Off the Cuff

by K. I. Lynn

  She answered on the second ring, an unsure edge to her voice. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Linda, it’s Thane,” I said.

  “Thane, hi,” she said, relieved, and then her tone turned grave. “Is everything okay?”

  “Pretty much. Your daughter is a disaster right now, and I wanted to see what you thought was best for her.” I described Roe’s symptoms, and Linda rattled off a list of items that were thankfully in Roe’s medicine cabinet.

  “Have her take all of those at the doses listed. I think I should be able to get Kinsey in time.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m going.”

  “You are?” she asked in surprise.

  “Yeah, she was calling them while I called you. I just hope they understood.”

  “Thank you,” Linda said.

  “For what?”

  “You care about them a lot, don’t you?”

  Warmth filled my chest. “More than you know.”

  “I’ll call later to check in, then. Thanks for calling me. Sometimes Roe is just too independent for her own good.”

  She was spot on there. Roe had trouble asking for help, even from me. Trying to anticipate her needs was difficult. I would not fail her now.

  After helping Roe with the meds, I grabbed her keys and gave her a kiss, then headed out to pick up Kinsey.

  Thankfully, even in Roe’s sickness she had called the daycare, but when I arrived they were wary. Roe sent them a photo, but the real proof came when Kinsey’s face lit up and she crawled to me when I walked through the door. That solidified it for them, and I loaded her into the stroller and headed back to Roe’s.

  Stairs. How the fuck did my tiny girlfriend manage to lug the stroller with a twenty-pound baby inside up two flights of stairs? Not only just for her building, but she constantly did it for the subway as well.

  Kinsey was half asleep when I pulled her from the stroller and to my chest. I quietly stepped over to the bedroom door, hoping all the ruckus hadn’t woken Roe up. Thankfully I heard little snores, confirming she was out.

  We moved back into the main room, and I kicked off my shoes and lost my dress shirt, which was difficult with Kinsey in my arms. While I’d spent a lot of time with them, I still wasn’t confident of her schedule, but I knew Roe liked to keep to it.

  Kinsey nuzzled into my chest, and it felt like I’d been hit by lightning. It was an intense shock to my heart that I could hardly contain. An intense paternal love for her tugged at me. That little movement that said she trusted me, was comfortable with me.

  It gave me a sense of completeness I didn’t know I was lacking. I sat on the couch and pulled her close, pressing my lips to the top of her head.

  “I’ll make you a deal, okay?” I whispered. “You help me get your mama to fall in love with me, and I’ll be the best dada ever.”

  Kinsey had reawakened a part of my heart I’d locked away. I’d been excited to be a father, to welcome my son into the world, and when he was gone, I shut that part of my heart down.

  I was head over heels for Roe, and I wanted to be with her always. And like her mother, I’d fallen for the beautiful creature in my arms. Roe and Kinsey were a package deal. One that I’d gladly accept—after all, I wanted to be Kinsey’s daddy.

  I wasn’t sure how long I was asleep but when I woke up, I heard a baby giggling. Immediately I sat up as confusion washed over me.

  Kinsey. Did I pick her up?

  There was music coming from the other room, and I climbed out of bed. As soon as I opened the door, the sight had my chest clenching and my ovaries exploding.

  Thane stood in the middle of the room with Kinsey in his arms. They were dancing to the music, and she was giggling at him like mad.

  A few steps in, I leaned against the wall to watch them.

  It wasn’t until they spun around that either one of them noticed me. Kinsey let out a squeal while Thane shot me a megawatt smile.

  “Look who’s up, Kinsey,” he said to her.

  “Mama.” Grabby little hands reached out for me. I stepped closer, but when I did, she just grabbed my hair and pulled me closer to them, making me chuckle.

  “You look like you’re having a good time,” I said.

  “The meds worked, huh?”

  I nodded. They had helped greatly. The symptoms were only tamped down, but that alone was huge. I wondered how he knew. “I’m a little confused on what’s going on, though.”

  He laughed and told me about a conversation that I could only kind of vaguely remember, and also about the conversation with my mom.

  I still had a sinus migraine, but the pain in my face was less and I could breathe, and that was a huge improvement.

  “Thank you,” I said as I slipped my hand in his. “It means so much to me.”

  “Me as well.”

  “How so?”

  He looked to Kinsey, then back to me. “You trusted me with your daughter. You trusted me to take care of you.”

  “Well, you’re kind of a great guy.”

  “I’d like to think after today, I earned a better title than a great guy.”

  “Is that why you did it? Brownie points?” I asked, my hackles coming out.

  He shook his head. “Calm down, Mama bear. I did it because, well.” He heaved a sigh and stroked my thumb with his. A hard swallow made his Adam’s apple bob. “I’ve got it bad for you. For both of you. I’d do anything you need, because I care so much about you.”

  “Oh,” I said, suddenly feeling like shit. Then what he said hit. The butterflies in my stomach kicked back into action, and I took my bottom lip between my teeth. “Well, you’re not so bad yourself.”

  “Not so bad? I think that’s a backslide from a great guy.”

  “Keep talking, and I’ll demote you to lackey.” I stepped forward and leaned in to press my lips against his chest, right over his heart. “I’m falling for you, too.”

  He pulled me close and let out a sigh, his body relaxing into mine. “About time.”

  The next morning I once again woke to giggling in the other room, and I bolted up when I saw the time—it was almost noon.

  Thane was on the floor with Kinsey, playing with her, and she was giggling away.

  “You’re missing work?” I asked as I pulled my robe on.

  “It can wait. You needed me.”

  Warmth spread through my chest. I’d never had a boyfriend take such care of me. “Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked.

  “You’re sick, baby. You needed rest.”

  My brow furrowed as I looked over to the couch. He’d spent the night, slept on the couch. Did Kinsey wake up in the night? “I probably got you sick.”

  “I can take your cooties.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I asked as I curled up on the couch.

  He nodded. “Iron immune system. I haven’t been sick since 2015.”

  “There’s a toddler in the house; just you wait. She’s going to bring home all sorts of wonderful things.” I smiled as I said it, then my expression dropped when I realized what I implied. “I mean—”

  “Stop,” he cut in, his eyes narrowed on me. “Don’t you dare take those beautiful words back, or I’ll kidnap you both and make them a full-time reality.”

  The butterflies in my stomach really liked that idea, but I tried to brush it off and stood back up.

  “I should probably get her diaper changed before there’s poo all over the place. Right, baby boo?”

  “Already done,” Thane said.

  I turned to him with wide eyes. “You changed her diaper?”

  He nodded. “It was a stinky one, wasn’t it?” he said to Kinsey, who was chomping on one of her blocks. “And then we had breakfast.”

  “You fed her, too?”

  He nodded. “It’s not hard to figure out when it’s something you want to do.”

  My heart felt like it was going to burst.

  “Don’t forget, I was almost eleven when Wyatt was born. I’ve changed a good number of shitty diapers,” h
e said with a chuckle.

  He was making it almost impossible not to fall for him. He was amazing and perfect.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked before getting up and filling a glass of water.

  I looked up at him as he handed it to me. “Thank you, and I could eat.”

  “What are you feeling? There isn’t a lot in the fridge or freezer. I think I saw some toaster pastries, or there is toast. Maybe pasta? Or we can order in?”

  I shrugged. When was the last time I ate anything? I couldn’t remember. “Is there any chicken-flavored rice in the cabinet?”

  He turned and opened the one cabinet that I used as a pantry. It wasn’t very big, so I didn’t keep much extra stuff in it.

  “Hmm, doesn’t look like there’s anything but some white rice.” He turned to me. “I can go get some, or we can order some. There’s fried rice, Mexican rice…”

  The last one hit me, and my stomach grumbled thinking about a cheesy enchilada. “Let’s order.”

  An hour later I was popping the last of my enchilada meal into my mouth. It was amazing how much better I felt with some food in me. I still didn’t feel the greatest, but I felt like I could hold myself up again.

  Later that afternoon, there was a knock on the door. Thane went to answer it while I stayed snuggled on the couch. The officers that had come weeks before stepped in.

  They had information. While one of the men had been arrested, my sister was being detained while they figured out her involvement, and they were searching for the other two. I didn’t know what there was to figure out, since she let them in, but maybe they thought she was coerced. Either way, they never should have been here. That was definitely Ryn’s idea.

  It did settle a deep emotion in me to find out she was okay, though I really hoped she’d be given jail time. That was the only thing I could think of that would get her off the drugs.

  “We were able to get this back,” one of them said as he held out a familiar gold and leather watch.

  I took hold of it, tears brimming in my eyes as I flipped it around—M.C.P.

  Malcolm Christopher Pierce.

  “They tried to pawn it. Owner spotted it for what it was and called us.”

  A sob left me, and I looked up at them with tears streaming down my face and a smile on my lips. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome, ma’am.”

  With that, they left. Thane sat down next to me and held me in his arms as I cried, happy to have my precious reminder of my father returned.

  Fall was definitely upon us, but while the air held a crisp edge to it, the sun kept us warm. Roe was better, and we spent all the following week trying to make up for taking time off. It was totally worth it to be able to help her, to show her I was there for her. To see the distrust fade in her eyes as something entirely new took up residence. She said she was falling for me… and I couldn’t wait until I could claim her forever. To earn that privilege was worth the time it took to prove myself.

  And I would prove myself.

  We could finally relax and decided to take a stroll around the park. It was something I didn’t do that often, and considering how close we were, it surprised me. Then again, until Roe, I was all work.

  Roe definitely was a walker. The nine blocks just to the entrance was more than I usually walked, but to her that was life. You wanted to go somewhere, you walked or took public transportation.

  While it was a great advantage to city life, I preferred to drive most places.

  “It’s just easier sometimes. Ride a bus for a mile with ten stops in between, or walk?” she said as we walked. “Every time I visit Lizzie and James, I walk. It’s not that far.”

  By car I knew it took a while, but walking? Maybe it was just the city traffic that made it feel like a long time. “What do you do when it rains or there is snow?”

  “That’s what rain boots and snow boots and umbrellas are for. Plus, a long puffer coat for the winter. They aren’t the most stylish, but I don’t care because it keeps me nice and toasty. And I’ve got a rain cover and a cozy cover for the stroller.”

  It was a beautiful day, and there were a lot of people out enjoying the crisp weather.

  “The leaves are starting to change. We should come back in about a week when they pop.”

  “You seem to be the park expert, so lead the way.”

  “There are so many places to see. I think we need to take it slow, but we can start with one of the most iconic places—the Mall. We’re really close.”

  “I didn’t know there was a mall in the park.”

  “Not that kind of mall. You’ll recognize it when we get there. I think it’s in every New York-centered movie.”

  She was right that it wasn’t far and when we got there, I did instantly know it: the extra-wide, straight path with a canopy of green leaves that were turning yellow. Benches lined the pathway, and I wanted to kick myself for not seeing it sooner.

  I’d visited the park many times over the years, but it seemed I’d missed many parts of it. When we reached the end of the mall, I took her hand in mine and lifted it to my lips. Her fingers were cold, and I rubbed them between my hands to warm them up.

  It was possibly the first time I hated the stroller because I was unable to hold her hand while we walked.

  “The Loeb Boathouse has an express cafe we can get lunch at. They’ve got good sandwiches,” she said after my stomach rumbled.

  I laughed and nodded. “After you.”

  The lake was filled with people in boats, and I couldn’t help but think maybe when Kinsey was older we could do that.

  We enjoyed a nice lunch while discussing where to go next, and Kinsey enjoyed munching on the fry she stole from Roe. Obviously she was not content with her cheese stick and berries, and wanted to experience what we were eating.

  When we stood to leave, my feet let out a twinge of pain. I should have worn better shoes.

  “You’re going to wear me out before we get home.”

  She giggled. “Oh, come on, you’re just soft.”

  “Maybe right now, but give me a minute and I’ll be hard as a rock if you want.”

  She rolled her eyes, and I smiled down at her.

  We were just on our way when I heard my name. Turning toward the sound, I was struck by a familiar blonde walking toward me.

  “Thane!” Liv cried out before she swung her arms around my shoulders.

  I was taken aback. The shock of seeing her for the first time in years. Since…

  She pulled me close, and I placed my hands on her hips before pushing her back.

  “Liv, how are you?” I asked in surprise.

  “Better now that I’ve seen you, stranger. How long has it been?”

  “Years.”

  “Too long, if I do say so. You’re looking dashing. What have you been up to these days?”

  “I’m the President of Acquisitions at Donovan Trading and Investment.”

  Her lips drew up into a huge smile. “Really? Well, my, my, you have certainly gotten better with age.”

  My lips formed a thin line. The last thing I wanted was her trying to get her gold-digging claws into me. I wasn’t good enough for her then, and she wasn’t good enough for me now. By the fake nails, overly done makeup and hair, and what I knew to be expensive tastes, she hadn’t changed any.

  What did I see in her in the first place?

  “Do you need something?” Liv said. My brow furrowed when I realized she was talking to Roe.

  Roe’s gaze narrowed, and I realized my mistake too late. I’d taken too long to introduce her. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close before placing a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Liv, this is my girlfriend, Roe.”

  Liv’s eyes widened. “Girlfriend? Really?”

  I noticed the way Roe’s hand tightened on the stroller handle. Liv was proving to be just as vapid as I remembered.

  I gave Liv a huge smile, so proud to call Roe mine. “Yes.”
r />   “Is the baby yours, too?” she asked, glancing down at Kinsey.

  “No, she’s Roe’s.” The words didn’t feel right at all, like acid on my tongue, but they were already out.

  “Oh,” Liv said, her lips pulling up into a devilish grin. “Thank God.”

  My grip on Roe tightened. “Yes, thank God for sending her my way.”

  She gave Roe another condescending lift of her eyebrow, then focused back on me.

  “Is your number still the same?”

  “Yes,” I reluctantly confirmed.

  Her face lit up. “Good! I’ll give you a call.”

  I hope not.

  As I watched her walk away, I imagined how my life would be different if she hadn’t lost the baby. Hopefully I would have given up trying to be noble, unable to take her uppity personality, and broken it off.

  I’d probably spend the weekends with my son. I smiled at that, wondering how he would take to Kinsey. Roe would have opened up to me sooner instead of being afraid I’d bail at the first showing of Kinsey.

  I was lost in thought when a precursor to a tear-filled explosion caught my attention, and I moved around to the front of the stroller.

  “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Diaper?” I asked. Glancing up to Roe, it felt like a knife hit my chest. Her eyes seemed unfocused and lost, sad almost.

  Did I fuck up? Cleary the atmosphere had shifted, and I couldn’t help but worry.

  I knew he didn’t mean it the way it came out, but it was still a slap in the face. While not wrong, he’d also spent so much time trying to convince me that we meant more than his flippant response.

  “No, she’s Roe’s.”

  Again, not wrong, but I hated the sour taste it left in my mouth. It was a bitter reminder that no matter what, that would always be the answer.

  Still, I couldn’t get mad. I knew it was irrational, though I, for some reason, felt angry inside. Kinsey was mine, but she also wasn’t. So me saying, “No, she’s my sister Ryn’s,” wasn’t exactly something I would say, but it was something I had said many times before, in the beginning.