Page 37

CHAPTER 37

SIENNA

It takes ages for someone to answer the door, and for a second, I worry that I got the wrong house.

But there’s a Harley Davidson parked in the drive, so I knock again and cross my fingers.

Zoey’s stopped crying now. Her lollipop is all gone and she’s probably still hungry, but she’s distracted by what I’m doing. I’ve left the stroller at the bottom of the stairs, and she’s in my arms.

It’s frickin’ freezing out here, and I’m wearing next to nothing. Thank God the streets were basically empty as I hurried here. Even so, I’m shivering while trying to wrap the dirty blanket more securely around my daughter.

I can’t believe I let Russell drive me out like that. I should have used my brain and taken the time to at least get dressed and grab a coat, my wallet, and keys. I just mindlessly walked out the door because I couldn’t stand another second of him.

And now my insides are turning blue and my skin is covered in goose bumps .

We’re at that time of year where you almost need thermals in the morning and shorts and T-shirts in the afternoon. I love and hate fall weather.

At least the leaves are pretty, though.

I glance at the lawn behind us, scattered with browns, reds, and yellows. Idyllic. Like a painting with this villa in the background.

But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m freezing my ass off out here.

Knocking on the door for the third time, I finally hear someone shout, “Would someone get the damn door!”

“All right!” someone else shouts, and Zoey tenses in my arms as the door swings open and we’re staring up at grumpy-looking scarecrow.

His hair is a wild mess, his refined face made even more angular by the blurry-eyed scowl he’s wearing. His jeans hang low on his hips, ripped and scrappy, while the open shirt he’s wearing looks—and smells—like it could use a decent wash.

I take a small step away from the door and wonder if I’m about to start running down a second lot of front steps today.

“What do you want?” His voice is husky, but not in the sweet sexy way Zander’s is. It’s more like a gravelly growl, and the way his eyes are traveling down my body puts me on edge.

“Oh, um… I’m… uh… I’m looking for Zander. Zander Donohue.”

The man gives me a quizzical frown, shooting his gaze to Zoey before narrowing his eyes on me again.

Tears quickly start to burn my senses and I blink, begging them not to fall as I take another step back and start babbling. “I’m sorry, do I have the wrong house? I thought this was Football Frat. I was here not long ago, and it looks familiar, and the?—”

A large body appears behind Mr. Scarecrow, and I deflate with relief the second I spot Wily’s smile.

“Hey, Sienna.” I could just about kiss that wide grin of his. Oh, thank God. “And my lil’ cowgirl.”

Zoey giggles.

“Come to Uncle Wily, kid!”

He reaches for my daughter, and she goes to him willingly, smiling when he hands her his football, then starts complimenting her dinosaur pajamas.

“I wish I had a pair of those. They look super comfy.” He turns back to wink at me, but his smile drops away when he notices that I’m in my pajamas, too, and my teeth are chattering. “Carson, move.” He shoulders the guy aside and beckons me to come in. “You’re freezing. Here.” Leading me into a living room area, he grabs a blanket off the back of the couch and wraps it around me.

Carson’s now standing in the archway, leaning against the oak frame and studying me like I’m a big problem. His eyes dart to Zoey again, and his frown only deepens. I bite my bottom lip, wrapping the blanket a little tighter around myself, then sending a silent SOS to Wily.

He rolls his eyes and pulls me into a side hug. “Don’t mind him. He’s going for the Prick of the Year Award.”

“Dick,” the scarecrow scoffs and saunters out of the room, shouting up the stairs. “Zan, you’ve got company!”

I tense against Wily’s side until I hear Zander’s faint reply. “Cool. Down in a sec.”

Wily gives my shoulder a light squeeze before letting me go. “Have you guys had breakfast yet? Grady’s making pancakes if you want some. I’ll tell him to make some extra if you’re staying.”

“Are you sure that’s okay if we do?” I dart my eyes to Carson’s retreating back.

“Of course it is.” Wily rubs my arm, obviously trying to warm me up while smiling at Zoey. “Inviting two pretty ladies to stay for breakfast is most definitely okay. You like pancakes, cowgirl?”

She nods, hugging his football like a teddy bear, then giggling when he starts making silly faces.

I let out a watery laugh, so incredibly grateful for Wily right now.

He gives me a worried smile, his hand slowing to soft circles on my back. “You okay?”

Forcing a nod and a smile that feels anything but genuine, I softly murmur, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Little liar.” He winks at me and then glances toward the archway as footsteps sound on the stairwell.

“Foobawl!” Zoey points at Zander the second he appears.

His face lights with a grin as she wiggles out of Wily’s arms and runs over to him. She’s still holding Wily’s football, and Zander picks them both up with a laugh. “Hey, pretty girl. I didn’t know you were coming to see me this morning. This is the best surprise.”

My insides get all mushy as I watch this man with our daughter and know I’ve done the right thing by coming here.

He looks at me, all lit up like a Christmas tree until he spots my face. Then his eyes skim down my body, and he suddenly registers what I’m wearing.

His smile slips away in an instant and he’s walking across the room, his steps quick, deep concern making his voice thick. “What happened?”

“I…” I shake my head, tears getting the better of me. Now that he’s here, now that I’m safe and I can lean against him and let it all out, my body shudders and a pitiful whimper pops out of my mouth.

The second I rest my head against his shoulder, his arm comes around me and I’m cocooned to his side.

“Hey, cowgirl, let’s go see how Grady’s getting on with those pancakes.”

“Mommy.” She sounds worried.

“It’s okay, Zoey. I’ve got Mommy. I’ll bring her through to the kitchen in just a minute, okay?” Zander’s voice is so soft and sweet it sends a wave of fresh tears coursing through me. “Do you think you can make a pancake for her? If I remember right, Mommy loves lots of butter and maple syrup.”

I smile and nod against his shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go.” Wily takes Zoey, and the second Zander’s arms are free, he’s pulling me flush against him and cradling the back of my head.

“Talk to me, Sparks. What happened?”

I suck in a breath that sounds more like a sob, and he holds me that much tighter, his strength and powerful body bringing me instant comfort.

He brushes his lips across my head. “It must have been bad if you left the house in nothing but your pajamas. Did you have a fight with Russell or something?”

I nod. “It’s never happened before. We’ve always gotten along so great, you know? But I tried to tell him about you and me, and he just lost it.” My voice pitches. “He was so pissed that we’d done it in his house. ”

“You told him we had sex?” Zander sounds surprised. “Please tell me you didn’t lead with that.”

I let out a whimpering laugh at his teasing and lightly slap his side. “He saw the hickey, and it all just kind of spilled out.”

“Saw your hickey how?” He pulls back, checking the positioning and then looking ready to throttle something.

I swallow, worried I’m gonna be facing another meltdown if I don’t word this carefully. Stepping back from Zander, I wrap the blanket tightly around myself and whisper, “We were making pancakes in the kitchen, and…”

He was standing too close.

He was thinking we were something that we’re not!

How do I say that to Zander right now? His eyes are bright with this intensity that I don’t feel strong enough to handle.

My expression buckles, my chin trembling as Zander closes his eyes with a soft sigh. “Just tell me he didn’t do anything totally inappropriate. Give me a reason not to go over there and slay his ass for touching you.”

I bite my lips together and sniff. “He just spotted the edge of it under my shirt. These pajamas don’t exactly hide much.”

Zander looks pained as he opens his eyes and stares at me. “Do you have to wear them around him?” He cringes. “And I know I’m a total dick for saying that. You should be able to wear whatever the fuck you want, but the idea of that asshole looking at you makes me see red, baby. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I shake my head, the right side of my mouth curling up. “I’d never let him touch me that way. I’ve only ever been yours.”

He grunts, reaching out to tug the edge of the blanket and pull me against him again. “I don’t want him making you uncomfortable. He drove you out of the house wearing only this, and you look completely wrecked. And freezing.”

Tucking me even tighter against him, he rubs my back vigorously, pressing his warm cheek against my cold one. I snuggle into his cocoon and murmur against his shoulder, “I knew it was going to be hard to tell him about us, but he was…” I sniff and rest my head into the crook of his neck. “I’ve never seen him like that before. He was so angry .”

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, he wasn’t physical. He was just vile with his words, telling me that I was making a huge mistake and that you weren’t allowed in his house ever again. He doesn’t want me seeing you.” My voice starts to flail. “And that I’m a terrible mother because you’re going to hurt me and Zoey.” The words break apart as I let out another sob.

“That’s bullshit.” Zander leans away so he can look me in the eye and swipe my tears with his thumbs. “You’re not a terrible mother. You’re amazing. That’s got nothing to do with me and everything to do with you.”

His voice is so assertive. So sure.

“And as for me… I’m not going to hurt you, and I’d rather die than do anything to hurt Zoey. I love you. I love her. I know I haven’t known her that long, but seriously, Sen. I love her, because she’s part of you and part of me. And I mean, she’s adorable. It took her all of two seconds to steal my heart. I thought she was the cutest kid I’d ever met, and that was before I knew she was ours.”

I sniff, smiling at his sweet words. “Thank you.”

His swallow is thick as he gazes down at me like I matter. “Russell’s wrong. And I’m…” He clenches his jaw. “I’m so fucking riled that he treated you that way.”

“It’s o?—”

“No, it’s not okay, Sen. He yelled at you. He bossed you around. He disrespected you. He scared you enough that you felt you had to rush out the door. And that is not okay. No one treats my woman like that.”

My heart gives a happy little squeeze until worry starts to override the pleasant sensation.

“I just don’t want you getting into it with him. I… that’s…” I shake my head. “Please promise me you won’t. I can’t worry about that too. He’s a staff member and you’re still a student, and you’ve got your career to think about and…”

“I won’t do anything stupid,” he assures me. “I’m just telling you I want to.”

Closing my eyes with a relieved smile, I nod and then get a pleasant surprise when his lips land on mine.

“Mmm.” I lean into the kiss, the blanket dropping off my shoulders as I wrap my arms around him and let myself get lost for just a moment.

My tears melt away as he brushes his tongue along mine and holds me close.

I love this man.

I love him so much.

“Pancakes!” someone shouts in the entryway.

It gives me a fright and I jump in Zander’s arms, then start laughing when Grady walks out in sweats and an apron.

“Stop making out and come eat!” He uses the spatula to whack Zander on the ass, then jumps away with a grin when Zander chases after him.

I wrap the blanket back around me and follow them into the kitchen, smiling at Wily, who has Zoey on his knee. He’s feeding her small pieces of pancake while explaining the rules of football.

She has no idea what he’s saying, but she’s too happy filling her little belly to care.

“Mommy.” She points at me, then laughs at the two guys laughing and tussling behind me. “Siwwy.”

“That’s right, Zo. Those boys are silly.” I wink and then laugh as Zander pings up straight, shoving Grady away from him and winking at our daughter.

She grins and holds her hands up to be taken.

“One sec, beautiful.” He holds up his finger, taking off his hoodie and swapping out the blanket. He even does up the zipper like I’m a toddler who can’t. It’s adorably sweet.

I’m now swamped by this warm, soft fabric. Pulling it up to my nose, I take a whiff of his delectable scent and grin at him. He gives me a quick kiss before turning to take Zoey off Wily’s lap.

“Did you make Mommy a pancake?”

“Uh-huh.” She points down at her plate, which has about three mouthfuls of pancake left.

“You made Mommy’s pancake, then ate it?” Zander starts tickling her belly, and she giggles and squirms, tipping her head back with glee.

I laugh and pull out a chair, smiling up at Grady as he places a fresh pancake on the plate in front of me. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” His friendly wink makes me warm, and I spin back to find Wily grinning at me across the table.

Yeah, I think my day has just gotten a million times better.

Shoving up Zander’s ginormous sleeves, I wrestle to reach stuff without dragging his hoodie through sticky maple syrup or melting butter.

Zoey keeps sitting on his knee, poking holes in his pancake with her finger, then licking the maple syrup off her sticky digits.

Zander doesn’t seem to mind, and I can’t help tipping my head and murmuring, “You like Daddy’s knee, don’t you?”

Zoey looks at me, resting her head against Zander’s chest. “Daadee.”

Zander goes still, his fork poised in midair, his eyes rounding to dinner plates as he looks at me. They start to glisten, and I smile back at him, biting my bottom lip and feeling my own eyes burn.

I’m still not sure if Zoey knows exactly what she’s saying, and there’s a strong chance he’s going to be Foobawl again next time she wants to get his attention, but… holy shit.

She just said Daddy.

And it was to the right man.

The only man.