By the time he walked into the kitchen, I had made coffee and put some frozen waffles in the toaster. I looked up from my phone, where I had been sending Bowie a text. Kye’s hair was damp, and the shirt he was wearing hugged his chest.

  He grinned at me. “Stop pouting, Baby Doll,” he said, walking over to stand in front of me. “You didn’t do anything wrong. We’re friends. Your juicy little ass was there, and I enjoyed it for a minute. I’m sorry if I made you mad.”

  I scowled up at him. “What does juicy mean? Are you saying my butt is fat?”

  He ran his hand through my hair and let it fall from between his fingers as he gazed down at me. “I’m saying it has just the perfect amount of bounce to it. If we weren’t best friends, I’d show you exactly what I like to do to juicy little asses like yours.” Then, he winked and walked over to get a cup out of the cabinet.

  I stood there for a moment, trying not to let my thoughts go to what it was he would show me. I’d heard the comments before about leather belts. My nipples got tight again, and I turned away before he could see them.

  “You told Bowie about your change of plans yet?” he asked.

  My waffles popped up from the toaster, and I went to get a plate to put them on. “No. I figured I’d talk to him on the phone later and explain.”

  I took the waffles out and started to turn around when Kye came up behind me.

  “You got waffles?” he asked, so close that his chest brushed against my back.

  I held up my plate. “Take them. I’ll make more.”

  He reached for the plate. “You’re my favorite girl,” he said.

  “I know; I know,” I replied as I got more waffles out of the freezer.

  I took the maple syrup out of the cabinet and slid it across the counter to him.

  “Only thing that would make this better is chocolate chips,” he said, catching the syrup.

  I pushed the lever on the toaster down, then went over to the pantry and took out the bag of chocolate chips. When I put it in front of him, he grabbed them, grinning like a little boy.

  “Ah! Thank you.”

  I was waiting on my waffles to finish when I heard Jagger cry out.

  Kye started to stand up, but I stopped him.

  “You finish eating. Then, we will switch.”

  He nodded and sat back down. “Good plan.”

  I went into the room. Jagger wasn’t exactly angry. He was just trying to get attention. When he saw me, he stopped fussing and stared up at me with those Kye-like eyes of his.

  “Hey, buddy,” I said as I scooped him up. “Good morning.”

  His little hand wrapped around my finger as I pulled the blanket around him. I kissed the top of his head, then turned to take him to the kitchen. He made little grunting noises, and I smiled at him.

  “I see you. Are you trying to tell me something?”

  He kicked and seemed excited as he listened to me. The attachment I already felt to this little guy was going to break me when he was gone. Even if I knew he would have a family to love him, it would be brutal. I could already feel the future heartbreak.

  “He doesn’t sound hungry,” Kye said when I walked back into the kitchen with Jagger.

  “No, he’s just awake and curious,” I replied, wiggling my finger as he held on tightly, watching me.

  “He’s full from all the eating he did last night,” Kye said, standing up after putting the last bite of waffle into his mouth. He walked over to me and reached out for him. “I got him. You eat,” he said.

  Kye was already looking like a pro at holding a baby. He wasn’t nervous, like he’d been when he walked into the house yesterday evening. We’d been through a lot already with Jagger. It was a crash course for both of us.

  “You, little man, are lucky you got my charm. We get to stay here with Baby Doll. She doesn’t want us to leave,” Kye said to him, then lifted his eyes to me, grinning.

  I grabbed my plate of waffles and went to sit where Kye had been. “I hate to break it to you, but he is more irresistible than you,” I told Kye.

  Kye nodded. “Yeah, I guess he is. I’m not complaining. It worked on you.”

  I took a bite and grinned at the sight they made. Any woman would have offered to help them. Most would have begged to help. There were those who would have probably paid him to let them help. Truth was, I might actually be the lucky one. Until the day Jagger left. Then, I’d be the devastated one.

  Seventeen

  Kye

  Five days later, and Genesis still hadn’t told Bowie about their change of plans. Granted, we had been busy. When Jagger was sleeping, we took turns getting a nap, too, did laundry because the little dude messed up more outfits in one day than I’d thought possible, took out dirty diapers, washed and sterilized bottles, and of course fed him. For a tiny human, it took a lot of work.

  Oddly enough, I wasn’t hating it. Blaise was letting me handle my personal life, and Genesis was with me all the time. Jagger was a cute little fucker too. He liked when I talked to him, and the way he watched me when I came into a room felt really good. Made me want to hold him and talk to him some more.

  I was currently burping him while Genesis had taken the phone call to the back bedroom. I knew it was Bowie, and I was trying to give her privacy, but, damn, it was hard. If I hadn’t been feeding Jagger, I’d have cracked by now and gone to eavesdrop. There was a small part of me that worried he might convince her to have me call my mom for help. But it was so unlikely that she would do that. I didn’t dwell on it.

  Jagger had hooked her pretty hard. Listening to her talk to him was my favorite. Her voice would get all soft and cute. I didn’t even think she realized she was doing it. I wasn’t going to point it out to her either. Why take that away from the little dude? And, well, me too. I didn’t want her to stop.

  The belch that came from this tiny body made me chuckle. I wiped the spit-up from his chin and stood up. Genesis was still back there, and if I could keep Jagger quiet, we could go listen a little. Just to make sure she was okay. If Bowie had upset her, she could be crying. I’d fucking kill him if he made her cry.

  When we got to the closed door, I could hear her.

  “Yes. I know that, and he is doing a great job of it. He’s blown me away with what a good dad he is. I’m not having them stay here because he isn’t doing anything. You aren’t listening to me.”

  She stopped talking again, and I knew it was because he was talking over her. I hated when he did that.

  “A baby is a lot of work. It takes more than one person. I—” She was cut off again.

  I clenched my teeth. Stupid fucker. I wanted to barge in there, snatch the phone out of her hand, and shut him up. But Jagger was saving my ass from only getting her more upset. Having to hold him was keeping me from snapping.

  “I don’t want to fight about it either. But I’m doing this. Until he finds parents worthy of Jagger, I will be right by his side.”

  I looked down at Jagger. “Told you she wouldn’t kick us out,” I whispered.

  “There is no reason to rush the wedding anyway. It can wait until summer. Right now, Kye needs me. He’s my best friend, and I’m not letting him deal with all this alone.” A brief pause. “Because I am here. He doesn’t want his mom here all the time. No, I am not putting my life on hold for him. You aren’t listening to me. I want to help.”

  I winked at Jagger as he stared up at me, wide-eyed.

  “I still help my parents too. I go over to the house every day—”

  Again, cut off. Damn him. I made sure she was available to her mom and dad at all times.

  “Bowie, I love you. I want to marry you. This does not have to come between us. But it will if you let it.”

  Other than having to listen to her tell him she loved him and wanted to marry him, I fucking enjoyed hearing her tell him that Jagger and I were more important than he was. Even if she didn’t realize that was what she’d just said.

  “No. I didn’t say that. But you are trying to make me choose, and I told you when we started dating again that if you ever tried to make me choose you or him, it would end things.”

  I smirked. Damn, I liked knowing that.

  Hell yeah, Bowie. She’s always been my Baby Doll.

  “Well, it’s not healthy to tell your partner they have to choose between you or their best friend either … BUT you knew. You knew about my relationship with Kye. It’s not like you didn’t already know the history. You are part of it … please don’t throw that in my face. We were in high school, and you know he was drunk. He never ever made another move on me.”

  Why was this annoying me? It was true. She was just telling him the truth. But I didn’t like hearing it. Jagger started to scrunch up his nose, and I moved quickly back down the hall in case he was about to wail. I didn’t need to be caught listening in.

  I was just getting settled on the sofa with Jagger in my lap when the door opened, and I watched the doorway to see her expression when she walked into the room. I needed to make sure she was okay before she masked it.

  When she emerged, her eyes met mine, and she sighed heavily. Her shoulders rising and falling with exaggeration was adorable.

  “That went … okay,” she said. “Maybe worse than I’d anticipated, but we are still engaged. He didn’t break up with me. So, there is that.”

  I held up Jagger to face her. “But this face makes it all better.”

  She smiled at him, her face softening instantly. “Yes, it does,” she replied in that cute voice I loved.

  Feeling a hell of a lot better now that that shit was over, I stood up. “Why don’t we go for a walk in the park? Maybe get ice cream. We need to get out of the house.”

  Genesis’s eyes lit up. “That sounds great. I could use some ice cream.”

  “I’ll change Jag’s diaper, and you go put on a bra so I don’t have to punch some fucker for looking at your tits.”

  She glanced down at her boobs, then back up at me. “Okay …” She trailed off like I was crazy. Hell, maybe I was.

  She didn’t wear bras a lot, and I didn’t complain. I enjoyed it. But the idea of other guys enjoying the view was bothering me.

  I managed to get Jagger’s diaper changed without getting peed on and made it back to the living room by the time she was ready. I did a check to find her tits were contained and less bouncy. That was better.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  She held up the tiny socks and shoes she’d had me buy Jagger. “First, he needs these.”

  I grinned. “Didn’t know he was going to walk around the park too. I assumed I’d be carrying him.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “It’s kinda chilly. His feet will get cold.”

  Ah. Good point. I hadn’t thought of that. I walked him over and held him so she could put them on his tiny feet. He kicked and fussed at her some, but then seemed fascinated by the new items on his body.

  “When you’re a little bigger, I’ll get you some better shoes,” I told him.

  I saw Genesis pause and felt her eyes locked on me. It took me a second to realize what I’d said. I’d spoken as if I’d be around him when he was older, but I wouldn’t be. Damn. My arms tightened around him automatically, as if someone was going to come by and snatch him away from me.

  “I need to grab that little sweater we got him too,” Genesis said and spun around to go back to my old bedroom.

  I cradled Jagger in my arms, and his eyes went from the shoes on his feet to my face. Fuck. I’d gotten attached. But he deserved a real family. Parents. A house with a dog and shit. My heart began to hammer in my chest. I wanted that for him. I did. I wanted him to have it all. So, why did it now sound so damn hard?

  Eighteen

  Genesis

  Just as I finished changing Jagger’s diaper, the doorbell rang.

  I smiled down at him. “Bowie is here. You get to charm him, so he’ll stop being grumpy about me being here,” I whispered, then kissed his head as I picked him up.

  Kye had left to go do underworld business for the first time since he’d brought Jagger home. It had been two weeks, and I’d assured him that I could take care of Jagger while he worked. As for my job, I was managing to get a lot done when he slept, and the winter window display was good for two more weeks. Then, I’d have to go do a Valentine’s Day–themed one. Hopefully, by then, Chloe would have been told about Jagger.

  Moving him to my right arm, I opened the door. Bowie’s gaze went from my face straight to Jagger. He gave me a tight smile as I stepped back for him to come inside.

  “You made good time,” I said, a little too cheery.

  “I was missing you,” he replied. “Can you, uh, put him down so I can kiss you?”

  That wasn’t how I’d hoped he would react to Jagger, but he just needed to adjust.

  “Yes, of course.”

  I tried not to feel the rejection for Jagger. I walked over and laid him on the blanket we kept on the floor for him. He enjoyed the ceiling fan overhead.

  Standing, I turned back to Bowie, and he was staring at Jagger with a hard expression that bothered me. This was about me putting the wedding off. Not Jagger. I had to remember he wasn’t angry with Jagger. He was angry because I had chosen to help with Jagger until he had a new home. Which I hated to think about so much that I hadn’t even asked Kye about where he was with the custody thing.

  I walked over to stand in front of him and grabbed the collar of his jacket. “I missed you,” I assured him.

  His eyes softened as he looked down at me. “Promise?”

  Going up on my tiptoes, I pressed my mouth to his. He grabbed my waist and returned the kiss. The reassurance that this was going to be okay eased my mind. Bowie’s hand slid down to my butt, and he squeezed it hard, pulling me closer to him at the exact same time Jagger belted out a loud cry.

  I broke the kiss and turned to look back at him. Spit-up covered his little face as he wailed.

  “Oh no,” I gasped and hurried over to pick him up.

  “It’s okay,” I cooed. “I’ll get you all cleaned up. That stuff tastes nasty, doesn’t it?”

  I grabbed the burp cloth and started to clean off his face, but he’d calmed down now that I was holding him. He was going to need a change of clothes though. I glanced up at Bowie, who was frowning as he watched me. He hadn’t moved from where I’d left him.

  “Where’s Kye?” he asked, his tone clearly annoyed.

  “Work stuff,” I explained, carrying Jagger over to the clean, folded clothes Kye had left out for me before he had to go. I picked up a pair of pajamas, then turned back to Bowie.

  “Does he leave you to take care of his kid a lot?”

  I took a deep breath. I wouldn’t get upset. Bowie had no idea how much Kye did for Jagger. He’d see that soon enough.

  “No. He is here with him most of the time, but just like I have to work, so does he.”

  Bowie rolled his eyes, then walked over to the sofa. “Mafia orders isn’t work. It’s crime.”

  I realized Jagger didn’t understand what Bowie was saying, but I didn’t want him to hear bad things about his dad.

  “Let’s not discuss our opinions on Kye,” I said, smiling down at Jagger so he wouldn’t feel any hostility in the air.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked Bowie as I changed Jagger’s clothing.

  “Yeah. I thought we’d go get something to eat, but I assumed Kye would be here for him,” he replied, nodding his head toward Jagger.

  I was not going to get mad. I was not going to get mad. Bowie just needed to get used to Jagger. He would then stop acting like this sweet baby had somehow wronged him.

  “I can make us something,” I offered.

  He raised his eyebrows at that suggestion. “You don’t cook,” he replied.

  Proud of myself, I tilted my head and smiled at him. “I’ll have you know, I’ve been watching the Cooking Channel. I can make a few things now.”

  Bowie looked shocked. “You didn’t tell me that,” he said.

  “I wanted to surprise you,” I told him.

  I’d surprised Kye with fettucine Alfredo two nights ago. He’d raved about it as if he’d never had anything that good in his life. I knew he was full of crap, but I’d enjoyed it nonetheless.

  “I wanted to start making dinner for Mom and Dad a few times a week. She’s got her hands full during the day, and I know she needs a break.”

  Bowie grinned finally. “Okay, then, yes, I’d love to have my future wife show me what she’s learned. I’m assuming you have the stuff to make something vegan.”

  Hearing him call me his wife was startling. Yes, we were engaged, but being a wife was different. It felt different.

  “Yes. I got tofu just for you in my grocery order yesterday. No pressure or anything,” I teased, then stood back up with Jagger.

  The front door swung open, and Kye came walking in with his leather jacket on, looking like some rock god. He ignored Bowie sitting on the sofa, although he had seen the truck outside and knew he was here. Instead, he looked at Jagger, then me.

  “Everything good? Do I need to get anything?” he asked, walking over to me.

  “I was just about to make vegan-style chicken Parmesan, but with tofu. I have chicken though and can make you some the regular way,” I told him.

  He reached for Jagger. “I’ll take Jag. That sounds fucking delicious.” Turning with Jagger in his arms, he finally looked at Bowie. “Wait until you taste her cooking. She’s killing it in the kitchen.”

  Bowie didn’t look amused or even remotely interested. He stood up. “Actually, since you’re back, I thought I’d take her out for a meal. Get her out of the house, where she’s not taking care of a baby constantly.”