Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
ZERO
I hadn’t realized there was a difference between my hair and the kids’.
Yeah, they had curls, but what difference did that make?
I figured hair was hair. My gaze drifted to Isla and I fought off another wince.
Okay, yes, her hair was looking a little more like Einstein’s every day, but I was afraid I was hurting her, she screamed so loud when I tried doing anything to her hair.
I thought it was better to just leave it alone.
Jasper’s hair was short enough that I didn’t notice a difference, but he was eyeing the products like he recognized a few. Maybe I should’ve asked him if I was missing anything when we went shopping.
After paying for the hair products and trying not to balk at the price of it all, I pulled Isla out of the cart, balancing her on my hip while I carried the bags and tried to dig out my keys at the same time.
Simone stepped in before I could get too harried, taking the bags from me and handing one to Jasper.
“Unless you want him to drop her, you need to start helping.”
Jasper scowled at her, but said nothing. Whatever she was doing in school, she had a lot better handle on him than I did.
Simone was all business when we got back to the house, shooing me off to give Isla a bath without any fanfare.
She stepped out of her heels and shrugged out of the jacket she’d been wearing, looking a lot more casual in her button up and tight skirt that showed off all her assets.
The look she gave me said she knew exactly what I was staring at, and I could only grin in response.
I wasn’t one of those people who pretended I wasn’t interested.
I didn’t play games. If she didn’t like the attention, she’d let me know.
So far, aside from a few looks, she hadn’t said anything.
Honestly, I got some mixed messages from her.
Her eyes said one thing, but it definitely felt like she was flirting over email the other day.
Isla was of two minds about bath time. Sometimes, she loved it.
Sometimes, she hated it. Either way, happy or pissed, she used the water as an opportunity to make a damn mess every time we tried this little routine.
The bathroom floor was almost always covered in towels to soak up the mess from her baths.
Simone didn’t even flinch at the messy bathroom. She knelt down on the floor next to me, letting me be the distraction while she got the bottles open on everything she’d had me buy.
It startled me when Isla’s eyes widened after Simone poured a healthy amount of shampoo into her palm. She squirmed and nearly slipped and smacked her head in her eagerness to see what Simone had. Babies were slippery as shit when wet.
Simone smiled softly, raising an eyebrow at her. “You recognize the smell? I’m betting your mommies used this too. That’s good. Then you know you have to sit still while I do this so it doesn’t get into your eyes.”
She talked to Isla like the baby could understand her, her tone smoothe and kind as she scrubbed Isla’s hair with gentle fingers.
If I thought she was gorgeous before, she was radiant now.
Something about watching her with Isla made something in my chest tighten and my cock swell.
Was I into moms and I didn’t know it? That was a little surprising.
Isla was a lot better behaved for Simone than for me, so we didn’t end up drenched from giving her a bath.
After she was dried and clothed, Simone plopped her on the floor and handed her one of the dozens of toys she had been given from the guys, kneeling behind her and opening one jar or bottle after the other.
I laid on the floor in front of the pair so I could distract Isla if need be, and took notes because I knew better than to think I could remember it all.
It was seriously a lot of shit for one baby’s hair. It made a difference though.
After her new hair care routine was done, Isla looked like a different baby.
Her hair was curly and shiny, no longer sticking out in some spots and knotted in others.
She tolerated Simone detangling some of the worst of it and seemed content to play while Simone twisted some of the curls around her finger to ‘encourage them’, whatever the hell that meant.
“See the difference?”
“Yeah,” I murmured, reaching to touch Isla’s hair.
It was silky soft, which I didn't know was possible with curly hair. Maybe because by the time I met her, she’d been out of her regular hair routine long enough that I thought it was always going to be kinda dry and frizzy. “And we have to do this every night?”
“Goodness, no,” Simone chuckled. The sound made me look up at her. She was a tough nut to crack, but seeing a real smile on her face, not just the quirk of her lips, took my breath away.
“Damn. How do any of your students get anything done during the day with a teacher like you?”
She rolled her eyes, plucking my notes out of my hand so she could look them over. “My students are more interested in whether or not I’ll assign more homework.”
“Then they’re all blind,” I countered. “At Jasper’s age, I would’ve done anything I could to get the hot teacher’s attention.
” Not that I had teachers like Simone, but if I did, I would’ve been an obnoxious little shit about it.
I was for the sixteen year old lifeguard at the community pool.
She gave me a kiss on the cheek in front of my friends to get me to behave. It totally worked.
Isla rubbed her eyes and I checked the time on my phone, surprised that time had passed so quickly. I was a little disappointed, I wanted to spend more time with Simone, but I couldn’t keep the kids up, and she’d spent the whole day teaching. She deserved a break too.
Pushing to my feet, I plucked up Isla, surprised when she immediately rested her head on my shoulder. Simone must have noticed the look on my face when I helped her to her feet because she smiled softly at Isla.
“I’m betting her moms used to do hair care as a bedtime routine. My mom did something similar with me and my siblings, repeating certain scents and actions around bedtime so we got tired just by habit. I’m betting she’ll sleep well tonight.”
“If that turns out to be true, I might start begging you to come here every night to help me out. She hasn’t slept through the night since she arrived.”
She smirked, wiggling a finger at Isla to say goodbye. “Sleep well, baby girl.”
I walked her to the door, hovering as she slipped her heels back on and rested her jacket over one arm. And because I’m a fucking gentleman, I walked her to her car, opening the door for her and making sure she got in safely. I leaned on the door frame, stalling because I couldn’t help myself.
“When are we gonna see you again?”
She pursed her lips thoughtfully, and I couldn’t look away. Everything from the shape to the fullness made me want to lean down and steal a kiss. How likely would she be to slap me if I did? I was holding a baby, it’d be a coin toss for sure.
“It depends entirely on the results of the work Jasper did today. He’s smart and while he isn’t willing to be open about it, I can see his potential. I–”
All that effort I’d been putting in to hold back disappeared as she spoke in that teacher voice that turned me on so much.
Putting a hand against Isla’s head to keep her from getting wiggly, I leaned over and captured Simone’s lips.
She froze, but didn’t push me away or hit me.
I took it as a win. I considered pushing my luck, adding a little tongue action, but I didn’t want to go too far too fast. I knew how to woo a woman, and there were times when to push and when to back off.
Now was not the time to push, especially while Isla was half asleep in my arms.
When I pulled back, she blinked at me, eyes wide. I grinned at her.
“You keep using that hot teacher voice on me, I shouldn’t be held responsible for my actions.”
That snapped her out of her stunned stupor, and her head jerked back, an incredulous look crossing her face. I grinned, dancing away from the door before she got any bright ideas to hit me.
“Maybe I can call in a babysitter the next time you come by. I’ll take you on a ride on my bike after you’re done with Jasper’s lessons. Have a nice night, gorgeous.”
Her mouth fell open, and she didn’t seem to know how to respond to me.
Eventually, she shut her door, still looking at me like I’d done something insane.
I saw it as inevitable. She was too perfect for me not to shoot my shot.
If the kids weren’t around, I would’ve tried for a hell of a lot more than just a kiss.
We made it to Friday without any major incidents, and Jasper went along with only minor complaints to therapy, probably because it meant he got to leave school early and be with Isla. My knee bounced as we waited in the waiting room, but I did my best to look calm so the kids would feel calm too.
“You look like you’re going to have a stroke,” Jasper pointed out with an irritated look.
Okay, I was failing at that too. I sighed, rubbing my sweaty palms on my jeans. “Nervous, I guess. I’ve never been to therapy before.”
He grunted, which was better than a salty comment, honestly, so I didn’t comment.
He was holding Isla, letting her balance on his legs and holding her hands so she could stand.
He was a good big brother, I’d give him that.
My siblings stopped giving a shit about me when I stopped being the good little boy who was excited to go to church and never talked back to my elders.
They didn’t want to get in trouble along with me.
The gap only grew as we got older. Now, I was pretty sure neither of them cared if I existed.
“Have you been?” He shot me a questioning look and I clarified, “To therapy, I mean. Got any idea what’s going to happen?”
He made a face. “They tried putting us in therapy right after–” He cut himself off and I saw the emotions flash across his face before he buried them in anger in resentment.
“It was a waste of time. Just like this will be a waste of time. You better hope we’re done before Isla’s nap.
You screw up her schedule enough by setting off the fire alarms every other day. ”
I opened my mouth to respond, I hadn’t set off the fire alarm all week, but was interrupted by someone calling our names.
“Fletcher family?” the woman asked, a kind smile on her face.
I knew the minute it came out of her mouth, it was going to piss him off. Jasper’s head whipped up and he actually bared his teeth, fury written all over his face. “Don’t call us that! He’s not my family and that’s not our name!”