“Perhaps this is simply a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ situation again.”
He’s unconvinced I mean that, and he should be because I don’t. It’s definitely him.
He’s thoughtful for a second. “Take a break, go shopping with us. I could use the help, Sienna is a handful.”
I close my laptop and stand, releasing a breath. “Is that an order, boss man?”
“I don’torderyou.”
I pick Sienna up from her place on the floor and prop her on my hip. She smacks her toy against my chest as I look him up and down. “Change out of whatever that is and I’ll get this oneready to go.” I’m just fucking with him—he actually looks a littletoogood. The white button-up he’s wearing clings to his frame, accentuating every bulge and curve of his taut muscles. I’m sure his ass also looks amazing in the slacks he has on, but I definitely don’t notice that.
The look on his face is priceless.
“Wait, what’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He’s genuinely concerned.
I ignore him and continue walking toward the stairs, biting my lip to keep from grinning even though he can’t see my face now.
He must realize I’m joking, because he calls after me, “I was going to offer to help you with your paper after, but I guess that was against my better judgment.”
I turn back to him. “It’s fine. I’ll just use my nanny dollars to pay for a tutor or something.”
He looks incredulous. “Oh, come on. My class isnotthat hard. You don’t need a fucking tutor.”
“Fuh fuh fuh fuh fuh,” Sienna emphasizes each syllable with a smack of her toy against my chest and I don’t even try to hold in the laugh that breaks free this time.
9
UNINVITED
QUINN
We takeSienna to this super cute shop in town because Jack is insistent that she needs an insanely overpriced Halloween costume.
What he actually said was something along the lines of, “Wally World doesn’t have anything we like.” As if she’s not less than one years old and will be wearing it for more than like forty-five minutes.
The store is on a cozy little side street paved with cobblestones, and it's all decked out for the holiday. There are jack-o-lanterns on either side of the door and fake spiderwebs all over the windows.
Jack has Sienna’s carrier strapped around his waist, but when he takes her out of her car seat she immediately reaches for me. “Daddy came home early just to spend time with you, sweet girl. Aren’t you tired of me?”
The corners of her eyes glisten as big crocodile tears form, and Jack gives me a pained look. “I’ve been replaced.”
“You have not.” I roll my eyes and take her from him because I care way more about stopping her tears than I do about his hurt feelings.
He unclasps the carrier and readjusts the band, his fingers deftly navigating the straps. I’m closing the car door when he takes me by surprise, coming in behind me to wrap it around my midsection.
His sudden closeness catches me completely off guard, the gesture is both far too intimate and surprisingly comfortable.Familiar.
His hand rests on the small of my back for a moment longer than necessary, and when he finally steps back, there's a lingering connection that doesn’t require physical touch on either of our parts. His eyes catch on mine, and it feels like a silent understanding between the two of us that the effortlessness of whateverthisis—it’s not something that either of us can easily ignore.
Chill bumps rise on my arms in response to his nearness, and he must notice because he opens the passenger door and pulls out my jacket… which he then proceeds to help me into. Thankfully there is a bite in the air I can blame—though that’s not the reason at all for my sudden shiver.
A bell tinkles as we enter the shop and my nose is immediately filled with the cloying smell of pumpkin spice. The shelves are stacked high with jars of pumpkin-scented candles—several burning—competing for attention with displays of fall that have thrown up on every available surface.
Iama pumpkin spice girlie. I love fall and all the scents and flavors that come with it, but this is a lot.
But because candles are my favorite thing ever, I can’t resist stopping to smell a few. When I pop the lid off the third one, Sienna grabs for it wanting to join in on the sniff test.
“Like this.” I make a show of holding it up to my face and taking a deep breath through my nose, then I hold it a safe distance from hers to see if she’ll do the same.
