Dad Next Door (Crimson Club Book 5)

15. Quinn

The ringingof my phone startled me. I looked up from my tablet and grabbed my phone off my desk to check the number. Tristan? Was he calling to cancel our plans for tonight?

I swiped to answer. “Tris?”

“Hi. I didn’t mean to sound the alarm again and call, but I’m freaking out, and I don’t know what to do.”

“What happened? Are you okay?” I jumped up from my chair, my work forgotten.

“Nothing bad, we’re okay,” he said quickly. “Remember I told you about my colleague who’s pregnant?”

“Yeah.” I sat back in my seat, my flight or fight response settling at his reassurance. “Is she okay?”

“She called a few hours ago and asked if I could cover her shift today. She had complications with her last pregnancy and isn’t feeling well. We’re still short-staffed because they haven’t replaced Eric yet, and they farmed Stephanie out to one of their other clinics this weekend, so I’m the only one left who can cover for her. But I don’t have anyone to watch Leo. Lydia is away with her girlfriends, and my parents and my brother’s family are out of town at my nephew’s hockey tournament. I need to leave in thirty minutes, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Breathe, Tris,” I soothed. “It’s okay.”

“I don’t know if it will be. Getting called in is normal, but someone’s always been around to watch Leo for me. I can’t leave him at home, but I can’t just tell Amber to get her ass to work if she’s sick. Especially if it could risk her baby. I can’t even bring him with me because it’s against company policy, and I can’t risk my job. Not until I have another one lined up.”

“Tris, take a deep breath for me.”

He did, but it was shaky and overexaggerated.

“Now let it out.”

The sound of wind moving over the phone speaker told me he’d obeyed.

“Good, now one more. Better?”

“Yeah,” he said tiredly. “I’ve been trying to figure this out for hours, and I panicked. I shouldn’t have bothered you, but I thought—never mind.”

Guessing where the conversation was headed, I decided to throw him a bone.

“I can watch him for you.”

“Really? Are you sure? I didn’t want to ask because you probably have stuff you need to do, and asking you to babysit my kid would mess up your weekend.”

“I don’t have anything important happening today. It’s no problem.”

“Thank you.” He breathed out a sigh of relief. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Of course not. He’s a fun kid. You said you need to leave in half an hour?”

“Yeah, and even then, I’ll be cutting it close.”

“I can be there in ten minutes. I just need to shut down my studio.”

“Studio? Shit. You are busy. I’m sorry?—”

“I’m not busy,” I assured him. “I can film content anytime. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Will that give you enough time?”

“Yeah. That’s good. Thanks.”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll see you in ten.”

Nine minutes later, I knocked on Tristan’s door. A medley of animal sounds rose as the door flew open.

“Hi, Quinn!” Leo waved excitedly. “Yikes.” He grabbed at Freddie’s collar as the giant dog ran up beside him and jumped at me. “Freddie, down.”

Taking a big step back, I turned so my shoulder was facing Freddie. The move seemed to confuse him, the same as my parents’ dog when she was going through a jumping stage, and he landed with all four feet on the porch, looking bewildered.

“Sit,” Leo said firmly.

Freddie sat, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he looked between me and Leo.

“Down,” Leo commanded.

Freddie lay on the porch with a soft whine. He knew what he’d done.

“Are you okay?” Tristan came up behind Leo. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I got out of his way.”

“I’m sorry. He knows not to jump up on people, but it’s been a crazy morning, and I think he senses it.”

“It’s fine.” I waited as Leo gave Freddie some pets for obeying his commands, then got him back on his feet and into the house. “My parents’ dog sometimes forgets her manners too.”

Tristan closed the door behind me. He looked as frazzled as he sounded. His skin was pale, and his hair was more of a mess than usual. He was also wearing two different shoes.

“Can you put Freddie in his corner?” Tristan asked Leo.

“His corner?” I asked as Leo led Freddie away. The cats followed, giving me room to come in.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds.” Tristan closed the door behind me. “It’s what we call the bed in the back living room. It’s just to reinforce that jumping on people is bad, and there are consequences when he forgets that.”

I caught his arm as he stepped back. “It’s okay, Tris. You’re okay.”

He blew out a breath and gave me a quick, hard hug. “Thanks.”

“Quinn!” Leo said excitedly as he came back into the foyer. “Hi!” He waved again, a beaming grin on his face.

“Hey, buddy. How have you been?”

“I’m good. Dad said you’re going to hang out with me while he goes to work.”

“That’s right.” I patted Tristan’s arm. “Go do what you have to do. We’re good. But you might want to fix that.” I pointed to his feet.

He looked down and groaned. “Can you tell it’s been a day already?”

Leo giggled.

“You okay to hang with Quinn while I get ready?” he asked Leo.

“Yup.” He turned his attention to me. “Do you know how to play chess? I learned how to play at school, and I’m really good,” he said proudly.

His school was teaching chess to nine-year-olds? Things had changed since I was in the fourth grade.

“His after-school program has a STEM element to it, and chess is one of their units,” Tristan explained.

“Do you know how to play?” Leo asked again.

“I do. My dad taught me when I was about your age. It’s been a long time since I played.”

Leo beamed and waved for me to follow him. “Come on. I have the board set up.”

“I need to…” Tristan waved at his feet, the door, then at the kitchen.

“Do what you need to do. We’ll be fine. When do you think you’ll be home?”

“Shi—oot,” he corrected his almost-curse. “Right. Forgot to tell you that part. Shouldn’t be later than seven. Is that okay?”

“It’s great. We’ll have dinner waiting for you, and maybe we can watch that movie after.”

He smiled, his features relaxing. “That sounds great.”

“Come on, Quinn. Do you want to be black or white?” Leo asked.

“Black.” I patted Tristan’s arm again and took a step to follow Leo.

Tristan caught my hand and tugged me to a stop. “Thanks.” He pressed a quick kiss against my lips.

Leo giggled, his hand over his mouth, as Tristan stepped back.

“So, where’s the board?” I asked. Hopefully my face wasn’t as red as it felt.

“This way.”

He led me into the back living room, where Freddie was fast asleep on a giant pet bed in the corner near their huge sectional.

Unlike my barely furnished and mostly empty house, Tristan’s was full of life and stuff. Pet supplies, toys, and random things were scattered around, and most of his furniture was mismatched and worn.

His house was the same minimalist style that was common in new builds, where everything was monochromatic and shiny, but the lack of cohesive decor in the place didn’t make it look messy or disorganized. It was comfortable and homey and lived in.

Leo flopped onto the floor on the other side of the coffee table where the chessboard was set up. I sank onto the sectional opposite him.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready.” I waited for him to start.

“Dad said you’re his boyfriend now.” He moved one of his pawns. “Are you going to move in with us?”

I choked on nothing. What the hell?

“You okay?” Leo asked, his eyes wide with childhood innocence.

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat and moved one of my pawns. “I’m fine. Just swallowed wrong.”

“I do that sometimes too. So, are you going to move in with us?” He studied the board. “Jace moved in when he and my other dad were boyfriends. He doesn’t live with us anymore because he and my dad broke up.” He moved his knight.

“I think your dad and I are a long way from that,” I said carefully.

“That makes sense. You have a house. Jace didn’t. At least you’re next door, so we can hang out when I’m here.” He beamed another smile at me.

“We can—yikes.” I jumped back as a blur of pink streaked across the floor and leapt at me. I caught Jinx out of instinct.

“Jinx,” Leo scolded. “No jumping.”

“Hey, buddy.” I put Jinx on the couch next to me.

He scurried up my chest and draped himself over my shoulder, his back legs and butt in front and his front legs and the rest of him behind me. I put my hand under his bottom to help steady him. He rubbed his face against mine and purred.

“He likes when you’re scratchy.” Leo pointed at his face.

“You mean my scruff?”

He nodded.

“He’s like a parrot.” I turned my face toward Jinx so he had a better angle to nuzzle my cheek. “Hey, buddy. Do you remember me?”

In all the months we’d been friends—and more—we hadn’t spent any time at Tristan’s house. With the craziness of his menagerie, it made sense that he liked the relative quiet of my place and used it as an escape.

Jinx purred louder and rubbed his face against my face more vigorously.

Holding a hairless cat was weird. He was warmer than I remembered, and his skin was soft. It was kind of like holding a purring baby that looked like a goblin.

“I’m heading out,” Tristan said from the doorway. “Don’t be afraid to put Jinx down if he’s bothering you. He’s a snuggler, but he gets the message if you don’t want to hold him.”

“He’s fine,” I assured him.

“Bye, Dad.” Leo waved to him but didn’t look up from the chessboard.

“Later, Doc.” I waved, then rubbed Jinx’s back. “We’re good.”

He looked torn for a moment, then hurried away.

Freddie jumped up and chased after him.

“Do you know how to swim?” Leo asked.

“I do.”

“Me too. My friend Betty has a pool. I’m going to her birthday party tomorrow, and we’re going to swim in it.”

“Betty?” I asked. “My grandmother’s name was Betty. Well, her name was Elizabeth, but everyone called her Betty.”

“I wonder if my Betty is Elizabeth too,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ll ask tomorrow and let you know. Is it your turn or mine?”

“Mine.” I moved another pawn. “So you’re going to a birthday pool party tomorrow?”

“Yup.” He moved another piece. “I asked Dad if we could get a pool, but he said it’s not safe with so many pets. Do you know a lot about space?”

“Not a ton, but some stuff. I read a lot of space books when I was younger.”

“I know soooo much space stuff,” he said proudly. “I wanna be an astronaut. Or a builder.”

“A builder?” I moved one of my pieces, not putting too much thought behind my strategy.

“Yup. I like building things. Do you want to see my Lego?” He jumped up, our game forgotten.

“Sure.” I stood too, making sure to keep Jinx steady so he didn’t slip.

He darted out of the room. I hurried behind him. I’d forgotten how energetic kids were—and how short their attention spans could be.

Today was going to be an adventure.

“See that guy?” Leo pointed to the TV. “The one with the purple shirt? I think he’s the one who snitched.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. He wasn’t there when they had their meeting.”

“That’s true.” I settled back on the couch. “What about the girl with the red hair? She wasn’t there either.”

“Maybe she’s working with him?”

“Maybe.”

After a busy day of playing games and moving from activity to activity while getting infodumps about space, Leo and I had eaten dinner and were now in the back living room watching YouTube videos while we waited for Tristan to get home.

He’d called a few hours ago and explained there was an emergency at the clinic, and he needed to stay until the patient was stable. Luckily he wasn’t the on-call vet that night, but he’d already put in a full week and had lost one of his days off. He needed a break.

Gently, I rubbed between Freddie’s ears. He was sprawled on my other side, his big head on my thigh. Shadow and Mili were sleeping on the back of the couch behind Leo, and Koda was curled up on his other side.

Jinx was fast asleep on my chest and snuggled under my sweater. Any time I sat down for more than a few minutes, he jumped on my lap and pawed at my hoodie, which was his way of saying he wanted to get under it so he could use me as a human pet bed.

I loved every second of it. Being surrounded by pets and watching videos with Leo was fun. It reminded me of when my stepbrothers and I all lived at home, and we’d have family movie night every Sunday evening.

“Hey.”

We turned toward the soft voice at the door. Freddie lifted his head but dropped it right back down on my lap when he saw Tristan.

“Hey.” I looked at Freddie, then at the bump under my shirt that was Jinx. “I’m stuck.”

“I can see that.” He came into the room and bent over the back of the couch to kiss the top of Leo’s head. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Hi, Dad.” Leo barely spared him a glance.

“Hi.” He gave me a soft smile and gently squeezed the back of my neck.

I leaned into the touch, little shivers of awareness tickling my skin. “Hi.”

“Come on, kiddo, it’s time to get ready for bed.”

Leo made a face but didn’t look away from the TV.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

“I’ll eat after I get him down for the night.” Tristan patted Leo’s head. “Time to turn that off. You know the rule. No screens right before bed. You get a pass tonight, but it’s time to shut that down.”

Sighing dramatically, Leo grabbed the remote and turned off the video, then the TV. “Can I stay up late tonight?”

“You have Betty’s party tomorrow. Do you think staying up late is a good idea if you’re going to be swimming?”

“No.” He got to his feet in the most dramatic way possible.

“Get your jammies on and brush your teeth. It’s already past bedtime.”

Grumbling like he was on his way to detention, Leo trudged away, his head hanging low and his feet dragging across the floors.

Koda and the cats followed him, and Jinx started wiggling under my sweater.

“One sec, buddy. You can’t get out that way.” I gently pushed his head back down through the neck of my hoodie. We’d learned the hard way that he was too big to climb through it without getting stuck. I lifted the bottom of my shirt, and Jinx popped out from under it like someone waking up from a day-long nap. He looked around, yawned, then bounded after the others.

“How are you doing?” I asked as Tristan came around the sofa and sat next to me.

“Tired.” He leaned back against the couch and rubbed his eyes. “How are you? Did you survive?” He rolled his head to face me.

“We had a great time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We played chess, put one of his Lego sets together, and watched a bunch of videos from his safe channels. And my space knowledge has at least tripled. I’d say that’s a pretty productive day.”

Tristan smiled, his entire body relaxing. “I’m glad. I know how exhausting it can be when you’re not used to being around kids.”

“I have combined type ADHD.” I huffed out a laugh. “Leo is low-key compared to what I was like at his age. Seriously, we had fun.”

“Do you need to head home?”

“Not for a while. You go take care of Leo, and I’ll heat dinner up for you.”

“Are you sure? You can go. I won’t be insulted or anything.”

Leaning over, I gave him a soft kiss. “I want to stay.”

He flushed, his ears going red. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Take your time.”

He stood and stretched. My eyes were drawn to the way his jeans clung to his ass. He usually wore relaxed-fit pants or sweats. I was a fan of the tight ones.

Tossing a quick look over my shoulder to make sure we were alone, I cupped one of his ass cheeks and gave it a squeeze. The tight globe felt good in my hand.

Laughing, he dropped his arms. “Can I help you?” he asked teasingly.

“Couldn’t help it.” I grinned up at him. “You’ve got a squeezable ass.”

“Feel free to squeeze it whenever you want.” He cocked his hip out, putting his ass closer to me. “Or spank it. Whatever floats your boat.”

Laughing at his playfulness, I gave it a gentle slap.

Tristan did a little ass wiggle that was a strange mix of twerking and belly dancing that shouldn’t have been hot. My body tightened at the sight.

Tossing me another grin, he headed after Leo.

I counted to ten, willing my half-hard dick to deflate, then stood so I could get his dinner ready.