubrey: Don’t start. He can’t help what his parents named him.
Me: Yeah, but shouldn’t he go by Doug? I’m picturing a guy who wears dress shirts with all the buttons done even when he doesn’t have a tie on.
Aubrey: Just give him a chance, okay?
Me: I will.
Aubrey: Let me know how it goes.
Me: Okay.
Aubrey: Are you agreeing to this because you slept with Harry and you feel guilty?
Me: No! I’m never sleeping with that pompous asshole.
Aubrey: So he’s awful to live with?
I consider how I’m supposed to answer that question. He’s really not awful to live with, but it’s too much to get into over text.
Me: He’s just awful in general. I have to go make baby food, talk later?
Aubrey: Okay, but let me know when he texts.
Me: Will do.
I set my phone on the coffee table and pick a cranky Avery up from the floor. She’s not a fan of tummy time.
Taking her into the kitchen, I buckle her into a bouncy seat on the floor and move it so I can see her while I puree fruits and veggies to can for when she starts eating solids.
“Maybe Douglas is the man of my dreams, Avery,” I say. “What do you think?”
She makes a noise and I look over to see that she just spit up all over herself. Probably not a good sign. But spending Saturday night with Douglas will be better than spending it on Harry’s arm, even if Douglas isn’t my future husband.
What I really need is a distraction from my tattooed CEO roommate. Harry’s getting under my skin. There’s an attraction between us, but it’ll never be more than that.
Lines are getting blurred, and it’s time for me to put a stop to it.
Chapter Fifteen
Harry
“Look at all that dark hair! She looks just like you,” Reese Deveraux gushes as she makes a silly face at Avery. “She’s a real beauty, Harry.”
“Thank you.”
Her husband Knox claps me on the back, asking, “Where you been, man?”
I nod toward my daughter, who is wiggling and cooing in my arms. “Turns out babies take over your whole life, dude.”
Knox laughs. “Yeah, they do. We got a sitter for ours tonight. I didn’t even realize you were expecting a baby until I heard you had one a few weeks ago.”
That makes two of us, but I don’t mention it. Knox is a defenseman for the Blaze and he’s a good friend, but I’ll catch him up on the story over a beer sometime.
“Avery’s put a massive dent in my social life, but she’s worth it,” I say.
“Do you have any help?” Reese asks. “Or is it only you?”
“Avery’s mother passed away right after she was born. I do have someone that helps me, but she wasn’t able to make it tonight.”
“I’m so sorry,” Reese says, frowning.
She’s holding on to her husband’s arm, which is about twice the size of hers. There’s a familiarity between them that’s intimate. I always thought familiarity and intimacy were opposites—how can you truly get hot for someone you’ve already been with a thousand times?
But Knox and Reese can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. When I walked into the room the fundraiser is being held in, they had their backs to me and I saw Knox slide his hand from her waist down to her ass. She looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes I could read even from fifty feet away.
Those two are gonna have epic sex tonight. And I’m fucking jealous. They probably know every last inch of each other. That never seemed sexy to me before, but now? Now it’s all I want.
I’ve followed every line and curve of Winter’s body in those tank tops and shorts with my eyes, and I never get tired of it. To the contrary, I practically fell off a chair the other day as I tried to see down her shirt when I was in the kitchen and she was bending over to pick something up in the living room.
If my eyes only want her more and more every day, I’m pretty sure my hands and mouth will follow.
“We’re good,” I tell Knox and Reese, bouncing Avery slightly as she fusses.
“Anything I can do to help?” Reese offers.
“Nah, I just need to walk with her,” I say, “but thanks.”
“Harry, in case I don’t get another chance to tell you tonight, thank you so much for your recent donation to the shelter. It came at the perfect time. We’re using some of the money to buy computers and printers for our residents to use for homework.”
“Nice. I’m glad to help out a little.”
Reese smiles. “You’ve helped out a lot. I know you don’t want recognition for it, but you’re making a difference for the women and kids we serve.”
“Good.”
She nods and turns to Knox, and I walk away with Avery, kissing her forehead.
Reese is a chef who runs a homeless shelter for women and children. There’s an upscale restaurant attached to the shelter, and the residents do a lot of the work there. It’s a model I like supporting—helping people develop skills so they can support themselves when they’re back on their feet.
That’s what all the veterans I know want, too—just a hand up, not a handout. Giving them that hand up is what keeps me excited about working every day.
When I look around the ballroom, decorated with topiaries and flower garlands, I see other couples like Knox and Reese. Standing close together, laughing, exchanging quick kisses.
It makes me think of Winter, of course. If she brings her date back to my place for sex, I’m gonna shove the guy’s nut sac down his throat.
But wait—what if he takes her back to his place instead? I get tense all over as I imagine Winter walking into the apartment in the morning, hair messy and clothes wrinkled from being on another guy’s floor.
Avery seems to sense my mood. She wrinkles up her face and starts crying. I hold her close and hum a soft song, wishing I hadn’t come tonight. I’m not in the mood to socialize.
“Harry Stone!”
I feel a hand on my shoulder, accompanied by the sweet, potent perfume that’s the trademark of Polly Lambert. She’s a puck bunny who’s been chasing after Blaze players both active and retired for a couple years now. And I’m really not in the mood to deal with her.
“Hey, Polly,” I say, turning to face her.
She sees Avery and inhales sharply, her red lips forming an “O.” “So it’s true! You have a baby! Who’s the lucky girl?”
“Avery’s mother passed away, unfortunately.”
Polly’s whole face lights up. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Harry. I just adore babies. Can I hold her?”
“Oh, that’s uh…thanks, but she’s kinda fussy right now.”
Polly holds her arms out, grinning. “I’ll calm her right down. I’ve got a magic touch, you know, and I don’t just mean with babies.”