Chapter 10
Rhyland
I t didn’t take long to transform the room completely into something I didn’t even recognize. When Connie brought Gabby over not long after we finished, she complimented our teamwork for getting so much done in a brief span of time.
Payton and I made a great team, that’s for sure.
Connie declined our invitation to stay for dinner, insisting she had to get home, so it’s just the three of us having our first meal together.
Payton refused to let me cook after all I did today, so she ordered us pizza from Tony’s to say thank you.
Who am I to say no to fresh tomato sauce and extra cheese?
I wanted Payton to feel comfortable here, so I suggested we sit in the living room to eat, which is how we ended up on the floor with half-empty pizza boxes on the coffee table I pushed out of the way.
Gabby is between us, lying on some sort of colorful mat that has a piano on the end.
Her little feet have been kicking up a storm, making music.
It’s quite different from what I remember about that scene in Lady and the Tramp .
Not that this is a romantic date, or a date at all.
“Thank you for dinner.”
“It’s the least I could do, especially with all you’ve done, letting us stay in your house.”
When I reach over and take her hand, she startles at my touch. I’m not sure if it’s from catching her off guard or because she feels the electric shock of my skin against hers. I know I sure as shit felt it. “This is yours and Gabby’s home, too.”
I stare at her until her blue eyes finally lift and meet mine.
And I swear they are a hue darker than normal.
The surrounding air grows thicker with each second we hold each other’s gaze.
The slow and steady rise of her chest and her lightly flushed skin make me wonder if her mind has gone to the same place as mine—how easy it would be to just close the distance between us.
It’s only night one, and I’m already thinking of kissing her. I can’t fuck this up, though. She only just got here, and I’m about to send her running for the hills.
Her eyes once again drop to my lips. A man can only be so strong for so long. My resolve cracks, and I’m about to say fuck it when her tongue slowly drags against her bottom lip. Does she realize she’s even doing it?
“Payton.” I say her name and wonder how she would react if I just quickly pressed my lips to hers. Just one taste. As I inch closer, the loudest, most disgusting noise and smell explode around us, snapping us both out of it.
“Oh my God, Gabriella Elliott Taylor,” Gabby scolds as she brings her hand to cover her face. I’m not sure if it’s in shock, embarrassment, or even to plug her nose.
Well, if that’s not a sign from somewhere, then I’m not sure what is.
Did something crawl up that girl’s ass and die, and this is the remains being expelled? How can something so small make such a smell?
The brain fog finally clears for a second to catch on to what Payton said—Elliott—after her late father. He would have loved being a grandfather, and I can only imagine the anger he would feel toward Gabby’s father. I’m sure he would have led the mob with the biggest pitchfork against him.
“What have you been feeding that girl?” I laugh, tears filling my eyes.
“I think someone has been hanging around her uncle Ollie too much,” she jokes.
Payton carefully tilts her daughter to the side, looking like she will roll her over, but winces, scrunching her face.
“Yup, a definite blowout. That’s one way to christen your new home, sweet girl.”
One way indeed. Although I can think of a few other ways that would be more pleasant.
“I’m going to get this girl cleaned up, and might as well start her bedtime routine. After that release, I’m thinking she should be ready to sleep all night.”
Will Payton ever accept my help at night with Gabby?
That way, she could get some sleep. I can totally function on just a few hours—been doing it for years.
But what good would Payton be if she’s not all there and exhausted?
She’s been doing this for so long alone that I want her to know that she doesn’t have to anymore.
“Once I get her settled down, I’ll come back down here and clean this all up.”
I shake my head. “Nonsense. Like you said earlier, you got no sleep the night before, and it’s been a long day of excitement. I’ll take care of this, and you crawl into bed and try to get some sleep, too.”
She doesn’t argue. I’m sure she wants to, but Gabby squirms in her arms. Although I can’t say I blame her. If my pants were full of shit—well, yeah.
“Good night, Rhyland.” Payton smiles as she carries Gabby out of the room and up the stairs. And like anyone who is a glutton for their own punishment, I follow her out of the room and stand there watching her walk away. Thankfully, she doesn’t look back to catch me staring at her ass.
Once she is out of view, I carefully clean up down here—putting away leftovers, taking out the trash, and verifying the locks.
I even give the mat that Gabby was lying on a wipe down.
I don’t know if it’s possible to take that thing apart and wash it, but because “blowout” keeps running through my head, I decide it needs at least sanitizing.
After browsing through my messages, I find a confirmation of a delivery of ingredients by Terri for tomorrow at eight.
It gives me time to do what I need and prep before we open at four.
Since I was busy today and couldn’t go to the market, I contacted Terri yesterday to ask about his available ingredients and how to incorporate them into the menu.
My third yawn tells me it’s time to take my own advice and turn in for the night. I can’t avoid going upstairs any longer. Is that what I’m doing—avoiding? No, I just don’t want to make it seem like I’m crowding her at all, so I gave her plenty of time to do whatever she needed to upstairs.
When I reach the top of the stairs, something inside me calls to her door. It’s closed. It’s bad enough I’m standing outside her door, but I contemplate knocking to see if she needs anything. I press my ear to the door but can’t hear anything. She might have already fallen asleep.
Just leave her alone, man. Don’t make it even more awkward on their first night here.
God, what was I thinking, almost kissing her down there earlier? What if we hadn’t been interrupted? Just the thought of my lips pressed to hers has my dick stirring in my shorts. Fuck.
Forcing myself away from her bedroom door, I pray that the more distance I put between us, the less tense I’ll be. But as I lock myself in the bathroom, I realize that is far from the truth. The bathroom smells of lavender.
In the shower, I find a little pink plastic tub with a mesh liner covered in flowers. This must be what Gabby gets bathed in. I carefully lift it out of the tub and drain the few remaining droplets of water leftover from her bath before placing it on the floor.
Noticing my bodywash is empty, I go over to the vanity to grab a fresh bottle.
I open the top drawer. Shit, I forgot I had cleared out the top two drawers for Payton.
Various products line the drawer, which I wouldn’t even have a clue about what they are for.
I expected to find products all thrown everywhere.
At least, that’s the way Ollie is always describing his and Hollie’s bathroom.
“Her shit is everywhere, man, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
” What do I know, though—I’ve never lived with a woman before. I have no idea what to expect.
I grab a bottle of lotion and flip the cap before lifting it to my nose. The deep inhale fills my senses with coconut and sunshine . It’s as if Payton is in here with me. And there’s the wake-up call for my dick again.
This is wrong on so many levels. Payton and her daughter are just down the hall, hopefully sound asleep. They live here now.
Yet none of that matters. I tell myself just this once , as I turn on the shower and wrap my hand around my shaft, giving it a firm squeeze.
Just this once.