Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
CLAY
Three days.
That’s how long it had been since Monroe started working for me and I was already driving myself crazy inside. The first two days, we spent all of our time together going through Kaleigh’s routine and making sure that Monroe knew where everything was.
When Sloane called before the sun was up on the third day and said he needed all hands on deck, I had no choice but to leave Monroe on her own.
All day my thoughts kept drifting back to Kaleigh, and the woman with blonde hair that seemed to drop into our lives like an angel in disguise. I checked in via text as often as I could and every single time, Monroe replied almost immediately with a photo and brief update on what they’d been up to.
I still felt crazy for leaving Kaleigh with a relative stranger. But, I don’t think Monroe had a single clue how much her humoring every text meant to me. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have made it the whole day without needing to rush home and see for myself that things were okay.
Pulling into the garage, I took a few deep breaths and gave Maverick a few scratches behind the ears. “We did it. Made it the whole day at work together. Felt good, didn’t it?”
Mav let out a single woof like he agreed with me.
“What do you say we go see what our girl is up to?” I asked.
His tail thumped against the seat.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I smiled and opened the truck door.
Maverick followed me in the house then beelined right past me before I could even kick off my boots.
“I’m home!” I called out.
A round of giggles echoed from the kitchen as a timer buzzed.
Both busy with their current mission, they barely even noticed me when I walked in.
Kaleigh was on a stool at the kitchen island; flour in her hair, all over her shirt and smeared on her cheeks. Monroe wasn’t fairing much better. But they were both smiling and laughing in a way that made them both look carefree and innocent.
Cookie cutters, rolled out dough and piles of fresh baked cookies covered the countertop.
Maverick sat with his ears perked back, waiting for the moment Kaleigh dropped even a crumb of the half eaten cookie in her hand.
“I see you two have been busy.”
“You’re home! How was work?” Monroe looked up and grinned like she’d been waiting for me. Maybe even looking forward to it all day.
I couldn’t help but notice how charming she looked with flour on the tip of her nose. Or how natural it felt to have her standing in my kitchen doing something as simple as baking cookies with my little girl.
It all felt so normal. Like a real family.
Fuck.
I did not need to be thinking things like that. Ever.
Monroe was here to do a job. So that I could do my job. The sooner my head and my libido got that memo, the better off we’d all be.
“Don’t mind the mess. I promise to get everything cleaned up and return your kitchen back to its original condition.”
“What mess?” I smirked and pretended I hadn’t noticed, while quickly washing my hands in the sink.
“Someone wanted cookies for dessert. Then insisted we needed to taste test them while dinner cooked,” Monroe said.
"It's a scientific fact. You have to make sure they’re delicious before you give them to anyone else,” Kaleigh nodded enthusiastically.
Monroe leaned closer and whispered loud enough for me to hear. "I didn't have the heart to argue."
“I don’t think you would have won, anyway. No one wins an argument against her.” I dried my hands and moved over to the counter. “Alright. Put me in, Coach. I wanna help.”
Kaleigh proudly held up a star-shaped cookie. “Try this one! I made it just for you.”
Before I could answer, Maverick stretched his neck just a little farther toward the cookie.
"Mavy!" Kaleigh giggled. "This one's not for you."
His ears drooped.
“Aww. Poor dude,” Monroe teased, scratching behind his ears.
I let out a huff. “He’s a working dog, you do realize that, right?”
Monroe looked at Maverick. Maverick looked back at her with those big dumb puppy dog eyes that got him his way more times than I liked to admit.
She burst into laughter. “Working dogs deserve treats too.” Monroe spun around and opened the fridge. “Which is exactly why we made you some puppy safe cookies of your own.”
“Don’t spoil him, Monroe. Kaleigh does plenty of that as it is.” I warned without a hint of authority behind it.
“Are you worried he’ll pick me over you, big guy?”
“Big guy?” I snorted, taking another bite of my cookie. “And no. I am not worried about Mav choosing you.”
Nor would I have blamed him if he did.
Maverick always had my six and if he thought Monroe needed him more at some point, I’d trust him to have her back too.
Monroe fed Maverick two of the treats she made him then we got back to putting together the last batch of cookies.
Kaleigh handed me cookie cutters and gave directions on how many of each shape I should make.
Instructed me on which ones got sprinkles before they went in the oven and which ones would get pink icing when they cooled.
And then I got to do the honors of sticking the tray in the oven.
Another timer dinged.
“And that means dinner is done!” Monroe stuffed her hands in the oven mitts and opened the other oven that wasn’t currently occupied by cookies.
When I'd bought this place, I'd laughed at the idea of needing two ovens.
One family of two didn't bake enough to justify them.
Watching Monroe pull dinner from one while Kaleigh's cookies baked in the other...suddenly they didn't seem nearly as ridiculous.
“That smells amazing.” Not nearly as amazing as it felt coming home from work to a hot meal.
“Thanks. I hope you like it. It’s lemon zested chicken and veggies.
” Monroe set the pan on top of a hot plate.
“It needs to sit for a few minutes and then we can dig in. I can take care of everything else here if you want to go take a shower or change. Whatever it is you do when you get home from work. Don’t let me stop you.
I’ll get Kaleigh cleaned up and we’ll set the table. ”
“You don’t have to wait for me.”
Monroe shrugged. “Families eat dinner together.”
The minute the words slipped out, I watched Monroe freeze. She opened her mouth to say something else but Kaleigh cut her off by excitedly agreeing. “Yeah! Families eat dinner together, Daddy!”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—"
“Give me five minutes.” I said before hurrying upstairs.
Standing under the spray of the shower, Monroe’s words echoed in my mind.
“Familes eat dinner together.”
It was such a simple sentence, an even simpler word.
Family.
But it settled deep in my chest and some stupid part of me wished she’d meant it.