Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I chuckle. “Don’t you have work to do?”
She slides off the stool, offers me a sassy grin, and salutes me. “Sir, yes, sir,” she says, barely holding on to her laughter, as she moves back toward the living room to gather her bag and change into her shoes.
As for me, I stand still, my hands flat on the counter, staring down at the granite while I will my cock to deflate. Hearing her call me sir, watching those words leave those kissable lips… yeah, I need this counter to hide me while I run stats in my mind to get myself in check.
“I’ll start upstairs if that’s okay?” Eden asks.
“That’s fine. I’m going to run out for a while.” I have nowhere to go, but I’m going anyway. I can’t stay here. I’m not me—at least not the new me—when this woman is around, and I need to put some distance between us. “If I’m not back before you leave, I’ll see you on Wednesday.”
“See you.” She waves and jogs up the stairs.
As soon as she’s out of sight, I exhale, grab my shoes and keys, and rush out the door. I don’t know where I’m headed until I’m on the road. All four of my best friends live in the same neighborhood. They’ve been on me forever to buy a house near them, but I don’t need all that space for just me. Instead, I visit often. I drive by Knox and Corie’s place first, and Knox is unloading groceries from the back of Corie’s SUV, so I pull in and rush to help him.
“Perfect timing,” he says, smiling.
“You look like—good,” I say, making him laugh.
“I’m fucking exhausted. We both are. But he’s worth it.” He grins. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing. Just getting out of the house.”
“Well, thanks for this,” he says, as I grab two boxes of diapers and carry them into the house.
“Look who I found,” Knox says, as we enter the house.
“Hey, Foster.” Corie smiles as she lifts Alexander to her shoulder to burp him.
“Hey, momma bear. How’s he doing?”
“He’s perfect. He has his nights and days mixed up, but he’s perfect.” She smiles. Alexander burps, and she stands to place him in his bassinet.
“Why don’t the two of you go take a nap? I’ll sit down here with him.” I nod toward the bassinet. We’ve all taken turns watching Camden, Baker’s son. I’m not saying I’m a kid whisperer or anything, but I can keep him alive and wake them if I need them.
Corie’s tired eyes light up. “Really?”
Knox chuckles. “We appreciate it, man. Corie girl, go on up. I’m going to put these groceries away, and then I’ll join you.”
Corie comes to stand next to me and lifts onto her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “Uncle Foster for the win,” she says, covering her yawn with her hand.
“I’m happy to help. I’ve got nothing going on today. I’ve already got a workout in, and Eden is at my place cleaning.”
“Eden?” Corie raises her brow. “Do I know Eden?”
I laugh. “No, she’s new. She replaced the last cleaning lady, who had been with me for years. Her husband’s job got transferred, so Tiffany had to quit.”
“Did I know her name was Tiffany?” Corie asks. “Am I that sleep-deprived? Is this what motherhood has done to me?” She laughs.
“Honestly, I don’t know if you ever knew her name.”
“You’ve never mentioned her,” Knox chimes in as he smirks. “So, Eden, huh?”
“That’s her name, yes.”
“Is she pretty?” Corie asks.
“Yeah, Foster, is she pretty?” Knox echoes.
Fucking smoke show. “Yeah, she’s pretty,” I say instead.
“Oh.” Corie’s face lights up even through the exhaustion.
“Aren’t you supposed to be napping?” I tease.
“Foster Vaughn,” she says, exasperated. “You never,” she draws out the word, “talk about a woman. I’ve never seen you date. This is worth sleep deprivation.”
“She’s my cleaning lady, Core. Nothing more, nothing less.” It’s the truth, but still, something that feels an awful lot like guilt washes over me for saying it.
“Can we meet her?” Corie asks.
“All right, Corie girl.” Knox laughs. “Nap.” He points to the stairs. “I’ll be right up.” He bends to kiss her, before she winks at me and heads upstairs. “I know you’re private, Foster, and we don’t push you on that. But something happened just now. There was something about the look in your eyes, a look I’ve never seen from you before.” He pauses, probably waiting for me to say something, but I don’t, so he keeps going. “I’m not going to ask you what it was. I respect your privacy, but I will say this. When you’re ready, you have our entire family behind you, waiting to help, offer advice, or listen.”
I open my mouth to tell him it’s nothing, but it’s not nothing. My speech to Eden runs through my mind, so instead, I say, “Thanks, brother.”