Chapter 3
Bailey watched Fox from a relatively hidden spot under one of the tall trees near the entrance to the petting zoo. She knew he brought Ethan here most Saturdays when he was free.
She drank him in. The shaggy brown hair that always hung a little too long. The luminous green eyes that saw right into her soul. And then there was the body that wouldn’t stop. He had muscles that came directly from working in a labor-intensive job. No need for him to hit the gym.
For an entire long year, she had lusted after Fox Addams. But he was her sister’s boyfriend. It wasn’t right to want what your sister had.
She knew it could never be anything more than friendship between them. But that didn’t stop her dreams from being filled with him. If only she had met him first. However, her sister would have already stolen him away by now. She believed in the sister code. Her sister did not.
As if he could sense she was watching him, his eyes rose from where they were watching Ethan pet a goat to hers under the tree. She’d been busted.
It wasn’t her worst offense. She had once been caught staring at the front of his swimsuit at the beginning of summer. He had grinned, and she had burned a color similar to a firetruck. It was humiliating. It wasn’t like she was fifteen anymore. She was almost thirty for fuck’s sake.
He leaned over to Ethan, said something in his ear, then turned to saunter toward her. She should be mortified after being caught spying on him. All she was, though, was sad time couldn’t slow down.
It seemed a shame not to have more time to appreciate how his strong thighs propelled him forward. How his pecs bunched as his arms swung at his sides. The dimples that always appeared when he smiled.
“Hey,” he said, reaching her. He turned so he could keep an eye on Ethan. “What are you up to?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just driving by and noticed your truck in the parking lot.” That wasn’t a total lie. She had noticed his truck, but only after driving all the way to the park.
“Come join us,” he said.
“What if Brooke shows up?”
“Brooke never comes here,” he answered. “She claims the smell upsets her allergies. Come on.” He took her hand and pulled her out from under the tree.
She made it a point to never touch him if possible. It made her body tingle all over when she did. Her heart rate would also accelerate to the point of explosion status. Lately, it had become harder to avoid it. Like now.
He gave her no warning, just grabbed her hand. He even interlaced their fingers together like lovers. She giggled at the thought.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking back at her.
“Yes. Just a tickle in my throat.” She made a big deal out of clearing her throat to prove it. Because almost thirty-year-old women did not giggle at their sister’s boyfriend holding their hand. She just needed to keep telling herself that.
“Mmm,” he said with a smile.
“Aunt Bailey,” Ethan squealed. Dodged that bullet, she thought, pulling her hand from his. “Come meet the baby goat.” She exchanged Fox’s cool, rough hand for Ethan’s sweaty, small one. “Its name is Buttercup.”
“It is?” she asked. Turning to look at Fox over her shoulder, she mouthed “save me.” He just smiled as she was dragged into the pen. She was then dragged through the pen with the rabbits, the one with the calves, and finally the one with llamas. They were Ethan’s favorite and her least favorite.
“Hey, sport. You pet the llamas, and Aunt Bailey and I will be right over there on the bench,” Fox finally said, pulling her out of the pen.
“Thank you,” she said, sitting down.
“Still not a llama fan?”
“Still not really a barnyard animal fan.”
“Fair,” he answered, his eyes still glued to Ethan.
She admired how protective he was of her nephew.
If he was like this as only the boyfriend, how would he act if Ethan was his?
In the short time she had known him, she had had brief glimpses of how hard he worked to protect everyone within his sphere.
“Not a lot of barnyard animals around growing up in Everett, huh?”
“No, not really.” They stood in silence for a moment watching Ethan sit on the ground with a tiny goat on his lap. “I can make an exception though where Ethan is concerned.”
For the briefest moment, he turned to smile at her. It took her breath away. He was handsome anyway, but it was a whole other level when he smiled.
“Thanks again for picking him up last night.”
“It’s no problem.” They lapsed back into silence again.
It was always awkward with Fox. She felt like they were right on the verge of saying something important, but neither ever did.
There was no question what held them back.
It was always the elephant in the room when they were alone together. Brooke. “I should probably go.”
“Oh. Yeah, okay. We should too. It looks like Ethan might have fallen asleep on that llama. Hold on, and we’ll walk you to your car.
” She watched as he walked over and hauled the little boy into his arms. “I think all the stimulation made him crash.” He laughed and the sound rolled through her body like a tidal wave.
“Looks like your job here is complete.” They reached the parking lot, and she unlocked her car.
“You’re good, then?”
“Yeah, thanks.” She slid into the driver’s side.
“Okay. Be safe.” There was a moment when she swore he lingered in her door before closing it. But then the moment was over, and all she could do was head home.
When her gaze ventured to the rearview mirror at the entrance, she found him still standing with Ethan in his arms watching her drive away. She sighed and exited to the left.
“Where have you been?” Brooke hissed when he stepped into the apartment.
“It’s Saturday, we went to the petting zoo,” Fox answered quietly. Stepping around her, he walked into the second bedroom and laid Ethan on his bed. He pulled a blanket over him before returning to the living room.
“You’ve been with her, haven’t you? I can smell her on you.”
“You can’t smell anything but the petting zoo because I haven’t been with anyone.” It was the same argument he had every weekend. Brooke accused him of having an affair at least once a week if not more. If it wasn’t one of his clients or a coworker’s wife, it was her sister.
“Was she there?”
“Who.”
“You know who. Bailey?”
“I picked Ethan up from her house this morning, remember? If you’d stop letting your ex take Ethan, we wouldn’t have to do this every other weekend.”
“Do not tell me what I can and can’t do with my son,” she said, shoving him in the chest.
“I’m not,” he answered, stepping back. “I just wish you’d consider what goes on in that house.”
“Jimmy would never hurt Ethan.”
“Maybe not, but it’s not Jimmy I’m worried about. It’s the rest of his crew that hangs out at his house.”
“At least he’s not screwing my sister.”
“I’m not screwing your sister. Jesus!” He ran his hand through his hair. It was always the same. She went on the attack, and he spent his energy trying to defend himself.
“Calm down,” he mumbled. All the fight suddenly went out of her. If he couldn’t use the gift he was born with to de-escalate the situation, then what good was it?
“Anyway,” she said with a giggle as if nothing had happened. “I’m going out with some friends tonight. You’ll need to watch Ethan since he was supposed to be at his dad’s tonight.”
“That’s fine.” At this point, he would much rather spend his evening with a four-year-old than the boy’s mother.
“I’d better get ready. We’re going to do dinner then hit some new bar we’ve heard about.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t wait up.” With another laugh, she walked into the bedroom. The door closed behind her, and Fox sank onto the couch. Trying to calm her down always took a lot out of him.
“How do I look?”
He was flipping channels on the television when she reemerged half an hour later. She spun around in the doorway. He would like to say that her skirt was way too short and her shirt way too translucent.
“You look as beautiful as always,” he said instead.
“Good answer.” She pushed off the doorframe and walked to him. Straddling his legs, she slid forward until she was flush against him. “Maybe you should stay up.”
Fox was saved from coming up with a response by the buzzer to the building going off. “I swear if that’s your sister…”
“It’s not Dover, she’s at work.”
“Never stopped her before.”
He was in the process of easing her off his lap when there was a knock on the door. That was odd. How would someone get to their door without being buzzed in? A quick check through the peephole was all he needed to get the answer. He pulled open the door.
“How did you get in?”
“Charm,” Knox said, pointing at Memphis. “Brawn,” he added, pointing at himself. “It’s a lethal combination.” In other words, they had talked their way in. Fox rolled his eyes as he opened the door wider.
“Oh, hi,” Brooke said, turning on the charm herself. “What brings you boys by?”
“We just wanted one last chance to answer any questions for Fox before we headed out of town,” Memphis answered.
“I’ve got a farm call on Monday, so I have to fly home tomorrow,” he added, turning to Fox.
“I know yesterday was a lot, and we didn’t really get a chance to talk at the diner this morning.
We just hoped you were free this evening. ”
“He’s babysitting,” Brooke answered before he could. “I’m going out with some friends. Fox is such a doll for babysitting for me so I can spend time with them. Being a single mom is so overwhelming.”
Fox saw Knox raise an eyebrow before Memphis stepped back in. “We met Ethan this morning. Such a good kid. You must be doing it right.”
“Thanks,” she answered with a flip of her hair. “I try. Well, I’m off.” She pulled Fox to her and placed a languid kiss on his mouth before pulling away. “You boys try and behave.”
Her hand grazed Memphis’s chest on the way out the door. Knox’s eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline this time which was impressive since he wore his hair pulled back tight in a ponytail.
“She’s a lot,” Knox said after the door closed with a resounding click.
“Careful,” Fox warned. Knox held his hands up in surrender.
“Where is Ethan anyway?” Memphis asked.
“He’s asleep. I should probably wake him pretty soon, or I’ll never get him back to sleep tonight. Do you guys want a beer?”
“Sure.”
Fox walked into the small kitchen and pulled three beers out of the refrigerator. He handed two out before sitting back on the couch again.
Knox and Memphis each took a seat, one on the couch and the other in one of the chairs. No one said anything as they settled in and cracked open the beer. After a long swallow, Memphis cleared his throat.
“Have you thought of anything else you’d like to ask us? We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have. We might also have a few of our own. I guess the one we really want to answer to is—”
“What the fuck is going on here?” Knox asked, growing impatient with Memphis. “Dover said there’s another sister in play.”