Chapter 31
Thirty-One
Sawyer
I knock softly and Leo glances up from across the room.
Fuck, the look on his face as he holds his baby…
It kills in the best possible way.
He tilts his head to the side, silently telling me to come over, and I realize why it’s silent a moment later when I see Harper sleeping.
“Hey,” I murmur as I get close. “How’s everybody feeling?”
“Good,” he says. “Especially now that Harper’s getting some rest.”
I reach forward then stop myself and head for the hand sanitizer instead. By the time I make it back, Lainey’s already done the same and Leo’s passing baby Reed over to her.
“God, he’s adorable,” she whispers, running a finger over his tiny nose. “I always forget how small newborns are. How’d the delivery go?” she asks Leo.
“I don’t know how you women do it,” he says. “But no complications on either side.”
Lainey’s face goes soft. “And now she’s getting some rest. My advice?”
He nods.
“Help her get as much of it as possible.”
“Roger that.” There’s movement at the door and Leo moves to intercept what looks to be a flower delivery.
“You want to hold him?” Lainey asks.
Looking down while she looks up at me, a baby in her arms…fuck, I want that, want it to be our baby, our family. Ollie running around with his siblings, my ring on her finger, Lainey looking up at me with love in her eyes.
“Yeah,” I whisper.
And as she carefully passes Reed over, as I feel the warm weight of him in my arms and watch her expression softening, I think maybe she feels some of what’s in my heart, that perhaps it’s not so far out of reach.
Maybe I just need to figure out how to keep the pieces glued together.
Because if I can do that…
Maybe I can have this too.
Lainey. Ollie.
A family of our own.
Reed squawks softly, and a heartbeat later, Leo’s sweeping him out of my arms. Harper wakes, and then the women are talking as Harper nurses Reed, and Leo and I—or well, really just I—give her some privacy.
Then Faye and Gray show up and we’re at the visitor’s limit, so we make our goodbyes.
But I snag Leo’s shoulder before I leave. “Hey, there’s just one more thing.”
“What’s up?” he asks, brows dragging together.
I drop my voice. “Hire the night nurse.”
Lainey unlocks the door and I follow her into her house. “Coffee,” she says on a yawn. “And then a nap. And then—” Another yawn. “We’ll get Ollie from school.”
My lips twitch. “How about we skip the coffee?” I ask, tugging the mug free of her hand. “And instead, we go straight to the nap portion of the morning?”
Her eyes dance. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”
“Because I have a good idea every now and then?”
“Exactly.” She settles her hand on my chest and leans in, brushing her mouth over mine. “Well, that and your gorgeous body.”
I grin. “Speaking of your gorgeous body…”
“I was talking about yours, handsome.” She burrows into my chest.
“Po-tay-to. Po-tah-to,” I tease, holding her close for a moment.
Then release her and take her hand. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“Just me?” she asks as I lead her toward the stairs. “Are you in a rush to get home?”
“Nah, love. But you should rest.”
“How about you rest with me?” she asks.
Sleep next to Lainey—her gorgeous body pressed close, her scent in my nose, her soft curves beneath my hands…fucking torture.
One I’d sign up for every single day.
“Okay, Pages. We’ll rest together.”
Her eyes lock with mine, and her mouth hitches up, and then she’s the one leading me…this time up the stairs, down the hall, and into her bedroom.
I’ve haven’t been inside this room since that first night, and now that’s she’s moved in, I discover…
It’s her, just not the her of her office.
There’s no chaos here. No piles of notebooks threatening to topple over, no papers scattered around, no pads of sticky notes covered with her writing tucked into every corner of her desk.
Rather, it’s neat and organized and feminine—from the soft pink on her walls to the floral paisley pattern on her bedspread to the mirrored dresser tucked into one corner.
The door to the balcony is slightly ajar, as though to let in some fresh air.
Books are stacked on most of the surfaces, along with photos, but I don’t have time to study all of them because she’s drawing me over to the bed, tugging me down to sit on the edge of the mattress.
“I’m going to put some pajamas on. Do you want me to see if I can rustle up some sweats or shorts for you? ”
“Nah, Pages,” I tell her. “I’ll be good.”
She smiles at me, touches my jaw.
Then she’s up and off the mattress, moving across the room, and disappearing into the closet.
The light flicks on and my mind goes more than a little crazy imagining the layers of her clothes being stripped away, her skin slowly revealed, inch-by-inch. Those hips. Those tits. That ass. The cunt—
Groaning softly, I toe off my shoes, tug off my shirt, unbutton and strip off my jeans, and am just pulling my socks from my feet when I hear her footsteps signaling she’s come back into the bedroom.
I turn and—
Holy fucking hell.
“I was thinking…” she says softly, running her hand along the scooped neckline of the nightie she’s put on. It’s made of plum-colored lace that lovingly cups her breasts, that caresses her curves, and is cut short, showing off miles and miles of her legs.
Christ, she’s beautiful.
“…that we could nap later,” she finishes.
I don’t hesitate.
Don’t stop to think.
I just grab her wrist, drag her to me, and…
I kiss her with every bit of longing that burns inside me.