I took note of his thin, zip-up hoodie, and asked, “Are you cold?” The air was on, but not low enough to be considered uncomfortable. Even though his sleeves were pushed up on his forearms, he had to have been hot in it—unless he had a fever.
“No, but I figured this was better than going shirtless since I didn’t care too much about fighting a T-shirt so early in the morning.” A longer explanation, but still monotone. I had to pick my battles, but it was like no matter what he gave me, nothing was good enough. It was either one-or two-word answers, even and unemotional tone, or a shrug. All while avoiding me at all costs.
“Are you going to see a doctor?” I tried again.
“Already did.”
I waited for more, but got nothing. “What’d they say?”
And there went the slight, one-shoulder lift again. “That I’ll live.”
I stared at the wall across from me, the one with the window leading out to where we parked our cars, and fought back the sting of rejection. This man wasn’t my boyfriend, not even a prospective lover—just a friend, and if I were being honest, our friendship didn’t really hold too much depth. So it was silly of me to feel dismissed by him.
“Do I have something on my face?” I wiped my palm over my lips.
He glanced briefly at me before turning back. “No.”
“Well, there’s gotta be some reason you won’t look at me. I know my hair can be scary in the mornings, but I’ve already tied it up.”
“Yeah, I noticed you pulled it back. Didn’t need to, though. I kind of liked the wild mane you had going on,” he said with his mug pulled close to his lips, a grin tugging on the corners.
“Then why won’t you look at me?” It was more of a demand than a question, but I’d long since given up on reining in my insecurities. He’d been married before—this couldn’t have been a surprise to him.
He peered at me out of the corner of his eyes, his head unmoving, brows arched in what I could only depict as silent humor. “I can see your nips through your shirt.”
I glanced down and realized I’d never pulled my T-shirt back on after waking up and was only wearing the thin cami I slept in. Immediately, I slapped my hands over my chest and jumped up from the couch. Before I had the door closed to my bedroom, I heard Aria ask, “What’er nips?” To which Cash answered with, “Nipples,” as if a two-year-old would understand.
Even after changing into real clothes, taming my hair, and brushing my teeth, I was still too mortified to head back out to the main part of the house, but since my daughter was out there, I couldn’t very well hide forever and expect him to tend to her. So, I tucked my tail between my legs and met them back on the couch, where they sat in the same positions as when I ran off. However, this time, Cash rewarded me with not only his eyes, but a smile, as well. I ignored the mockery in his expression and accepted it as a friendly greeting.
“I’m so sorry, Cash. I didn’t think at all about covering up before coming out here.”
“It’s fine.” He turned to glance at the little girl next to him, who now sat slightly hunched in a more relaxed way. “Although, I think you have some explaining to do. I might have confused her a little.”
Hesitantly, I asked, “What’d you tell her?”
“Well…” His cheeks darkened and his brows furrowed. “She thinks nips are”—he cupped a hand around one side of his mouth to keep Aria from hearing—“boobies,” he whispered. “And I wasn’t sure how to handle that, so I told her they weren’t exactly the same thing, and that boys had them, too. Now, I’m pretty sure she believes boys have…” He repeated the motion with his hand to the side of his mouth, and whispered, “Boobies.”
I shouldn’t have, but I laughed, uncontrollably. Rolling fits of giggles consumed me until I was left clutching my stomach, unable to breathe. “Oh my God, Cash…have you ever been around a kid before?”
“Not really.” Rather than joining in on my fit of hilarity, he simply smiled, masking the pain he was in. “I figured I’d learn. It hasn’t even been one day…give a man a break. By next weekend, I’ll be a pro at this shit.”
“Oh, yeah? You might try to watch the curse words.”
He blinked exaggeratedly at me. “I can’t cuss?”
“It’s your house, you can say whatever you want.”
His expression softened and all humor vanished between us. “No, really…the way you raise her beats out the fact this is my house. I hadn’t thought about the words I use, but I’ll be more conscious of them.”
“Should I add that to the agreement?”
“Only if you don’t punish me if I happen to slip and break the rule from time to time until I get used to censoring my language.”
“Deal.” I got up and headed to the fridge to add the amendment. I grabbed the pen from the drawer, but before I could write anything down, the laughter came back at the sight of the unexpected addition.
Just below the rule about not watching him sleep, he’d added: Or during any time of rest. At the bottom of the page, I wrote as neatly as I could: No cursing in front of baby ears.
8
Cash
I had to admit, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I agreed to letting Jade and her daughter move in, but after a single day with them, I was pleasantly surprised. Aria was entertaining to say the least, with her contagious giggles and tiny-human voice. Although, the little girl didn’t talk much. She’d spent a few hours with me on the couch this morning watching cartoons, never speaking one word other than to ask me things no man should ever be asked by a child. But once Jade became part of the equation, I could see Aria’s demeanor change, as if watching her mother interact with me made her less cautious and more trusting toward me.
And dinnertime proved me right in my decision to move them in.
Rather than my typical weekend meals of grilled chicken and steamed broccoli, Jade made a feast without forcing me to sacrifice my healthy eating habits. Granted, had she made a plate full of carbs, I would’ve eaten it with a smile, just so she didn’t feel her gesture was unappreciated, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Baked chicken with a blend of seasonings that melted in my mouth, accompanied by a mixture of broiled vegetables, all of which tasted like she’d spent hours in the kitchen, but considering I’d been home while she cooked, I knew she’d pulled it off with little to no effort.
I’d asked her how she learned to cook, but with sad eyes, she simply said she didn’t have a choice after Aria was born, and the topic was dropped. After dinner, she bathed Aria and got her ready for bed while I flipped through the channels, finding nothing worth watching. It seemed having people here didn’t suddenly make my weekends any more exciting, just less lonely. With a couple of fractured ribs, I had to lay off the gym—and basically, any physical activity—but if I had to sit on the couch much longer, I would go stir-crazy.
By the time Jade came back from putting Aria down, I already had my shoes on. “Where are you going?” she asked with a hint of intrigue.