Graham took one of her hands and held out his other toward Rowan. “Ready for the tour?”
Rowan slid her small hand into his and nodded, a bright smile on her face. “Yep! Do I need a hat like those guys?” She pointed to his crew, who were working hard and doing their best to try and look like they hadn’t just been staring their way.
Graham shook his head. “We aren’t going inside, actually. I’m going to give you the tour from the outside in the safe zones. When we get closer to being finished, I’ll take you and your mom inside.”
Rowan looked so disappointed, he had to hold back a laugh. “But I’m sure I can find a hard hat that fits you if that’s what you really want.”
The little girl raised her fist to the air and cheered while Blake groaned.
“What?” he asked.
“She’s going to want to wear that around the house now,” Blake said dryly. “She’s already been using my measuring tape from the toolbox to measure things for you to build or fix. If she picks up a hammer, I’m afraid my little girl is lost to the construction bug, and I’ll have to be worried for my drywall.”
Graham chuckled but led them to the trailer anyway. “If she’s going to want to play, I might as well teach her a bit how to be safe about it.”
“I know a little home maintenance, but not enough to feed her curiosity I don’t think.”
Graham nodded. “Then I’ll help.”
Rowan walked into the trailer first to meet with Owen, who gave her a high five and knelt down to talk hard hats and tablets. That gave Graham enough time to kiss Blake a little harder and smile.
“Hi again.” He brushed her hair back from her face.
“Hi,” Blake breathed. “And stop that.”
“Not going to,” he promised.
“We’re going to need to talk about this,” she warned.
“Good.” Because they needed to for sure. Something was changing between them, and though he’d told Owen it wasn’t serious, that had been one hell of a lie.
Graham looked up as his brother walked toward them, his phone in hand. “I need to answer this. Have fun today.” With that, Owen left, and Rowan started to wander around the small trailer that hosted their office on-site. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.
“I’m going to go get you both a hard hat,” he said with a smile.
“I don’t need one, do I?” Blake asked as her phone rang. “I thought we weren’t going anyplace she could get hurt.”
Graham shrugged. “If she wants one, there’s no harm in her wearing one. As for you, if she’s wearing one, you’ll look cute in it. Now, answer the phone, and I’ll be right back.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed then widened as she looked at her read out. “It’s my lawyer.” She answered. “Hello? Yes, can you wait one minute for me to get outside so we can talk? Thanks.” She hit mute on her phone. “Go get the hats or whatever and I’ll be right outside the door. Is she safe in here alone” She bit her lip, and Graham wanted to kiss her worries away.
“She’ll be fine,” he promised. “Right, Rowan?”
Rowan was currently playing with four pieces of wood samples, making building blocks for herself. “Yep! I won’t leave. Or look at anything I shouldn’t. Promise.”
Blake nodded, her phone in her hand, and they walked outside the trailer to stand on the tiny walkway that led to the ground below.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked.
Blake shook her head. “Just come back quick. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
He kissed her hard, then ran off to get hard hats and make sure the crew was ready for visitors. He left her pacing in front of the trailer, one hand on her hip, the other keeping her phone to her ear.
Graham was as fast as he could be, grabbing the two smallest hard hats they owned and stopping by Owen’s side to make sure his brother knew what was up. He was on his way back to Blake when he heard the scream.
He dropped what he was holding and ran as fast as he could back to the trailer, Owen and the members of the crew that had been near, right on his tail.
“What is it?” he yelled as he got closer.
“Rowan!” Blake yelled. “Where are you? Rowan!”
His heart thudded, and he sped up until he was right by Blake’s side. He took her by her arms and tried to get her to calm down enough to talk to him. “What’s going on? Where’s Rowan?”
Her eyes were wide, her face pale. “I walked in after I’d hung up and she wasn’t there. She isn’t there, Graham. Where is my baby?”
Owen cursed and ran into the trailer, calling for Rowan. Graham turned on his heel to the men and women on his crew. “Rowan might have run off. Help us find her. Drop what you’re doing. Got me?”
“We’ll find her,” one of his crew said.
“You got it, Graham,” another said. “Don’t worry, Blake, she might have just gotten curious. We won’t let anything happen to her.”