Page 15

I sat first and he climbed up on my lap.

I took the book, reading the title. “ The Wriggly Caterpillar .” Benny smiled so big.

“‘The little, wriggly caterpillar loved to eat all day and then at night, he curled up tight, to keep the birds away.’” I turned the cardboard page.

“‘This went on for weeks and weeks until one day he was gone. But from the branch there hung an object bigger than an acorn.’” I looked at Benny.

“This is getting good, bud.” His eyes twinkled as he pressed his little finger to the book.

I turned the next page. “‘The object hanging from the branch was something called a ‘cocoon,’ where the little, wriggly caterpillar slept through sun, and stars, and moon.’” Next page.

“‘On the day he finally awoke, the cocoon started to crack. The first thing to emerge on that bright sunny day were wings of white and black.’” This time, Benny helped me turn the page.

“‘With six fuzzy legs and two antennae, there was no caterpillar in sight. But the moth he’d become leaped to the sky, flapped his wings and then took flight.’” Last page.

“‘So if you see a caterpillar wiggling on a branch, sit back and watch him eat and eat, while you have the chance.’”

Benny rested his hand on my scruffy cheek as if to say “thank you” and “that was so cool” all at once.

“You’re a natural,” Bree said and I jerked my head to see her standing, leaning against the wall closest to the kitchen with her feet crossed at the ankles and arms crossed over her chest like she’d been listening the whole time.

But it was that carefree smile she gave me, not the sassy or sultry ones she typically used during her interactions with the team.

I’d never seen this one before and damn, it felt so good to see it aimed at me.

“Baker Reece can read. Who’d’ve thunk?”

She pushed off the wall still smiling and bent down when she reached us. Dropping her hand to the back of my neck, she kissed my cheek, and then she kissed Benny’s.

“I just meant that I heard Jones talking about a program with Bishop and Bonner where athletes read to kids. It’s to get kids interested in reading. You’d be really good at it.”

Okay, so something to know about me—I was a compliment junkie. You wanted to sing my praises, I would not put up a fight. The product of having a mother who thought I shit rainbows, I suppose. So I’d take any compliment, but a sincere one from Bree just hit right. I fucking loved it.

When Benny hopped off my lap, I caught her by the collar of her T-shirt and yanked her in for a kiss. Hard, hungry, and unapologetic. I’d never get tired of that dazed, kiss-drunk look she gave me when we broke apart. Easily one of my favorite versions of her.

“You better grab your boy so we can head to the truck,” I murmured, smirking. “Miss Claudia’s got one foot out the door, and if she beats us there, we’re missing story time.”

But instead of moving, she glanced down right at my crotch and just stared for a beat. Then came the little head shake, the quiet sigh, and finally, she turned to walk away.

That made, what—the second or third time?

She’d clearly considered ditching the responsible choice just to get naked with me.

And honestly? I was counting.

I so had her. Bree Michaels wanted my cock. That look wasn’t about a damn arrangement. She wanted my cock .

“Where’d my boy go?” she called playfully as she pretended to search for him.

He peeked around the corner of his bedroom door frame and that smile made him the spitting image of his mom.

Finally, she shouted, “There he is!” and ran for him.

She tackled the boy to the floor, peppering him with kisses as she tickled his feet and armpits.

He squirmed, continuing to smile. Fucking great mom.

“Ready to go to story time?” she asked him, and although he never answered with words, even I saw the ‘ yes ’ written all over his face. “Then let’s get your shoes on.”

Benny and Bree walked to the front door, where they kept their shoes, and he dropped down onto the carpet for her to begin putting his shoes on both little feet.

Both shoes used elastic bungee ties rather than regular ties or Velcro.

Once she’d helped him up, he moved one of her shoes to help her back.

As she slipped her foot in, she said, “Left shoe. This is the left shoe, Benny.” She pointed to the shoe.

“It goes on my left foot. You have a left shoe, too.” She bent down, touching a finger to his left shoe.

Then Benny touched his shoe. He brought her right shoe out and she repeated, “Right shoe. The right shoe goes on my right foot.” Pointing to her right foot and then she touched Benny’s right foot.

“You have a right foot.” He touched her right foot and then his own right foot.

It never occurred to me how much time and effort it took to teach a kid their left from their right.

Then he carried my shoe over to me. Shocked, I didn’t know if I should continue with the lesson.

Would I have been overstepping? But as he stared up at me I figured, what the fuck and said, “Thank you for my right shoe.” I slipped it on and touched it.

“This is my right shoe.” Then I touched Benny’s foot. “This is your right shoe.”

And that was when Miss Claudia shouted, “If you don’t husband him, I will.”

Although being husbanded was not on my bingo card, I laughed my fool head off. I loved getting to be myself and not the Baker Reece that the public expected from me. That was something this family gave to me and they didn’t even know it.

Bree flung her purse around her body, then slid Benny’s bag over one shoulder. “Ready?” she asked while I retrieved my left shoe, slipping it on and tying it.

As we’d ever be. “Come on, bud,” I said to Benny, holding out my hand to him. I couldn’t say why except that it felt right to do. We all shuffled out of the apartment, Bree locking it behind her, and then walked down to the truck.

The drive passed in a blink because Bree turned on the radio and was serenading us all.

God, she was so damn cute. A concert commuter.

My mom used to do the same thing. Though I had to stop comparing things about my mom to the woman I was currently fucking.

It was not Freudian. I just happened to have been blessed with a great mom and recognized those qualities for Benny.

We turned into the parking lot of the Wando branch library. I recognized Bishop’s SUV already parked and pulled in next to him, hopping out to help Benny down. Bree helped Miss Claudia. The four of us walked in to see a group of parents fawning all over Bishop.

“Hey, Jaycee,” I called tipping my chin up at her.

She smiled. “Save him,” she mouthed back. Time for my due diligence. I walked over to rescue him, though it turned into a Bishop/Reece photo shoot instead. But at least he wasn’t alone now.

Finally the librarian called, “If everybody could find their seats, we’re going to get started.”

“Got to go,” I said to the dad trying to get me to smile for one more picture with him and hightailed it over to my people.

Bishop followed, scooping his boy, LJ, up into his arms from his wife so he could bend in to kiss her.

The man was really open about how much he loved his wife. She made him happy, so good for him.

An hour later, Benny smiled while the other kids cheered. Two-year-old LJ kind of combined them both. Benny was only a year older and I could see these two hanging out together in the future.

“I made reservations at the Chophouse,” Bishop said. “That cool?”

“Chophouse? Hell yeah. I love it there,” I replied. “Bree?”

“I’ve never been, but I love steak. Do they have a kids’ menu?”

“Oh, yes,” Jaycee replied. “LJ loves it.”

“Great. Miss Claudia?” Bree asked.

“It sounds wonderful. I’ve never been there, either. We can experience it together.”

Shit —I found it wild that something so small to me, like eating at a steak joint, could affect Bree’s bottom line and Benny’s care.

A party of two could drop a hundred bucks in there easy.

Bree worked two jobs and raised her boy.

I decided right then and there that Bree would fucking enjoy this meal.

Whatever she wanted. Appetizers. Salad. Dessert.

Whatever Miss Claudia wanted. Nothing off limit.

And it hit me, since we never discussed it, she probably didn’t know I was paying but still didn’t make a fuss because she didn’t want to dampen the mood of the day.

“Meet you there,” I said to Bishop before snagging Bree’s arm and pulling her in close. I bent in to whisper, “I’m paying, so you, Benny, and Miss Claudia get whatever you want. Understand? None of this cheapest thing on the menu bullshit that women try to pull.”

Her face turned serious for a moment before she said, “Well, then I can promise you’ll get sex from the deal.” She smiled. I didn’t.

“That’s not funny. I don’t expect sex for dinners. When I fuck you, it’s because we both want to fuck, not because you think you owe me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” She shrugged. “I was just trying to be cheeky.”

While I had her there, I pulled her into a not-chaste kiss, keeping her pressed against me until she melted and I knew I had her.

“Listen, I know this is difficult for you, so used to doing it all, but fake or not, you’re with me right now and I take care of you.

It’s nothing that a real boyfriend wouldn’t do. ”

Bree landed a kiss to my cheek, then turned to head toward Benny and Miss Claudia. But in true Bree fashion, she tossed a sassy “You are so getting laid tonight” over her shoulder.

I threw my head back and laughed—again.

It was becoming a regular thing, this laughing around her. The more time I spent with Bree, the more often it happened .