That gets me a growl. “Before I had Leo, Sean swore he wanted to be involved, but he’s only seen the baby twice.”
“What a dick. I’m so sorry.” I glance around my living room. “Can I ask how you ended up in my condo?”
It’s dark in here, but I’m pretty sure she’s blushing. “This is Paige’s fault. She swore you wouldn’t mind. That you were in New York and wouldn’t be visiting.”
“I definitely don’t mind, Bay. At all. I swear. What’s wrong with your mom’s house?” She mumbles something that I can’t make out. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I got evicted. Sorta.”
“Jesus, Bay. What’s going on?”
She explains that her mom has been out of town, taking care of her grandfather, and in the meanwhile, rent on the salon skyrocketed. “I had a choice. I could pay the rent on the house and lose the salon, or keep the salon and lose the house.”
I didn’t know the house was a rental. “So you paid on thesalon so you could keep your job and pay all the women who work for you.”
“I didn’t know what else to do.”
This is my fault for not staying in touch better. “You could’ve asked for help. I would’ve given you money.”
“I wasn’t going to call you up out of the blue and ask for help.” She looks offended.
This woman is gonna be the death of me. “Baylee Reyes, as my oldest and dearest friend, you absolutely should have done that.”
That gets me another eye roll. “I hate asking for help.”
Tell me something I don’t know. “Well, I’m glad you’re here now.”
Baylee nibbles her bottom lip. “Paige said I could stay for a bit so she could clean Beau’s camper. Then I’ll move in there, and she’ll rent this place out for you.”
Baylee wants to stay in my brother’s crappy camper with the baby? Fuck that.
“Stay here for as long as you need.” If anyone’s gonna take care of Baylee and Leo, it’s going to be me. I don’t know why Paige didn’t just ask me. I would’ve told her to offer it to Bay. I motion toward the hall. “But maybe you and the baby could sleep in the bedroom, and I’ll take the couch.”
Her shoulders slump. “The bedroom furniture is backordered. So…” She gives me an awkward smile. “I could scoot over?”
And that’s how I find myself sleeping a foot away from Baylee and her cheeky, hot pink panties.
After I settle on the longer leg of the couch, I find her dark eyes as she rocks Leo in her arms, and warmth spreads through me. Even after I turn away to try to fall asleep, I can still feel her presence. When she puts Leo back in his basket, our heads end up only a foot apart. From here, I can smell her sweet scent, andit takes me back to the long summer days we used to spend running wild on my family’s ranch.
Instead of the sharp horns of New York traffic or the clamor of my unruly roommates, my night is filled with Baylee’s soft whisper as she talks to her son.
For the first time in months, I’m able to easily fall asleep. Having her by my side is almost enough to forget the nightmares I have of my accident.
9
BAYLEE
Underneath a light blanket,Leo grunts as he breastfeeds, and I smile at my little guy. “Take your time, tiger. My boob’s not going anywhere.”
A few feet away, Maverick snoozes curled up along one leg of the couch. I feel bad because he doesn’t look comfortable. He talks in his sleep, almost like he’s having nightmares.
I watch his face as the sun rises higher in the sky, peeking through the windows. His hair is longer. The scruff on his face is too. I don’t remember the last time I looked at him for this long. Since we reached high school and my infatuation with him hit an all-time high, I always felt like people could read my mind when I looked at him, so I tried not to.
My phone goes off next to me, and I scramble to turn off the alarm. It’s a good reminder that I don’t have time to moon over Maverick anymore. He’s a big-time pro athlete who’s only home to convalesce for a while before he jet sets back to New York to live his high-profile life.
When Leo’s done with breakfast, I burp him, change him, and then place him in his basket and carry him to the bathroom. “Okay, bud. I really need a shower. Try not to freak out this time,okay?” He coos back at me, and I smile. “Who’s my favorite boy on the planet?”
Because my son is worth all the heartache of getting dumped by Sean.
