Chapter 36 #3
My cheeks heat with embarrassment, but then the door opens, signaling Royce and Rita’s arrival.
Col steps around me, his hand gliding along the small of my back, leaving goosebumps in his wake.
Shaking off my body’s response to these men, I rush to greet everyone.
Roy pulls me in for a hug, then passes me off to Rita, my mind still coming to terms with having so many people who are a part of my life now.
Raiden joins us shortly after, looking exhausted as he pushes through the door with several bags in his hands.
Somehow, I manage to curb my reaction when he bends to press his lips to the corner of mine, but we’re thankfully out of sight.
“You look beautiful,” he compliments, his heated gaze taking me in.
“Thank you.” I smile, feeling exposed when a breeze makes its way through the room from the open balcony door, reminding me that I’m completely bare beneath this dress. Hudson ambles over, catching Raiden’s attention. He squats to his level and begins opening the bags he was carrying.
“Hey, buddy. Look what I got,” he tells him, pulling out several stuffed balls, all of them different styles.
“Baw!” Hudson points out, launching himself at the plush toys. In his free hand, he double-fists a soccer ball and a baseball, then heads towards Briggs to show off his loot.
“That’s the best sound ever, isn’t it?” I comment absently, my heart full to bursting at hearing his sweet voice.
“It’s definitely a close second,” Raiden responds, his insinuation loud and clear from the predatory look in his eyes. Deciding to make Hudson’s plate and escape the sexual tension that’s verging on suffocating, I head to the kitchen.
“Andi, love, how’ve you been?” Rita asks, taking a seat on one of the empty barstools.
“Good, thanks,” I respond, sliding over the stack of coupons I was able to clip earlier. “I found some decent deals for this coming week. At the least, it should help restock some cleaning supplies and sanitary products.”
“That’s wonderful, Andi!” Rita beams at me.
“We can make a day of it next week, Sunshine. We’ll shop for everything, then deliver it to The Village,” Col insists, his hand giving my hip a squeeze as he slides past me to reach the pizza. Rita’s eyes zero in on the contact, a faint smile forming on her lips.
“Oh,” I mutter in surprise, cradling my stomach when the baby shifts.
“What’s wrong?” Briggs questions, appearing out of nowhere.
“Nothing, I don’t think,” I respond, tracing the foreign movements with my fingers. “The baby is just really active right now.” It’s still such a jarring sensation to feel something move inside of you.
“Let me check,” Briggs demands, his doctor voice in full effect. His soft hands probe my stomach, searching for anything amiss, but when his touch is met with a tiny kick, he begins to laugh, the most beautiful smile taking over his face. “Hey there, little love. Are you excited to meet me?”
“No,” Dayton snorts derisively, interrupting the sweet moment with his thundercloud energy.
His lips are pressed in a firm line, the set of his shoulders tight and guarded.
In the span of his twenty-minute shower, Dayton’s mood has completely plummeted, and I don’t have the faintest idea why.
“And since you attended the first OB appointment, I claim the next one,” he demands, his high-handed remark setting my teeth on edge.
“Are you asking or telling?” I grit out.
“Telling, Butterfly. I’m telling,” Dayton states, his tone begging me to argue. It’s obvious he wants a fight, but I have no intention of giving him one.
Thankfully, Roy interrupts, calling for everyone to join him at the table.
Hudson is seated on his lap, the toy excavator he was gifted clutched firmly in his hand.
I place the pizza I cut into bite-sized pieces in front of him, wondering if LeAnna would’ve ever fed her two-year-old such unhealthy food.
Was she one of those crunchy moms I’ve been reading about on parenting blogs?
Or did she try her best, and occasionally some quick and easy meals slipped through the cracks when she was exhausted?
I can’t help but compare myself to her, questioning every decision I make regarding Hudson.
I know it’s not what Seth asked of me, but his request is harder to follow through with than I thought it’d be.
Shaking off my dreary thoughts, I tune back in to the conversations taking place around me.
After Hudson eats his fill, he climbs across several laps to reach me, causing us to laugh at his antics.
He rubs his eyes, snuggling against my chest as sleep starts to claim him.
We continue chatting, albeit at a quieter level, but all through the evening my attention keeps straying to Dayton.
His entire demeanor is off, and his underhanded comments towards the guys don’t go unnoticed by any of us.
Somehow, they refrain from engaging with his childish behavior.
When he excuses himself and heads to the rooftop terrace, I’ve decided I’ve had enough.
If he’s going to be an asshole, he can at least have the decency to tell me why.