9. Parker Cain
9
PARKER CAIN
Something was up.
And the worst part was that it felt like Joy was in on the conspiracy against me.
I’d finished my semi-productive calls and returned to find Declan walking around the room talking about proper investing for retirement while listing the pros and cons of traditional IRAs over Roth IRAs. Joy’s head had been resting on his shoulder, her eyes half closed and her little hand on his chin as his steady words lulled her into a late-morning nap.
However, as soon as I’d appeared in the doorway, Declan had stopped talking and Joy’d perked up, but she hadn’t released Declan. She’d clung to his chin as though she’d wanted to hear the rest of his recitation on retirement planning.
My suspicions had only grown after I’d announced I needed to run to the store to pick up a variety of supplies, and Declan had instantly offered to accompany me.
“I’m sure you’ve got better things to do with your day,” I’d countered, carefully taking my daughter from him.
“No. I have no plans. Wouldn’t it be easier if you had someone along to help you? To watch Joy? Plus, my SUV is bigger than your car.”
All good points. I hadn’t planned to get that much, but it would be nice if I had someone to watch Joy while I was loading the trunk.
So, an hour later, I was strolling through a grocery store, pushing a cart while Declan carried Joy. A high-end grocery store.
How did these things even exist? I mean, it was the regular local grocery store that had locations all around the city, but this one just looked and felt different. I half expected security to come along and kick me out because they recognized on sight that there weren’t the right kind of zeros in my bank account.
But Declan strode into the store with all the confidence of being a major stockholder.
“What’s on your list?”
“Lots of baby stuff—diapers, formula, baby food, bottles, shampoo, a soft bristle brush for her hair, and a bunch of other stuff.”
Lines snaked across Declan’s smooth brow for a moment before he nodded and declared, “Yes, that should be fine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? It’s not like you’re buying it. I’ve got it covered. You’re here as the nanny.”
Declan’s thick brows jumped up to his hairline. “The nanny?”
My gaze darted to Joy, who was sitting on his arm, chewing on the ear of her plush bunny. Which reminded me, I needed to get her one of those teething rings that could be put in the freezer. She was showing all the signs that her first tooth was coming in.
“That’s not what I meant,” Declan resumed after a second. “I mean that I might have asked my personal shopper to pick up a few things for Joy today. ”
I released the cart and stepped closer to him, tilting my head down as I glared at him. “ A few things? Are we talking about a few things like the few things you acquired for her when she needed to stay in the office for one day?”
Declan cleared his throat, and his eyes darted away as if he couldn’t stand to meet my gaze any longer. “I couldn’t say. I told my personal shopper about the situation and that Joy needed to be made comfortable since my home isn’t baby friendly.”
That was true.
But that wasn’t the point.
“Declan! You can’t keep doing this. I swear to God, I’m taking your wallet away. No more spending money on me and Joy. Do you hear me?”
Then the worst thing possible happened.
Declan Foster pouted.
The man’s natural expression was resting bitch face, and I found it adorable. Yet, now his brow furrowed more, and I swore his bottom lip jutted out as he stared at the empty cart in front of me. How was I supposed to stay strong against this? He was heart-meltingly adorable. With one small look, he was napalming all my resolve and best intentions, leaving me with only the desire to cave to all his wishes. This isn’t fair!
“No! Don’t look like that. Declan, be reasonable. You can’t keep spending all this money on me.”
“I want to help,” he mumbled.
“Sweetheart, you are helping. You’ve helped plenty. Please stop looking like that. And don’t teach Joy how to make that look. I can’t handle it if you both turn on me.”
Declan glanced up, the pout disappearing under a look of worry. “Joy and I want to help.”
I chose to ignore the “Joy and I” part because what remained of my brain couldn’t deal with it right now. “How am I going to repay you for all this? I’m still trying to get the proper documentation to the insurance company, so they’ll cough up a check. I didn’t even buy most of Joy’s things the first time, but inherited them from Molly. There’s Molly’s life insurance policy, but all that money is being put in a trust for Joy’s college fund. I can’t?—”
The tall blond holding my baby pressed his fingers to my lips. “I do not want you to repay me. This is my gift to Joy. I’m helping you. We’re friends, right? That is what friends do.”
I jerked my head to the side, trying to hide the sudden burning of my eyes. It was just too much. Not to mention, it also played on my insecurities about being the world’s shittiest dad. Wasn’t it bad enough that Joy had suffered the loss of her mother? Did she have to go to a new father who didn’t know what he was doing and have her new home burn down?
“Parker, look at me.” Declan’s voice was low and fierce. I had no choice but to turn my face toward him. “I have more money than I will ever need. It means nothing to me. This isn’t about things. What I’m giving you is time. If you’re not wasting your time buying all the stuff she needs to live comfortably and safely, that means you can spend more hours with her and getting a new home lined up. Okay?”
“Yeah.” The single word was rough and ragged to my own ears. He had a good point. If he was fine spending the money, why the hell should I argue with him? Joy had been through enough bad stuff. Why not spoil her a bit? All too soon, she’d outgrow it and wouldn’t remember any of this when she got older.
“Thanks, Declan. I don’t know what I’d do without you right now.”
Declan wrapped his free arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close, pressing my face into his broad shoulder. I couldn’t help it. I gave in to the impulse and hugged his narrow waist in the middle of the fucking grocery store while fighting tears. Declan had never struck me as a guy who was willing to suffer through public displays of affection, but he showed no problem with it as I wiped aside some tears.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered before brushing a kiss to the side of my head.
Who the fuck is this man?
The Declan Foster I’d thought I’d known for nearly a year was a cold, standoffish man who was always proper and showed no outward affection.
At least, that was how it had begun. In those last few months, I’d noticed that he’d lingered at my place longer. He’d asked about my art and would rub my back as I was drifting off to sleep. Was this what happened when Declan counted you as a real friend?
Fuck, if this was how he treated his friends, I was becoming envious of whoever won his heart. That person would be put on a pedestal and treated like a god.
And just like that, I learned to hate that faceless, nonexistent person.
“Sorry. I feel like I’m constantly falling apart, and you have to deal with it.”
“Stop apologizing too. No more thank-yous and sorries. I don’t want it, expect it, or need it. My only desire is for you to heal.”
“Da! Ba!” Joy shouted. She reached her hand forward and hit me on the top of the head.
“Joy wants the same thing.”
A warm spot of happiness pushed aside the pain that seemed to overwhelm me at the most random moments. My cheek resting on Declan’s shoulder, I looked at Joy with her hair in tiny pigtails on the top of her head as she blew bubbles at us. As long as she was happy and safe, nothing else mattered.
“Declan?”
The very loud, shocked voice shattered our cocoon and made me very aware that we were still standing near the entrance of the grocery store as foot traffic awkwardly flowed past us.
My head snapped up and my gaze jerked around until I spotted a short, handsome man with a closely trimmed beard and dark hair. His eyes, however, looked as if they were going to roll out of his head as he stared at our little trio.
“Hello, Rome,” Declan greeted, confirming that he did in fact know this person.
As soon as I realized Declan knew the guy, I tried to move away from him, but the hand Declan had on my shoulder tightened, keeping me pinned to him while he pivoted to face this stranger.
“I…um…wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Rome stammered.
“Same,” Declan replied in his usual hard and unyielding tone that drove me crazy each time he directed it at me. But since I wasn’t his current target, I kind of wanted to giggle.
Rome cleared his throat and took another step closer. “I was headed over to Sebastian’s. Byron texted me to pick up some special cheese for a thing he wants to make.”
And then, silence. Declan didn’t explain why we were there or even who I was? I could guess that the bigger concern for Rome, though, was the baby Declan was holding.
“Hey, I’m Parker Cain, a friend of Declan’s. This is my daughter, Joy.” I shifted against Declan so I could free my right arm from where it was wrapped around his waist and offer my hand to Rome.
In an instant, Rome lit up like a fucking firework. “ A friend of Declan’s? No kidding! It’s so great to meet you. I had no idea Declan had friends outside of our circle.”
That was a weird comment.
I smiled tightly at this interloper, now realizing that maybe Declan had a good reason for not introducing me. “Oh, I’m sure Declan has lots of friends. I happen to be one he doesn’t talk about much.”
Declan’s hand squeezed my shoulder. “He doesn’t mean to be insulting. Rome is just an idiot.”
A loud cackle erupted from the strange man. “He’s right. I’m an idiot. We’ve known each other since college, and Dec isn’t big on making friends, but I’m glad he has.” He didn’t pause for a breath when he turned his attention to Joy, who was watching all this with wide eyes. “This is your daughter? She’s freaking adorable. How old is she?”
“Six months.”
“No wonder she’s so tiny, but I bet she’s gonna be a powerhouse.” Rome reached out one finger to wiggle it at her without touching her. Joy squealed while Declan’s glare turned uncomfortably dark.
“You know, why don’t I put Joy in the cart? We’ll head on to the baby food aisle while you talk to your friend. Catch up with us later.” I broke free from Declan’s hold and snatched Joy away from him. “Rome, it was nice meeting you. I hope you find the cheese you’re searching for,” I called over my shoulder as I placed Joy in her carrier chair and zipped the cart straight for the produce section. I had no idea where the hell the baby supplies were in this store, but right now, all I wanted was to move out of firing range.
“Good meeting you, too, Parker. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
After we were halfway through produce, I leaned in toward Joy and shook my head as I playfully said, “No, you won’t. There’s no way Declan is gonna let us near his rich friends. Uh-uh. No, he’s not.”
Rome looked like he had money. Even dressed casually in a polo shirt and shorts, what the man was wearing seemed to be worth at least a month of my usual salary. He was nice, though. Friendly. Definitely the nosy type. As soon as he was away from Declan, I had a feeling Rome would report to the rest of their mutual friends that he’d seen Declan holding some strange guy and his baby in the grocery store.
“My apologies,” Declan stated on my left. I jumped. Joy and I had stopped at the end of the produce section, where I was attempting to figure out where the freaking baby stuff was located.
“No big deal. I hope I didn’t cause any problems for you.”
Declan grunted and shook his head. “No.”
“The…Sebastian he mentioned…is that…?”
“Yes, Sebastian Courtland, CEO of Courtland Enterprises. I’ve known him since high school. Rome attended the same university as us.”
“So, this Rome is going to report to Sebastian that he caught you with another guy and a baby, right?”
Declan made a noise, but this time it was in the affirmative.
“And you’re fine with your friends knowing that I’m your friend ?” I pushed, putting extra emphasis on the last word.
Declan narrowed his gaze at me, looking as if he thought I’d lost my mind. “Of course. Who I choose to be with in my own time is my business. Not theirs.” He reached inside the cart, grabbed the handle on Joy’s carrier, and lifted it out of the cart so that he could hold her while I pushed the cart. “Do you have a list of things we need? I have no other plans today, so it’s fine if we need to make multiple stops prior to returning home.”
And like that, the matter was settled. I got the impression that Declan didn’t give Rome and the rest of his friends another thought as we collected the massive list of baby needs. We might have even stopped to grab some basic supplies for me so that I wasn’t relying on Declan’s toiletries. However, I didn’t miss the frown that grew on Declan’s face when he realized what I was doing. It was too much to hope that the grumpy man liked me using his shampoo and deodorant.
Despite the rocky start to the trip, Declan turned out to be a good shopping partner. He was happy to carry Joy and keep her entertained. Plus, it seemed as if he hadn’t been in a grocery store in a while, because he made multiple stops to inspect random things before tossing them into the cart. In the end, it was a fight to get him to allow me to pay.
I thought I’d won a battle with him…until we got to his house a few hours later.