Page 13 of Prove Me Wrong (The Sunburnt Hearts #5)
Chapter Nine
NOAH
“ I t’s a good thing that she’s better than you expected,” Nathan murmurs, plonking beside me on the couch with a beer in his hand.
I sip on my own while bouncing Jade on my lap. I can tell she’s going to fall asleep soon, but I’m trying to keep her awake while the game is on; otherwise, Nathan’s shouting will wake her up, and it’s a nightmare trying to get her back to sleep.
She reaches out to Nathan, who slides her off my leg and cuddles her closely. “You see that player. He’s new, but really good. I think in two years, when his contract is up, every NBA team is going to be fighting over him.” Nathan’s explanation washes over Jade, her gaze locked on the TV.
Glancing sideways at them, I grin at how gentle Nate is with Jade.
He’s always so boisterous and energetic.
Don’t get me wrong, he is that way most of the time with her, but he’s also very tender when he wants to be.
I’m so glad my friends were so helpful when I had Jade.
Nathan coaches kids at the local basketball courts while running the organisation, so I like to think it gave him an ample amount of practice before she came along .
Jade's bright green eyes blink between Nathan and the TV as he shouts at the referee for a foul call.
Leaning back into the couch, I take another sip of my beer, smirking at Nathan’s irritation. He gets so into games that he sometimes forgets the people aren’t here in person.
My fingernail picks at the sticker on the bottle. Nate looks down, noticing my bad habit, and groans. “What is it?”
I frown. “What are you talking about?”
He nods to my fingers. I stop and place the bottle on the coffee table.
“You’re overthinking again.”
I grunt and lean my head back on the couch. “I don’t overthink, Nate.”
“No, but you worry. So, what has you so worked up? Is it your new babysitter?”
I glare at him, and my best friend chuckles lightly. “I’m not worked up,” I admit, a whistle sounding from the TV.
Nate curses under his breath before looking back at me. “You’re not worried?”
I shake my head.
“That’s a first. Ever since Jade was in daycare, you’ve been worried about her.”
“That’s because I’m her dad. I’m the one who needs to look out for her. You’ll understand yourself when you’re in my position.”
He lets out a soft exhale. “Sure, but I don’t think Mia will do anything to harm her.” He pauses and smirks. “She sounds hot.”
My teeth grit at his words. I don’t know why, but the thought of Nathan trying to hit on Grey makes my throat burn. “Don’t say that, Nate. She’s my daughter’s babysitter.”
“That makes her even hotter, Sterling.” He winks at me .
My jaw grinds as my hands fist on my lap. “Don’t even think about it.”
My best friend’s dark eyes meet mine, glistening with questions. He simply chuckles again. “I get it. I get it.” He settles back into the couch cushions, a sly smile spreading across his shadowed jawline. “You like her.”
“No, I don’t,” I bite out, but it feels wrong. The words sting my tongue like acid.
His gaze narrows onto mine as he keeps bouncing Jade on his knee. “Then why won’t you let me try?”
“Because she’s my babysitter, and she’s good. I can’t afford to lose her right now.” Nate pouts, and I roll my eyes at his immaturity. “You can try with any other girl, Nate. But leave Mia alone.”
I don’t tell him about the way I’ve seen her shake at my closeness, or how her voice wavers when she’s nervous.
I don’t understand how I make her nervous when I’ve done all that I can to make her feel comfortable, but I suspect it has something to do with her past. The thought that something might have happened to her makes my gears grind.
“Fine. No hitting on the babysitter,” Nate bites out. He jumps up with Jade in his arms and shouts obscenities at the TV.
Jade breaks out into cries from his sudden movement, and I stand, taking her into my arms and cuddling her close to my chest. Her muffled sobs are swallowed by my neck.
Nathan looks at me and winces. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare her.”
I shake my head and fall down onto the couch with Jade curled up on my chest. “She’s just tired.”
“Should you put her to sleep?”
“There’s only fourteen minutes left, she’ll be okay until then. Besides, who could sleep with you swearing at the referees,” I murmur .
Nathan laughs and polishes off his beer. “Do you want another one?” he asks without looking in my direction.
I swipe his bottle and mine. “I have to make Jade’s milk. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“All right,” Nate murmurs, focused on the basketball game.
Shaking my head, I carry Jade into the kitchen and leave the empty bottles on the bench. She has stopped crying, but I can tell she’s still fighting off sleep. Her fingernails dig into the skin of my neck, leaving tiny indents, but I ignore them.
Opening the fridge, I take out the sippy cup I measured out at dinner and turn to heat it up when I freeze in my tracks. Peering through the window at the darkness beyond, I see Mia through hers as she stands in her grandma’s older kitchen.
My eyes sweep over her light blue silky pajamas, dark hair pulled up into a loose bun, gaze focused on something else. I’m suddenly intrigued by what has her attention.
I want it to be me .
Jade lifts her head and spots Mia on the other side.
She coos softly, reaching out a hand towards.
Mia turns, holding a mug. Grey eyes collide with mine.
My throat works as I marvel at how pretty she looks with messy hair and flared eyes.
The soft light makes her features darker yet gentler in the same breath.
The light pink hue over her cheekbones has my heart expanding.
Jade makes another sound, and I see the corners of Mia's mouth curve upwards. Mine curls in response as Jade keeps reaching out, trying to grab hold of the girl in the house beside ours. Mia frowns and shakes her head before looking back at me. I pull Jade into my chest once more, and Mia’s smile falters. She disappears from the kitchen.
Exhaling, I turn to heat up her bottle before remembering that I have her number saved in my phone. It might be wrong, but I don’t want her to go just yet. Slipping my phone out of my pocket, I shoot her a text.
ME: Jade misses you already, I think.
I push it back into the pocket of my trackpants when Jade’s milk beeps in the microwave. Handing it to her, Jade happily sips on it when my phone vibrates.
GREY: Tell her I miss her, too.
Grinning, I type out another text.
ME: I bet she’s excited to spend the day with you again tomorrow. You should have seen, she wouldn’t stop talking about you last night.
Grinning at my tease, I slip the device back into my pocket and join Nate on the couch. My best friend tears his eyes off the TV to stare at me.
“What?”
“My beer?” he questions, and my mouth rolls. “Sorry, I forgot. Hold Jade, and I’ll get it.”
I place my daughter on his lap and go back into the kitchen. My phone vibrates again.
GREY: I am, too. I think she’s becoming my favourite human.
Smiling, I pull out two beers and pop off the lids. Turning, I catch sight of Mia once more. She’s sipping on her mug and leaning against the bench casually, her eyes focused on her phone in her hand.
ME: Jade’s the best (not biased at all here).
I watch her cheeks widen. She bites her bottom lip and types out a response.
GREY: Not at all, 34. I might just steal her from you if you aren’t careful.
My eyes lift to meet hers again, and my pulse beats heavily through my whole body. I want to know so much more about her, but I also fear I might scare her off if I move too quickly. I don’t want to frighten her, nor make her more nervous than I seem to already.
A smile pulls on her pale lips before dropping instantly. Mia turns and yells something, rushing out of the room again.
My throat works as I hear Nathan grumbling something and Jade giggling, pulling me back from my thoughts.
“Noah, are you okay in there? The game is almost done.” Nathan’s voice yanks me away from the now-empty window.
“Yeah, coming,” I murmur and walk out of the room, immediately missing that small connection I made with Mia. Seeing her face light up from my texts made my blood heat in a way I haven’t felt in years. I miss that feeling.