2. TWO
TWO
Colton
I tip the bottle and carefully drip one drop of formula onto my wrist, testing the temperature. Just right.
Jayden wails miserably from his bouncer, and I hurry over to pick him up, shifting his tiny weight into my left elbow, supporting his bottom and legs with my hand.
He’s so small I can hold him easily like this, despite the fact that he’s almost two months old now.
Poor little mite came early and is still severely underweight for his age.
The nurses said he needs to be fed every three hours without fail until he puts on at least two pounds.
Jayden is not on board with this plan. He scrunches up his little face and turns away every time I try to bring the bottle to his lips, screaming even louder than before.
I can hardly blame his latest nanny for quitting after just a week on the job. I’ve only been doing this by myself for less than twenty-four hours and would be about to throw in the towel, only I wanted this.
This isn’t what I pictured.
Mom was right. I should have waited until I could take a whole season off, but I’m starting to feel like it might be the end of my career if I do.
I just thought I could have it all. And I’ve been waiting my whole adult life to find my fated mate without having any luck. What if I wait forever and never get the chance to have a family? I’m not prepared to take that risk.
I’ve always wanted to be a dad. Maybe this isn’t the way I pictured it, but Jayden’s my responsibility now. I just wish I was better at this.
The nurse at the clinic said sometimes babies get too tired or too hungry to eat, which seems like an oxymoron to me.
Eating makes everything better! Though maybe not when your only source of food is foul-smelling artificial formula.
I know they make this stuff to a strict recipe based on the nutritional needs of human babies, but honestly, it makes my eyes water and tastes like someone tried to mix tuna fish with cat milk.
So I kinda see why he’s making such a fuss.
“Come on, little man. Drink up. I promise it’s good for you. You’ll feel better if you just try it.”
Jayden pauses mid-scream, blinking up at me with his sad, red-rimmed eyes, only to resume screaming a second later when I tip a drop of the formula onto his lips.
Sigh.
A flash of lightning brightens the sky outside, and the baby turns his head to stare.
“The gods are having a disco,” I tell him. It’s something funny my mom once said to me as a kid, and I guess it stuck in my head.
Sure enough, a loud rumble booms overhead a moment later.
Jayden’s cries die down again.
Huh, maybe he likes thunderstorms. Grabbing his blanket from over the back of the chair, I wrap him tightly and head out to front porch, thinking to take him for a quick walk to work up his appetite.
At least that’s my intention, but when I open the door, I almost run straight into a short, curvy, human woman with a pale yellow sundress clinging to her generous hips and rain splattered over the swell of her large breasts.
Did I say large? I meant heavenly, perfect, gorgeous orbs of—shit, I’m staring at her chest, my bull practically pawing the ground and my mouth watering at her scent, which is a mix of fresh clover, wild thyme, and creamy oats.
I clear my throat and adjust the direction of my gaze to her face with almost the exact same result.
She has long dark lashes that frame rich brown eyes and dark hair which falls over her shoulders and down her back.
Currently it’s sort of plastered to her skin, but I can imagine it falling forward over the swaying weight of her tits as she—whoa!
Why am I reacting like this? Poor woman probably just stopped by to ask for directions.
She’s certainly new in town. I’d remember seeing her before.
Did she knock? I don’t remember hearing it, but the whole day is a bit of a blur.
“Hi.” She gives me a nervous smile. “I’m so sorry to bother you. I wondered if I could use your phone. I’ve just locked myself out.”
She has to raise her voice to be heard over Jayden’s renewed wails, and I wince, jiggling him in my arms and hoping to calm him.
“No problem at all. Sorry—” I tip my head to indicate my son.
“We’re having a rough night. My nanny just quit, and I’m new to this.
Why don’t you come in and dry off and we’ll sort you out. ”
A shiver shakes her whole body and makes her erect nipples stand out starkly against the fabric of her dress—nipples I’m definitely not staring at because that would be weird and inappropriate. Gods, I need to get it together.
Turning away, I hold open the door and gesture for her to come inside.
I hope she doesn’t think too badly of me.
The place is a bit of a mess. Baby blankets and bottles and bits and pieces lie everywhere, and the kitchen is a tower of dirty dishes and half-eaten food, since I’ve been interrupted every time I tried to grab something to eat.
It’s starting to stress me out, since I’m supposed to be protein loading ahead of the weekend’s game, but I can hardly leave Jayden to cry while I fix myself a meal.
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. My name is Natalia. I’m new in town, but I’m going to be staying next door for a little while. At least, I will if I can get in!”
“Oh, Elizabeth Parsons’ old place?”
She smiles. “Liz was my grandmother.”
“Well nice to meet you, Natalia. I’m Colton and this here is Jayden.”
Just then the sky flashes again and a thunderclap booms so loudly we have to pause our conversation. Jayden immediately stops crying, and the woman’s soft laughter fills the silence afterward. “Oh, you like loud noises, huh? How old is he?”
“About nine weeks.”
“Just a little thing, aren’t you?” She steps forward to give Jayden a warm smile, and he watches, fascinated. “Just a cute little thing, but you like big sounds, don’t you? I bet you like music too.”
The little boy’s mouth curves into the first smile I think I’ve ever seen on him.
He’s staring at her like she’s the most amazing thing he’s ever seen, and frankly I can’t blame him.
Her dress drips a few water droplets onto the floor, and I realize I’m standing here staring at her like an idiot.
“I’m sorry. I should have offered you a towel. I’m going about this all wrong.”
She waves away my apology. “Oh please, don’t worry about it. This was a bad time.”
“Wait there. I’ll get you something to dry off.” I head toward the hall closet where the towels are stored with Jayden in my arms, but as soon as we’re out of sight of my new neighbor, he starts up his fussing again.
Experimentally, I take a few steps back until he can see her again and he stops. I move back toward the closet and he whines. I move back into the living room and he stops.
“Ah, I think you’ve made a fan,” I tell her. Reluctantly, I brave Jayden’s crying to dart into the hall and pull out two fluffy white towels.
When I return and hand them to her, she takes them gratefully and wraps them around herself. “Thank you. So kind.”
“Don’t mention it. Now let me see where I put my phone.” I look around hopefully, but I can’t spot it in the chaos. “Shit. I’m such a disaster at the moment. I’m sorry.”
Natalia shakes her head. “You’re not. If you want to talk about disasters, I’ll give you a run for your money today.”
I laugh. “I bet that’s not true. Ah, would it be too much to ask for you to hold him for one moment while I look for the phone?”
She stretches out her hands, opening the towel to reveal a glimpse of the nearly translucent dress again before I yank my gaze away. “I thought you’d never ask! Come here, bebé, I know you want a cuddle, don’t you?”
Jayden makes a coo of delight when I hand him over, and Natalia settles him easily, humming a tune and dancing a little on the spot. All her movements are so natural, it’s like she’s held a baby many times before. Just my luck. She’s probably married with kids.
I’m staring again. I force myself out of my stupor to focus on the task at hand. Phone. Right. Not staring at the way an escaped raindrop trails over the swell of her breast to the valley between.
I turn away, pulling aside couch cushions and blankets and toys until I find what I’m looking for and stand triumphantly. “Ha! Got it.”
I blame lack of sleep because I drop my head and stomp my right foot twice in my customary touchdown celebration move, acting on instinct.
The woman’s eyes narrow, and she tips her head to the side. “You look awfully familiar. This is going to sound stupid, but do I know you from somewhere?”
I let out a sheepish laugh. “Ah, maybe. Do you follow the Superleague?”
Her eyes widen. “You… you’re not…”
I spread my arms in a half shrug. “Colton Hester? That’s me.”
“No way! For real?”
I nod. “For real.” I reach out to take Jayden back, and he immediately screws up his face and clings to Natalia.
We both laugh. “I’ve never ever seen him so happy. How did you do it? Please share your magic!”
She colors. “Ha, I’m not magic. I just love kids.
Got plenty of experience looking after little brothers and cousins, plus I’ve been a childcare worker all my life.
Some babies just need sound and movement.
Looks like Jayden here is a little noise seeker, aren’t you?
” She waves a finger for him to grab, and he coos softly to her.
“Well as far as I’m concerned, you're a miracle.” I stand there watching her with him, my mind drawing a blank.
And then I remember. “Oh right. You wanted to use my phone.” I hand it to her, taking Jayden back and experimentally holding him up so he can look me in the eye. “Did you just want more noise, buddy?”
He smiles happily, and I shake my head. Well at least I can stop sneaking around feeling like I’m walking on eggshells. The thing about bovine shifters is we don’t really do quiet and subtle. The old saying about a bull in a china shop is pretty accurate.
Natalia is staring down at my phone. Then she looks back at me. “Um, I don’t suppose you know a locksmith in town? I only got as far as thinking that I’d call someone, but I don’t even know who.”
“Leave it to me. I know just the guy.” I take the phone back and quickly type in Leroy’s number.
Seems like having a best friend who’s the town handyman is about to come in…
well… handy. Leroy answers after only two rings.
“Hey, buddy. What’s so urgent it couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning?
” He and I have a long-standing arrangement where we go for a run each morning to start the day.
Or we did until Jayden came along and my nanny quit.
I hope Leroy is OK with my bringing the stroller.
“Are you busy? I could use a hand with something.”
There’s a pause, which means he is busy and is currently figuring out a way to become less busy because I asked. The guy would cut off an arm and a leg if I asked him to. I hurry on quickly in case he’s doing something important. “Hey, only if you’re not busy.”
“Well, me and the missus are out for dinner, but if it’s an emergency…”
I hear Sarah’s voice in the background. “Leroy, you promised—” His mate doesn’t get much time with him since my best friend is usually out taking care of something for someone else.
“There’s no game on tonight! It’s Colton. Says it’s an emergency,” Leroy says to Sarah.
Uh oh. Sounds like I’m about to get him in trouble. “Listen, Leroy, my new neighbor has just arrived today and she’s locked out and—” A thought occurs to me and I turn to Natalia, who has somehow found Jayden’s bottle and persuaded him to drink. “Do you have power and water sorted?”
She blinks. “Oh.”
“And is the place set up and ready for you?”
Her lips twist into a frown. “You, um… you remember what I said about me being the disaster?”
I return to the call. “I think we’re going to need a little more help than I originally thought. How about this, you finish your date and come around when you’re done. No rush. She’s warm and dry here in the meantime. Matter of fact…”
I pull the phone away from my mouth. “Natalia, what about if I put you up here until we’ve had a chance to check the place?
There could be anything in there. It’s been empty for years.
I’d feel a lot better about you sleeping here tonight…
” I break off when I realize she’ll probably read that as creepy.
“Ay, dios mio, that’s so kind. But what will your wife say?”
She thinks I’m married. I should probably correct her, but will that make her turn me down? From my phone, Leroy’s voice chirps at me. “Colton? You still there? I’m going to be sleeping on the couch for a week at this rate.”
I shift on my feet awkwardly. “Here’s the thing. I don’t have a wife, or a mate, or a girlfriend. It’s just me and Jayden. So I understand if that feels uncomfortable, but I promise you, I mean no harm. Just trying to look out for you. We’ll do whatever makes you comfortable.”
Her lip quivers and then a big fat tear rolls down her cheek. She brushes it away quickly, clearly embarrassed. I want to break something. Lots of things. I settle with switching the phone to my other hand and shaking out my fist. “Hey, we can get you a hotel—”
“Honestly? I would love to stay here as long as that’s not making trouble for you. Thank you. You’ve been so kind.”
I let out a pent-up breath. “Great. Perfect. No trouble at all.”
“You’re sure?” The look on her face says she might be about to fall apart again any second.
“I insist,” I say firmly.
Natalia holds Jayden while I line up with Leroy for him to come by in the morning.
Instead of our usual run, we agree to get Natalia settled in her new home.
By the time I get off the call, Jayden has fallen asleep in her arms, a contented smile on his tiny face.
“How did you do that so easily?” I whisper, afraid to wake him until I remember what she said about noise.
She laughs. “I think you did it actually. He likes hearing you talk. Where does he sleep? I can keep holding him a while, but eventually I guess we should set him down for a long sleep.”
I could hug her. I content myself with giving her a beaming smile. “Can I say again how much of a miracle you are? Look at him.” I lead her to his room down the hall, and she carefully lowers him into the crib.
“Let’s leave the door open so he can hear us, and do you have a speaker or something you can use to play him some music?”
This woman is a genius! I hurry to fetch one, and we set it up playing soft lullabies. Jayden is sleeping more peacefully than I’ve seen him do the whole time I’ve had him.
I feel like collapsing on to the sofa to snatch what rest I can, but my belly gives an angry rumble. “Have you eaten? Can I make you dinner?”