Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Arbor
M aybe I’m delusional, but Hayes and I had a moment. I was very sure he was going to kiss me. Then Hael was there, and it was gone, but I wasn’t appalled by the thought of Hayes pressing his lips against mine.
In fact, I wanted him to.
The entire way into the living room, I obsess about what kind of kisser Hayes is. Something tells me he’d be slow and commanding—bossy, even. I’m also a little too focused on if he would hold me in place with a hand wrapped around the back of my neck or if his fingers would dig into my jaw as he moved me where he wanted me.
“Mmm,” Hael says, bumping his shoulder against mine. His dark brown curls fall over his forehead as he grins. “You smell so damn sweet. Hopefully that means you’re feeling a little better.”
My cheeks grow hot.
Daydreaming about kissing Hayes was a nice distraction, but I’m still healing.
My boobs leak every time Gracie cries, I’m in what amounts to a diaper, and the bathroom mirror highlighted the circles under my eyes when I studied myself after my shower. It’s insane to think anyone could be attracted to me right now.
“I feel a lot better after that chicken, bacon, Swiss sandwich.” I grin up at him. “Which one of you guessed that I’m not a huge fan of red meat?”
Hael chuckles. “It’s what I always order from Lenny’s diner, but luckily, we planned ahead and got options.”
“Did I take your food?” I ask, blinking repeatedly as I stop dead in my tracks.
Morris told me to help myself to whatever I wanted, and I was starving to the point I didn’t put any thought into whose food I might be taking.
“No,” he says, laughing. “God, you’re cute when you’re panicking.”
Hayes sighs, sliding around beside us and heading into the living room. I briefly wonder if I need to go check on Gracie, but I don’t hear her fussing, and my jaw falls when I spot the new furniture.
They didn’t just replace the sectional. There’s also a huge plush love seat and a chair in the same dark gray fabric. The style is similar to the old one, but this one seems fancier . The back cushions are thick and the seat cushions look extra soft.
Hael slides his arm around my lower back, guiding me forward. “Do you like it?”
“I love it, but that doesn’t matter. Do you guys like it?” I ask, frowning at Morris.
He’s on the floor assembling something. His head pops up, making his thick blond bun bounce. A wide smile crosses his face when he spots me, and little crinkles appear around his eyes. “We love it. You should check it out. That way, you don’t have to stay trapped in bed all day. Come see the oscillating chair-thing too.”
Hael and I come to a stop in front of where Morris is working, and I take a step back as I spot the box. It’s a brand I dismissed almost immediately because of the exorbitant cost attached to the name.
It has multiple modes and swears it mimics the swaying parents do when holding their baby. In addition to side-to-side, it also has front-to-back rocking capabilities, and it can be turned into a bouncy seat if you want to take off the attachments to make it oscillate.
The seat cover is in a rich dark gray, with cream-colored bars and stand.
I know how much that thing costs, and it’s not cheap.
Hell, it’s not even moderately priced.
“You bought that for Gracie?” I ask, and my eyes burn.
Adam wanted to wait until his family came to town once the baby was born to buy the stuff we needed. I didn’t have a baby shower, but he promised his parents and brother would buy anything we didn’t have. Because of that, he didn’t want us to waste our money.
It drove my instincts crazy.
My system wanted to set everything up to make sure we didn’t miss anything, but any time those urges kicked in, I reminded myself that I didn’t plan to be there when the baby came.
I also didn’t want to piss him off by pushing the issue, but it’s clear now how little he cared about preparing for our child.
“We did.” Morris nods, grabbing a pole and studying the instructions. “There’s more if you’re up to checking it out. If not, it can wait.”
“Did you happen to find a baby monitor?” Hayes asks from the club chair he sat in to test it out.
“Yup.” Hael squeezes my hip. “Even remembered batteries for the receiver. What do you say? Want to see what we got?”
My lips roll together as I nod.
The postpartum hormones are no joke, but I’m not sure if they’re fully to blame.
No matter how fast my brain tries to come up with answers, I still have no idea how I’ll ever repay them for all they’ve done. It’s hard to explain because I know I’m not forcing them to be kind to me, but it almost feels like I don’t deserve it.
It’s impossible to tell if that’s leftover trauma from Adam or if it really is crazy how above and beyond they’ve gone for me and my daughter. And at the same time, I’m not strong enough to put a stop to whatever this is.
At this point, I’m along for the ride for as long as it lasts. “I would love to see the goodies you picked out.”
The amount of stuff they bought for me and Gracie is overwhelming. I appreciate it more than I can explain, but it’s also hard to receive such incredible gifts when I’m still stressing about how little I have to give in return.
Hayes cooks dinner while Morris works on assembling a stroller I didn’t even realize they purchased. It came with a super fancy car seat that can be clipped into it for ease if you need to grab and go.
Hael has Gracie strapped to his chest in one of those baby wear contraptions that I briefly looked at while shopping, but also decided I could never afford.
It’s probably best if I don’t try to guess the prices for all the things they bought. I have a bad feeling it would lead to a panic attack, and that’s not something I want to undertake tonight.
Hael laughs. He’s sitting on the other end of the couch, but his gaze is focused on Gracie. “She makes the silliest faces. She’s more entertaining than the TV.”
The television is on, but I’ve been distracted by Morris and the way he carefully moves step by step through the assembly process. There’s something sexy about the way he’s zipped through assembling product after product. And unlike Adam, who would have complained through the entire endeavor, Morris peeks at the instructions once or twice and then does the rest from memory.
Competence is strangely hot.
Hael’s phone beeps, and he tugs it off the arm of the couch. “By the way, Gracie’s appointment is at nine tomorrow morning.”
My jaw falls as my brain works through what he just said. “Wait, I thought it wasn’t tomorrow but the next day.” Oh yeah, Morris stayed with Gracie and me last night, meaning tonight will be the second night, and tomorrow is the day we have to be at the pediatrician’s office. “I would have forgotten. No joke. Mommy brain is a real thing.”
“It’s no big deal,” Hael says, running his hand down Gracie’s back over the stretchy sling. “I can take you. Morris has to handle payroll tomorrow, and Hayes needs to stop by the gym, but as it turns out, I’m free.”
My stomach flutters as he grins down at my daughter. Seeing his tattooed fingers gently patting her back seems to make my brain a little gooey.
There’s no way around it…
Give a gorgeous man a baby, and he somehow defies the laws of nature and gets even hotter. Watching a hot guy holding my baby amplifies that exponentially.
Morris huffs, tugs off his T-shirt, and tosses it aside. He spots me watching and smiles. “Sorry. I worked up a sweat.”
My gaze dances over his strong shoulders and chest to his soft stomach. The man is a freaking beast—incredibly strong and still soft to cuddle with.
I mean, he lifted me out of my car like I weighed nothing. He also kept me grounded and praised me every step of the way as I birthed Gracie. He’s nothing like any of the guys I’ve dated in the past, and somehow that only makes him more attractive.
It might be dangerous to be in such close proximity to these men… If I’m not very careful, I’ll end up way too attached.
The next morning, Hayes gives Hael a very serious lecture about driving safely while he has me and Gracie in the SUV.
Hael laughs it off, but I think it hurts his feelings that his twin thought it needed to be said.
Morris buckles me into the back seat and stretches his arm across me to pat Gracie’s stomach. “I wish I could be there with you, but if I don’t do payroll, the guys will riot.”
“I get it,” I assure him, staring into his bright blue eyes. With him reaching across me to say goodbye to Gracie, his scent is everywhere. Real coffee has nothing on the way Morris smells, and my mouth waters.
The massive alpha moves to close the door, but he pops his head back inside and kisses my temple. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
I nod and fold my hands together to keep from snagging his T-shirt to pull him closer.
Morris makes me feel safe in a way no one ever has. It’s an instant connection, and my instincts trust him implicitly. It’s not that I don’t trust Hayes or Hael; there’s just something about Morris that settles my frayed nerves.
The twins are smoking hot, and they’ve been nothing but kind to me, so it makes no sense why I feel like I might cry to say goodbye to Morris for the day .
Come to think of it, I’ll miss Hayes too while he’s at the gym.
“We’re going to be late if you don’t close the door,” Hael says from the driver’s seat.
Forcing a smile, I nod at Morris. “See you this afternoon.”
Hayes stands by the front of Hael’s SUV, and he waves through the windshield as a clicking sound fills the air, indicating Hael put the vehicle in reverse.
I wave back and focus on Gracie.
I doubt I have to worry about getting too attached to them… Mostly because I think I’m already there.
I’m teetering on dangerous ground. I’m just not sure how to stop it before it’s too late.
The pediatrician’s office is small but warm inside. Gracie sleeps through Hael carrying her car seat in. We step up to the desk, and he wraps his arm around my lower back.
“Did I tell you that I called to add Gracie to my insurance?” He bumps his hip against mine. “It was super fucking simple, but yeah, that’s done.” His face breaks into a devastatingly handsome grin, and my heart races.
“Hael?” a woman’s voice asks, coming from the check-in desk.
My head whips up at the same time Hael’s does.
“Aww, shit,” he mutters, and my heart drops.
The woman on the other side of the desk is beautiful. Her big green eyes widen as she spots me with Hael, and her long blondish-brown hair falls over her chest as she stretches over the desk, taking in the car seat.
My body acts of its own volition, and I take a step back, but Hael holds me in my place with his hand on my hip.
Okay, so, I’m just going to need to find a new pediatrician. If this is his ex-girlfriend, then I pretty much have to, right?
“Holy fuck, you have a baby,” the woman says with wide eyes. “Is that your baby?”
“Are you supposed to be busting out that kind of language at work ?” Hael asks, laughing. “And yeah, isn’t she pretty?” He spins the carrier around one-handed without dropping my daughter, which is both impressive and annoying.
“I’m just checking in for Gracie,” I say, giving a tight smile. “I was told to come a few minutes early to get the paperwork done.”
“Yeah, Lex, check us in,” Hael says, squeezing my hip.
“Of course,” she says, grinning. “Go have a seat, and I’ll bring you out the tablet. It’s all digital nowadays. Plus, I really want to see the baby. Maybe take a few pictures for the guys. They’re never going to believe this.”
Hael laughs. “You’re going to get me in trouble. I told Luke I’d have his bike done this week, and I haven’t even started it yet.”
My head ping-pongs between them.
I have no idea what they’re talking about. Mostly I want to grab my baby, go have a seat, and pretend I’m not jealous of how pretty and friendly that woman is.
Lexie shrugs. “It’s the middle of winter. It’s not like he can ride it right now. He just wants it back so he can buff it in the garage when he gets bored.”
“Better be careful. He’ll toss you right over his knee if he hears you talking about his baby like that.” Hael grins and tilts his head down to meet my eyes. “Come on, beautiful, let’s have a seat.”
I nod.
What else can I do? Even if they were together at one point, I’d have no right to be jealous. I’m just overly hormonal. It seems like cruel and unusual punishment to make women leave the house only a few days after giving birth.
I’m sure Lexie is a lovely woman. She’s welcoming and polite, but I feel like a frumpy mess, and now isn’t the time to subject myself to new people.
Dammit.
I’m a disaster.