Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Hael
“ I know Lexie through Luke. He’s one of my best clients,” I tell Arbor once we get settled into a room. Gracie is just in her diaper and a blanket since they had to weigh her, and she’s still fussy as all get out. She really didn’t like that cold metal scale. “She’s definitely going to rat me out for not being sick, but Morris knows the deal.”
“I’m sorry you’re missing work because of me.” Arbor sighs, focusing on rocking the baby against her chest, but she won’t meet my eyes, and I don’t like it.
I swagger over, grab my jeans at the knees, and pull them up, so I can squat down right in front of her. “Did I upset you? We’re in this weird gray area. The three of us signed the birth certificate, and Gracie is on my insurance because I said she’s mine, but I didn’t mean to overstep.”
Arbor shakes her head and brings the baby up to her shoulder, patting Gracie’s bum. “I’m not upset.”
I chuckle as I carefully grip her chin and tilt her face to mine. “If you had said I’m fine , I would have had a greater chance of believing you.” My thumb teases over her jaw, and I notice her bruise is basically gone. Gracie starts to wail. “Here, let me try.” Sliding my hand up Gracie’s back, I support her head and move the other between her legs to lift her. I pull her to my chest and sway, trying to find the rhythm that soothes her. My eyes land back on the pouty omega. “Wanna level with me now, beautiful?”
“Lexie is pretty,” she says, rubbing the side of her tit.
“She is. She’s also married with two kids, and her husbands are some of my closest friends, so maybe don’t mention that I said that.” I wink and nuzzle my cheek to Gracie’s. “Were you jealous?”
“No,” she hisses, shaking her head dramatically. “It was just an observation.”
“And here’s mine. I seem to be firmly wrapped around the finger of a tiny brunette.” I frown. “Do you think Gracie qualifies as a brunette? Do they call women with black hair brunettes? Or is there another word for that?”
“I don’t know, but if she doesn’t stop fussing, I’m going to leak through these breast pads.” Arbor’s hand flies to her face, and her cheeks turn pink.
“She is busy trying to gnaw on my cheek. All right, pop a tit out. I’ll block you in case the doctor comes in,” I offer, smirking.
“Is that allowed? Am I allowed to nurse in the doctor’s office?”
Goddamn.
I love the crinkling that happens near her eyes when her nose wrinkles.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure there are laws that protect your ability to breastfeed her anywhere. And I’m not just saying that because I’m trying to catch a peek of your nipples.” I laugh as her head tilts.
See, she might have just given birth, but her ex destroyed her self-esteem. I don’t see a problem with a little harmless flirting to make sure she knows she’s still sexy as hell.
I wiggle my eyebrows as Gracie continues to grunt and fuss. “Fine, I’ll turn around if I have to.”
Arbor smiles, snagging the extra baby blanket out of the diaper bag. “You’re a terrible flirt.”
Oh no, beautiful. I’m very good at it, and you’ll see firsthand as soon as you’re feeling better.
“I thought we were going into the diner to grab lunch…” Arbor picks up her speed to keep up with my long strides.
“We are. I just need to make a quick stop here. After we’re done, we’ll walk over and grab lunch.” Normally, I would slow down to keep pace with her, but I’m afraid if I don’t get her into the store before telling her what we’re here for, she’ll try to leave.
Hell, she still might.
Being careful not to jostle Gracie, I snag the door to the cell phone store and nod for Arbor to go on in. She slides past me, and I follow her in, appreciating how well the coat I picked for her fits.
Sure, we spent most of the time yesterday shopping for Gracie, but Hayes made it clear exactly how much Arbor was lacking, so we got a few staples for her too.
The peacoat she’s wearing falls mid-thigh and has big black buttons that fasten up the middle. It’s a fit-and-flare style that looks fantastic on her curvy figure.
Her long dark hair falls over her eyes as she spins to face me. “Is something wrong with your phone?” she asks, licking her lips.
Fucking hell.
My dick jumps. Everything in me wants to wrap my hand around her back, pull her to my chest, and kiss the hell out of her.
How long do we have to wait for things like kissing and cuddling? I get that she’s healing, but intimacy exists outside of sex, right?
Hell, even sex doesn’t have to be all that intimate if you do it right.
No.
Fuck.
I’m so screwed.
We may be the same age, but Hayes seems to have aged several lifetimes while he was in the military. Then again, he’s always been serious and focused. That makes him a safe bet for a relationship.
Morris is an even safer bet for a woman because the man is incapable of playing games. Once he’s committed to something, he doesn’t waver.
I want Arbor to trust me too. Making her want me physically seems exponentially easier, since I have plenty of experience with that, but if I don’t figure my shit out, I’m afraid I’ll get left behind.
“We’re here for a new phone for you .” I grin extra deep to make my dimples pop. They might be hidden by my stubble, but they should still get the job done.
Arbor takes a step back, frowning. “I have a phone.”
My brow furrows, and I continue to blink. “Sweetheart, you’ve got to hit seven four times to get the S. That’s not a phone. It’s a relic.”
“It’s not like I have anyone to text, anyway. It works for what I need it to do.”
“If it did, I don’t think we would have stumbled across you in the first place.” I step forward, wrapping my hand around her lower back. Tugging gently, I give her a sincere smile. “Look, it’s a new phone or I’ll buy you a digital camera. You need something you can take pictures with. I realized it while snapping pictures of Gracie’s first weigh in.” Her big blue eyes stare up into mine, but she still looks torn, so I shrug. “I’m going to level with you. Either you pick one you like, or Morris or Hayes will be in here after work, buying whatever is newest and most expensive.”
Her nose wrinkles. “You’re very sneaky.”
I laugh, readjusting Gracie’s car seat on my forearm. “Now, are you more of an Apple or an Android fan?”
Arbor and I eat in the diner and order food to drop off to Morris and Hayes. The baby sleeps through the entire meal, but I have to bite my tongue every time the waitress reaches over the table to point at Gracie.
Hell, I have no shame.
Next time she tries, I’ll gently push her arm away.
Arbor snags her purse from beside her on the booth and begins scooting out. “I need the bathroom. Can you watch Gracie?”
“Absolutely,” I assure her, but she’s already practically running toward the back of the restaurant.
Damn.
I wanted to spoil her by taking her shopping in person for a phone.
Morris and I talked about buying one while we were out yesterday, but we’re trying to slowly ease her into accepting all the things she needs.
I’m also the one that pushed for us to eat here rather than getting takeout.
My head shakes.
She’s still dealing with all that after-birth stuff. Not to mention how germy people can be. It took all the people cooing at Gracie for me to realize it, but Arbor would probably be a lot more comfortable at home. Spoiling her with gifts and meals eaten out can wait.
Right now, she’ll feel safest nesting and lounging around the house.
This is why people call me a fuckup. Even when I’m trying to be a gentleman, I manage to make the wrong call.
We stop by the shop and the gym, but I text them when we’re in the parking lot, so they can come out and grab their food.
Once that’s handled, we head home.
Arbor settles on the couch and begins to feed the fussy baby after a rotten diaper change. It’s kinda impressive how rancid her diapers smell when she’s so damn tiny. I take care of tossing that and even empty the kitchen trash to keep the smell from lingering.
I make it back inside, wash my hands, and head into the living room.
The little omega lies against the couch cushion on the long end of the sectional.
Flashbacks of the night Gracie was born file through my mind, and I’m right back there. A rolling wave of discomfort makes my stomach tighten. I’ve never been more afraid in my entire life.
Things could have gone so much differently, but Hayes managed. Just like he handles everything without fucking up. He’s always had his shit together.
I sigh.
Feeling jealousy toward my twin gets me nowhere.
I stride over, grab the breastfeeding pillow, and bring it to Arbor.
Gracie’s little fist rests on top of Arbor’s full breast as I help her get the pillow situated.
“I read last night that a closed fist means a baby is hungry, while a relaxed hand is a good indicator that they’re full.” I grin, stretching out next to them. “She might not be able to talk, but apparently babies can give us clues on what they’re experiencing.”
“You’re reading about babies?”
“Fuck, yeah. I want to know what to expect.” I grimace. “I’ll work on cleaning up the language before she can talk.”
She snorts. “Hopefully I won’t still be squatting in your house by the time she learns to speak.” We obviously have different views on how we’d like the future to go because I don’t think she realizes how attached I already am to her and the peanut. “Still, that’s very sweet, and I really appreciate the effort.” Her hand flies up, rubbing at the side of her breast. “I think Gracie passed out, and my boobs are convinced she’s supposed to be chowing down. Breastfeeding is a whole lot harder than I was expecting, and I anticipated that it would be tough.”
Tossing a thumb toward the kitchen, I ask, “Do you want me to grab the cabbage? Nana had us put some in the freezer just in case, although I have no idea what it’s supposed to do or why she swears it’ll help. Or I could grab the portable pumps. We got the little bags and everything, so you can refrigerate anything you get.” I move to shove myself up. “Hey, maybe that way, we could feed her a bottle here or there.”
Arbor’s head tilts, and she smiles softly. “You’re going to spoil me rotten, but I think I’ll try to pump.”
I head off to grab the pieces from the drying rack and snag the pumps from where they were charging. Assembling them as I walk, I make it back to the couch. “Wanna trade?”
Arbor bends, kissing Gracie’s temple. “Only if you don’t mind. Otherwise, I can run in to grab her bassinet.”
I scoff. It is a great feat to ensure I keep my eyes off Arbor’s tits, but I at least pretend to be a gentleman. Tugging off my long sleeve T-shirt, I toss it on the back of the couch and settle on the cushion next to her on the sofa. “Hand her over.”
Arbor laughs. “Be careful, she might try to use you as her pacifier. It’s what she’s been doing for me.”
I grin, taking the baby.
“Babies don’t have great eyesight. They learn their caregivers by smell and the sound of our voices. Also, skin-on-skin contact helps solidify bonding.” I shrug, settling Gracie against my shoulder. Her little face roots around as she grunts, and I pat her back in case she needs to burp.
God, it still blows my mind how small she is. I can’t wait to see what her personality is like when she gets a little older. Nuzzling my cheek to the top of Gracie’s head, I smile as she gurgles.
My eyes migrate back to Arbor, and she has her new phone in her hand.
“It just seemed like a picture-worthy moment.”
“I am very photogenic,” I agree, winking.
Dammit.
I really need someone to tell me when it’s socially acceptable for us to declare our intent to court.