Chapter Thirty-Two
Adam
Lainey nursed Conor and, at my insistence, pumped before we went to bed.
“That way I can get up with him in the middle of the night, and you can get at least six hours of solid sleep.”
“But—”
“No buts, baby. The only thing I have to do tomorrow is schedule a doctor’s appointment, hang out with little man, and come down to help during your busy hours.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Why are you doing this for me?”
Because I fucking adore you.
I didn’t say that, of course. Instead, I quipped, “You’ve made me see stars, baby girl. Your mouth and pussy are magic.”
The corners of her mouth turned up.
“Your dick’s not too bad, either.”
I pretended to be offended. “Not my tongue?”
“Oh, baby, your tongue should have to be registered as a lethal weapon. That thing is dangerous—in the best possible way.”
“I’d suggest you sit on my face, but I know you need your sleep.”
“I’ll be honest, it’s tempting. But you’re right. I do need to get to bed.”
Lainey was asleep before me, but only by a few minutes. The next thing I knew, Conor’s cries were coming through the monitor, and she was throwing off the covers.
I pressed on her shoulder and placed the sheet and comforter back on her body.
“Go back to sleep. I told you; I got this.”
I could tell she wanted to argue, so I lowered my voice and growled, “I will smack your ass, and edge you all fucking night if you don’t go back to sleep. Right. Now.”
She grabbed the blanket and rolled over with it wrapped around her.
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. But I won’t. Go to sleep.”
“M’kay,” she murmured with her eyes closed.
I loved that her breathing had evened out before I reached the doorway.
Conor’s crying got more insistent, and I said out loud, “I’m coming, buddy!”
Because she’d pumped before going to bed, she hadn’t refrigerated the bottle, so it was ready and waiting on his dresser when I walked into the nursery.
After about ten minutes, Conor turned his face, which I took to mean he was done. There was still a little milk left in the bottle, so I made a mental note to put the rest in the refrigerator after I put him back to bed.
He burped within a few minutes, then I changed his diaper and had him back in his crib less than thirty minutes from when he’d woken up.
I was tempted to hold him a little longer, but I knew I’d fall asleep, and Lainey’s bed was calling me. I wouldn’t even touch her—I didn’t want to disturb her, but just being near her was enough.
After putting the bottle away, I slipped back under the blankets, and she murmured, “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, baby.”
I loved feeling like I was helping lighten her load in some small way.
A thought occurred to me as I drifted back to sleep. Maybe helping her and Conor was how I made amends to Shawn.
But as my hand rested on her bare ass, I chastised myself.
Fucking your friend’s girl is not making amends, jackass.
****
Lainey
I couldn’t believe how great I felt when I turned on the bakery’s lights in the morning. Sleeping for a solid six hours had made a world of difference. I almost ventured to say I had a spring in my step.
Of course, I’d bookended yesterday with orgasms, so that might also have had something to do with it.
I knew better than to act too peppy when Marie flipped the bakery sign to open and the first customer walked through the door.
Tongues would be wagging a mile a minute if I seemed different in any way than I had on Sunday. Well, in any way that was better .
The old biddies in town would probably be okay if I seemed unhappy.
I was careful to school my expression when Mrs. Cahill walked in around eight.
“Good morning.”
“I’ll bet it is.”
I cocked my head. “Well, the sun is shining, and we’re not sold out of your favorite eclairs, so it would appear so.”
“I guess you’re not the only one who got lucky, then. I’ll take three.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Why, Mrs. Cahill,” I said with a sickly sweet smile. “Whatever do you mean?”
I was going to make the old hag come out and say exactly what she was implying.
“I hear you’ve had a visitor several nights this week.”
“Adam?” I drew my brows together like I was confused. “I’m not sure I’d call it ‘lucky,’ but I am grateful to have him staying with us.”
She gave me a smirk. “You know what I’m talking about.”
I frowned. “Gosh, I really don’t. I guess you could call it lucky that I have a skilled Marine protecting me and my eight-week-old baby from a lunatic sending me threatening letters. Is that what you mean?”
“Someone sent you threatening letters?”
“Yes. I assumed you knew that, since you knew that Brian asked Adam to stay at my place.”
I knew her gossip mongering hadn’t included that tidbit, like Adam had accused Granny O’Brien’s rumor mill yesterday of doing.
Unlike Granny, though, Mrs. Cahill was much smoother with her reply.
“I didn’t realize Brian was the one who wanted him to stay with you.”
I narrowed my eyes, like I was trying to figure out what other reason Adam would be staying with me, than gasped and made my eyes wide.
“Ohhhh, you thought…” I chuckled as I picked the shittiest eclairs from the case and put them in the bag for her. “That’s what you meant by getting lucky.”
I walked to the register and rang up her order. “Sorry to disappoint the rumor mill. Four dollars and thirty-six cents.”
She handed me a five-dollar bill and said, “Keep the change,” before making a hasty retreat toward the door. No doubt to fill the rest of the busybodies in on the information she’d found out.
I felt a little smug when I replayed our conversation in my head and realized that I hadn’t actually lied to her.
****
Adam
Lainey was a sweetheart and tiptoed around her bedroom when she got up in the morning.
My brain registered she was awake, but I felt her lean over me and kiss my temple. “Don’t get up.”
So, I didn’t until my watch beeped an hour later at seven-fifteen.
After taking a leak, I immediately made the bed and got dressed, then checked on Conor, who was fast asleep. I stared at the little baby’s sweet face for a minute before murmuring, “Sleep tight, little man. I’ll keep you and your mama safe.”
I left a message for Dr. Williams, then walked into the living room and noticed the air mattress propped against the wall in the corner.
“I should probably put a fitted sheet on that thing,” I mused out loud. “At least keep up appearances.”
No sooner had I done that than someone pounded on the door leading to the outside staircase.
I walked to entry and demanded, “Who is it?”
A voice I recognized immediately, dryly replied, “There’s a camera outside. You should already know who it is.”
I opened the door with a grin.
“Well, I don’t have access to the camera feed.”
Brian was dressed in his uniform when he stepped inside the threshold. “Why the fuck not? You’re staying here to keep her safe—or are the rumors true, and that’s not why you’re living here.”
“The gossip here is brutal. And, I didn’t want to invade her privacy.”
“Well, part of the reason I came over here was to gain access to the camera feed, so we can go downstairs and get her permission together.”
“What’s the other part?”
He cocked his head. “Huh?”
“You said that was part of the reason. What’s the other part?”
“Oh, to get a Danish and a cup of coffee, then take you to see Dr. Williams. He’s got an opening at eleven this morning.”
“So, why didn’t he call me? I just left a message with his office.”
He shrugged. “Dunno. I was at the hospital, and he asked how you were doing and when you were coming back in for your follow-up appointment. Then he checked his calendar and suggested I bring you in at eleven.”
I locked the outside door and nodded toward the one leading to the bakery, then realized my wallet was in Lainey’s room on the nightstand, along with my phone.
Fuck.
“I’ll, uh, meet you downstairs. I gotta do something first.”
Brian narrowed his eyes.
“What?”
I let out an exasperated sigh.
“Jesus Christ, I have to take a shit but was trying to be polite.”
“Oh, do your thing, man. I’ll be downstairs.”
He closed the door behind him, and I raced into her bedroom and grabbed my phone from the charger, along with my wallet.
As I walked through the living room, I sat down in the chair to listen to the rest of a podcast I’d started on the bus to kill a few minutes before I headed downstairs.
~~~~
After I placed my order with the girl behind the counter, I approached where Brian was seated, enjoying his coffee and eating a croissant.
“How’s that croissant?” I asked with a grin as I pulled out the chair opposite him.
“Pretty fucking good.”
“I helped make it.”
He turned it over in his hand to examine it.
“No shit?”
“Yeah. I helped her bake last night.”
“It sounds like you two are getting close. You gave Conor his first bottle, you visited the O’Briens with her, and then you two made croissants together. What else are you doing for her?”
Fuck.
“Nothing; I’m just trying to be helpful.”
“I appreciate it, man. Really. We all worry about her, but she’ll only let us do so much. It’s good she’ll at least let you help her. I know Shawn would appreciate everything you’re doing for her.”
Probably not everything.
Lainey appeared with my éclair and cup of coffee. Brian nodded toward my pastry.
“Should I be worried you’re not eating a croissant?”
A smirk escaped her when she replied for me, “He ate his share last night.”
I made a chef’s kiss motion. “ Delicioso .”
Lainey corrected me, “I think you mean, délicieux.”
“It was delicious, in any language.”
“Thank you again for helping me. If this cop thing doesn’t work out, I’m always looking for someone to work in the kitchen.”
Brian chimed in. “This ‘cop thing’ is going to work out great. Plus, he gets medical and dental.”
“Yeah, but here he gets all the pastries and coffee he wants.”
I looked at Brian and winced, “Ooooh, she’s gotcha there.”
“You could probably negotiate a bakery budget with the Chief.”