Chapter 11
Payton
I peek over the railing of Gabby’s crib and smile to find her still sound asleep.
Her hands are both raised above her head, reminding me of a football post. She’s adjusted perfectly to our new living arrangements—unlike me.
The first night, I was exhausted and fell right to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
But the next night, and just about every night after, not even the exhaustion of working after my shifts could help me pass out.
Constant thoughts of the man living just down the hall run rampant in my mind. Although I guess what he said the day we moved in was true—he’s never home. Each night when I leave Tilley’s after my shift, he stays and does whatever he does at night.
Does he hang around Tilley’s to help my brother behind the bar?
Does he go somewhere and meet someone? Jealousy floods through my veins, but I don’t know why—it’s not like he’s mine. He’s my roommate, my brother’s best friend, my coworker—off-limits.
But fuck, the moment the other night prior to Gabby’s explosive asshole, I swear he was going to kiss me. Was I so sleep-deprived that I imagined it? Maybe I had misread the entire situation and made it awkward, hence him avoiding me.
With Gabby still sound asleep, I decide to take advantage of the moment and go make coffee and get her bottle ready.
This girl takes after her mama by typically waking up hangry.
And if you’ve ever tried to fix a bottle one-handed while holding a hangry, upset baby in the other, ten out of ten do not recommend it.
Slowly, I open my bedroom door. The house is completely silent. I leave my door open so I can hear if she wakes up.
I can’t stop myself from glancing over at Rhyland’s bedroom door. It’s closed now, so he must be home. When Gabby and I were up at two thirty this morning, it was still open.
Each step I take is quick but calculated. I don’t want to make too much noise to disturb either of the sleeping residents upstairs.
I push up on my toes and press my palm onto the counter, trying to reach for a coffee mug.
“Ugh, motherfucker,” I groan under my breath as my fingers graze the mug. “Almost got it.” Who keeps mugs on the second shelf, anyway?
“Good morning,” a husky voice says from behind me, causing me to jump, but of course, my fingers push the mug back further. Fuck me.
I spin to find Rhyland shuffling into the kitchen, shirtless, with his joggers hanging low on his hips and his dark hair in disarray.
Holy fuck, is there any version of Rhyland Cole that is not melting-your-panties-off hot?
No, I don’t think there is. That man could probably even make being covered in horse manure look sexy.
I spin my back to him so I can focus and get what I need to escape the kitchen. With all my might, I push up on my toes again, determined to reach the mug.
“Here, let me help you.”
Before I can say that I got this, I feel Rhy’s front pressed up against my back, and my breath hitches. Does he have to be so close?
Don’t move. Don’t breathe. Especially do not lean back against him or press my ass into his crotch.
“This work?” Rhy holds out a mug with one hand for me, while shuffling mugs around closer to the edge before grabbing one for himself and stepping back away from me.
“Uh-huh.” I squeeze my eyes shut, completely embarrassed at the high octave of my voice just then.
When I finally have the nerve to reopen my eyes, I catch Rhyland smirking out of the corner of my eye as he now leans against the counter.
“I hope I didn’t wake you,” I say, popping a coffee pod into the machine and then pressing Start.
“Nah.” He runs his hands over his face. “I’m always up this early on Sundays. I don’t think my body would let me sleep in, even if I tried.”
Of course, when he mentions his body, my eyes are like a magnet, drawn to the bare skin of his chest and abs.
The coffee machine hisses when it’s finished filling my cup, and it’s like a bell alerting me I’ve ogled this man for too long. Adding a bit of creamer to my mug, I step to the side so that Rhyland can fix his cup.
It’s then that I’m finally aware of my attire—cotton sleep shorts, which I know my ass hangs out of, and a flimsy tank without a bra.
I guess I’ve been alone most mornings, so I didn’t even think of putting a bra on.
I grip my mug tighter to not only keep myself from reaching out to him but also to hide my nipples from view.
“Where’s Princess?”
A smile spreads across my face at the nickname he gave Gabby.
“She’s still sleeping, but she should be up soon. I was just down here taking advantage of the quiet to get a coffee and her bottle.”
Right, a bottle. That damn man with his hot bod has me all sorts of distracted.
Rhy walks over to the kitchen table and takes a seat while I work on Gabby’s bottle. “So, what is it you do on Sundays to wake up this early?”
“On Sundays, I go to the farmer’s market to scope out what we might have for the restaurant. You know I like to keep the kitchen local and sustainable.”
I freeze and spin to face him, needing to see his face when I ask my next question. “You do that every Sunday?”
“Yeah.”
“But last Sunday, you—”
“So maybe not every Sunday.”
I furrow my brows. “Rhyland, besides last week, when was the last Sunday you skipped out on the market?” I cross my arms. “And don’t you dare try to lie to me, mister.”
His slow swallow reveals the truth without saying anything.
I throw my head back and groan. “Ugh, why didn’t you tell me that? I could’ve moved all by myself or gotten my brothers to help. Or, shit, you didn’t have to spend the day with me unpacking and all. You could have left after we got my stuff moved or just done all this around your schedule.”
I’m in such a flustered state that I didn’t notice Rhyland get up and round the corner until I feel his warm palm cupping my cheek. “Payton, calm down before you give yourself an aneurysm.”
I laugh awkwardly, but there is nothing really funny about this. Gabby and I already disrupted his life moving in here, but now to learn we disrupted his schedule, too? No wonder he’s been avoiding me.
“And relax. Did I not go to the farmer’s market last Sunday for the first time in a long time? Correct. But just like I said, it was right where I wanted to be. Okay?” He’s since brought his other hand to cup the other side of my cheek, and I might pass out from the tension surrounding us.
If we were living in a movie, this would be when he leans in and kisses me, breathing new life into me.
I may have misread the moment from the other night, but there is no way I’m misreading this one. Morning and coffee breath be damned. I want this man to kiss me.
“Okay?” he repeats, and with the help of his hands holding my face, I nod up and down before giggling.
“Okay,” I say.
He releases my face, and I mourn his touch. But while he may have stopped touching me, he has put no distance between us. A light breeze could push us skin to skin.
“What do you and Gabby have going on today?”
“Well, we have brunch with the queen, a spa trip at two, and a chef’s table at the steak house downtown.”
Rhy arches a brow, and I laugh even more, turning away to finish Gabby’s bottle.
“I’m kidding. We don’t have any plans.”
Rhyland walks back to the table to get his mug. “Do you think you and Gabby would like to go to the market with me?”
Like a date? What? Shut it down, Pay. Now you’re talking crazy again.
Shaking my head out of my intrusive thoughts, I hear Rhyland chuckle. “No?”
“No,” I shout. “I mean yes.” I nod enthusiastically.
“Yes?” He smirks. I cannot be held responsible for decisions before finishing my coffee, clearly.
“Yes, we would love to join you. If it’s not too much trouble. I bet the fresh air would be good for Gabby to get out, and I haven’t been to the market in years.”
“It’s almost tripled in size, probably since you last went.”
My eyes widen. I used to love going to the market with my parents as a child, and the thought of continuing that tradition with Gabby has me giddy with excitement.
“Is there a particular time you head over there?”
He shakes his head. “Whenever Princess is up and moving, we can go. There’s no rush.”
“Sounds great. I’ll let you know when we’re ready.” Grabbing my coffee mug in one hand and Gabby’s bottle in the other, I disappear up the stairs.
When I re-enter my bedroom, soft cooing sounds lead me to the crib. I drop the drinks on the top of the dresser before placing my hands on the side of the crib.
“Well, good morning, sweet girl,” I coo. “Did you sleep good?”
Gabby squirms, reminding me of being a fish out of water, her arms and legs kicking up a storm.
“I know, I know. You want up and a ba ba. But first, let’s get you a fresh diaper.” I lift her up in the air, and I can hear my brother’s obnoxious voice in my head from the first time he did this, singing “Circle of Life.”
With Gabby now cradled to my chest, I grab a fresh diaper, the pack of wipes, and a new outfit.
After laying her down on my bed, I get to changing her. But more importantly, I continue on my quest to get that first giggle. We’re so close, I can just feel it.
I wiggle her body out of her pajamas and blow raspberries onto her belly. “Guess what we’re going to do today? Rhyland is going to take us to the farmer’s market. Won’t that be fun? Mommy used to love going there. Grammy and Pappy used to take us.”
Gabby smiles and lets out a soft coo. As my dad would say, close but no cigar.
“Will you please just give me one little laugh, please?” I plead as if that would make a difference. “Girl, don’t make me get out Rhyland’s puppy dog face because I will, yes I will.”
“Did I hear someone say my name?” The man in question pops his head into my room.
“Yes, I told my daughter I’m not above begging in order to get her to giggle for me just once.”
“Aww. She’ll get there eventually, right when you least expect it and need it most. Right, Princess?”
God, every time he calls her Princess, it sends a flock of butterflies in my stomach.
He turns his attention from her to me. “Do you want me to feed her so that you can get ready?”
Is this man for real in front of me? Are we sure he’s not just a figment of my imagination? Like seriously, he’s straight out of a romance novel or movie.
“You don’t need to do that,” I say, but he tips his head, giving me a look.
“Payton.” He says my name, reminding me of how my father used to say it when I was teetering on the line of doing something I shouldn’t. “What did I say about letting me help you?”
“That I’m a stubborn girl who will make you say it over and over.”
A wicked smile crosses his features. “Yes, you are. But no, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for.”
“Oh, but it was,” I tease.
“Don’t you Obi-Wan Kenobi me, Mosby,” he laughs. “Now, give me a quick rundown, and let me have some quality time with my girl.”
He says “my girl” so nonchalantly.
“Shall I pull out my puppy dog face?” he taunts when I hesitate. That’s my undoing. Leaning over the bed, I grab the Boppy pillow from the floor and place it around his waist. He gives me a strange look, but I just let him know it helps to hold her, and he can thank me later.
He just nods. I swear I could probably tell him he needed to feed her upside down while he had a plate on his head, and he would believe me.
I carefully place Gabby in Rhy’s arms and make sure he has a handle on her before removing my hands from them.
This man in front of me is holding the most precious thing in my life, and he’s holding her and looking at her as if he knows it, too.
One thing Joel never ever did. I continue to stare at him while he stares at my daughter.
It’s not until he looks up and catches me watching them that I snap out of it.
“What?”
I swallow down the emotion and clear my throat. “So there are four ounces in this bottle. After about every ounce, carefully lift her onto your shoulder and pat her back gently until she burps.”
“Easy enough.” Rhy accepts the bottle and brings the nipple to Gabby’s mouth. Just as I thought, she latches right on.
“Oh, and you’ll need this.” I hop off the bed and grab a burp cloth, gently placing it over his shoulder. “She might get a little fussy with you when you take the bottle away.”
He chuckles but doesn’t lift his eyes from Gabby. “You’re more and more like your uncle Ollie every day. He used to do the same reaction when I took his bottle away.”
I snort at his remark.
“Do whatever you need to do. I’ve got this, Pay.”
“I know you do. But I’ll be quick.”
Rhyland focuses back on Gabby in his arms, and the look of determination makes me smirk. You would think he was doing open-heart surgery or something just as intricate.
I grab a pair of jeans and a top from the closet and pause just in the doorway. Glancing over my shoulder, I save this moment in my memory.