by Ali Parker
When my eyes met his, my cheeks burned. I couldn’t hold his gaze, so I turned back to the stove and cleared my throat.
“What are we cooking?” Ryan asked, his voice normal.
“Everything!” Paisley bounced off her stool, stood, and ran to her dad. “I was hungry, so Candice said she’d make me breakfast.”
“She tried to weasel a Pop-Tart out of me,” I said over my shoulder. “But somehow, I knew she was being sneaky.”
“Pop-Tarts, huh?”
I turned around to see Ryan lift Paisley into his arms. He turned her to the side and tickled her ribs. She burst into a fit of giggles, writhing playfully until Ryan set her back on her feet.
Worry flashed through his eyes. He led Paisley to the kitchen table and helped her onto a chair. Placing his hand to her forehead, his eyes searched her face for a sign that she might still be in pain.
“I’m okay.” Paisley waved his hand away impatiently. “I feel better, Daddy.”
“Still.” Ryan hurried into the living room, returning with the thermometer in hand. “I want to check your temperature anyway.”
Paisley huffed and threw herself against the back of the chair. Ryan ignored her. He stuck the thermometer under her tongue and watched her with nervous eyes until it beeped.
“99.2,” he said. “Not perfect, but definitely better than last night.”
“Great!” Paisley jumped off the chair. “Now, can I help Candice please?”
“Actually.” I cleared my throat and laid the spatula carefully on the counter. “Now that your dad is awake, I should probably …”
Glancing anxiously toward the front door, I felt my stomach tighten again. I still didn’t know how Ryan felt about me cooking for his daughter. It was one thing to bring chicken noodle soup but another thing entirely to make myself at home.
“You’re leaving?” Paisley’s lips pulled down. Her eyebrows knitted together. She looked ready to cry.
“Your dad probably wants to spend some time with you,” I said slowly, avoiding Ryan’s gaze.
“No!” Paisley grabbed my hand and tugged me to the table. “No, you can’t leave! We haven’t even had breakfast yet.”
“She’s right, you know.” Ryan’s voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. When I chanced a glance at him, his green eyes silently begged me to stay. “You made all this food. The least you can do is eat with us.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, taking a tentative step forward.
“Of course.” Ryan stood in front of me. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, but his eyes never left mine. “Sit down. I’ll get the plates.”
“If you insist.” I grinned and hurried over to the table.
Ryan brought over the food and set the table while Paisley and I waited patiently. When everything was set, Ryan helped Paisley fill her plate.
My nerves vanished. Ryan and Paisley were the most welcoming little family I’d ever met. Every time silence fell, Paisley had another question to ask me. She was fascinated by everything I said, and surprisingly, I felt the same way about her.
“Do you have a daughter too?” Paisley asked through a mouthful of fruit. “Because you’d be a good mom.”
“Thank you.” I laughed. “But no, I don’t have any kids.”
Paisley frowned. “Why not?” she demanded. “Don’t you like kids?”
“Of course.” I leaned over and poked her side. “I like you, don’t I?”
“Yeah!” Paisley giggled. “You should have kids, then. We’re fun!”
“Well,” I said slowly. “I work a lot, so I don’t know if I’d have time to play with my kids enough.”
Paisley’s eyes shot open with interest. “What’s your job?”
“Candice runs a makeup company,” Ryan said.
“Really?”
Paisley practically flew out of her chair. Her lips were a blur as she told me how much she loved makeup and jewelry and nail polish.
“It’s the only girly thing about me,” she said. “I mostly like boy stuff. Like snakes and football and bugs and stuff. But, I love makeup. Dad won’t let me wear it, though. He says I have to be thirteen first.”
“That’s a good age.” I nodded, shooting Ryan a quick smile.
“No, it’s not,” Paisley whined. “I’m only four. Thirteen is, like, a bajillion years away!”
Laughing, I shook my head and popped a grape in my mouth. We spent the rest of breakfast talking about my job and how “awesome” Paisley thought it was. She decided she wanted to run her own makeup company one day too. It wasn’t until Ryan shooed her away from the table that I got a chance to catch my breath.
“I’m sorry about that,” Ryan said as Paisley disappeared to get dressed. “She’s excitable.”
“I don’t mind,” I assured him. “She’s adorable.”
“Yeah.” Ryan looked at the stairs, a faraway look in his eyes. “Yeah, she really is.”
I watched him for a second, wondering what was on his mind. Before last night, I knew I liked Ryan, but after seeing him with Paisley, I realized my feelings were so much stronger than I thought.
“So.” I cleared my throat. “Listen, I’m really sorry about falling asleep last night. I know that’s probably going to be weird to explain to Paisley.”
“What?” Ryan looked back at me, confused.
“She’ll ask.” I shrugged. “She’ll ask why I’m still here.”
“Not a chance.” Ryan laughed. “She’s four. Don’t give her so much credit.”
“Oh.” I nodded. “I told you I don’t know anything about kids.”
He reached for my hand. “You know more than you think.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But still, I’m sorry.”
Ryan squeezed my fingers and moved closer to me. He leaned over the table until our faces were inches apart.
“Stop apologizing,” he said firmly. “It’s weird to see you like this. You’re always so …”
“Bitchy?” I laughed.
“Confident.” Ryan leaned closer. “Sexy.”
Our lips barely touched when Paisley came running back in the kitchen. We sprang apart. Ryan chuckled nervously and ran a hand through his hair.
“Are you going to come over and play with me again?” Paisley asked, oblivious to what she’d just interrupted.
“Well.” I blinked, still thinking about Ryan’s lips. “If that’s okay with your dad?”
Ryan didn’t miss a beat. “Of course.”
“Well, then I’m free tomorrow.”
Paisley yelped with joy and bounced on her feet. Ryan calmed her quickly, worried she would work herself up too much and get sick again.
We spent another few minutes talking about plans for tomorrow before I glanced at the clock. The morning was quickly turning into afternoon.
As much as I didn’t want to leave, I knew I had to.
I opened my mouth to say goodbye. Before I could get the words out, Paisley grabbed my arm and pulled me into the living room. With one glance at Ryan’s grin, I knew I wasn’t ready to leave.
Chapter 21
Ryan
“I don’t want you to leave,” Paisley whined. She wrapped her arms around Candice’s leg and leaned her small head against her hip.
Candice looked at me and poked out her bottom lip. “How do you deal with this?” she asked softly. “I don’t think I could ever tell her no.”
“Hard-ass businesswoman like you?” I snickered. “Sure, you could.”
“Maybe,” Candice admitted. “But I never want to.”
I sighed and reached for Paisley’s hand. She pouted as I pulled her off Candice and held her against my side.
“Candice has to go,” I said. “We’ll see her tomorrow, Pea. You can wait that long.”
“But I never get to play with girls!” Paisley huffed. “All the girls at my school are mean, and they think I’m weird. Candice is nice. She doesn’t think I’m weird. Right, Candice?”
Paisley blinked at Cand
ice, whose brown eyes were wide with sympathy. She bent down so she and Paisley were level. Smiling, Candice pulled my little girl in for a warm embrace. When they separated, Candice’s eyes were filled with emotion.
“I think you’re fun,” Candice said firmly. “And funny. And smart.”
“You do?” Paisley grinned.
“Yup.” Candice nodded and put on a gravely serious expression. Wiggling her finger, she motioned for Paisley to come closer. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Yes,” Paisley whispered. “I’m a great secret keeper.”
“Before I met you,” Candice said, just loud enough for me to hear. “My little sister was my best friend, but now, I think you just might kick her out of first place.”
“No way!” Paisley’s green eyes lit up with joy. “That’s awesome! Daddy, did you hear that? I’m Candice’s best friend. I’ve never had a best friend before.”
“Hey.” I nudged her head playfully. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“Oh.” Paisley’s face fell.
“That’s okay,” Candice said quickly. “You can have two best friends.”
“Are you sure?” Paisley frowned thoughtfully.
“Positive.”
Paisley smiled, reassured. Candice stood up straight and fixed her eyes on me. She looked pointedly at Paisley, silently asking for a moment alone.
“Hey, Pea,” I said. “Go pick out a book, okay? We need to practice your reading before Uncle Max comes over.”
“Okay.” Paisley hurried to the stairs but froze when she reached the bottom step. Turning back, she waved to Candice. “Bye, Candice! See you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Paisley.” Candice smiled.
Paisley darted upstairs, leaving Candice and me alone for the first time all morning. She shifted her weight nervously.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Are you sure you’re okay with tomorrow?” she asked, talking faster than normal. “Paisley kind of backed you into a corner before. I totally understand if you just want to spend the day alone with her.”
I moved forward and wrapped my arms around Candice’s waist. She fell silent immediately as her eyes searched my face.
“No,” I said simply. “You’re coming. Besides, if you backed out now, Paisley would never forgive you.”
Candice laughed and leaned forward. Our lips touched lightly, sending waves of desire cascading through my body.
***
Paisley’s finger slid slowly over the page.
“A b-b-bird,” she read. “F-f-fl-flew over the tree and d-dis-disa-disappear-disappeared in the …”
Before she could finish the sentence, a soft knock echoed through the living room.
“Uncle Max!” Paisley dropped the book and darted toward the front door. She yanked on the doorknob and threw the door open. It slammed against the wall with a crash.
“Paisley,” I groaned and hurried over. “How many times have I told you to be careful when you open the door?”
Paisley’s head dropped. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Smiling, I ruffled her hair playfully. She blinked at me and grinned nervously. “I swear, we’re going to have to repair that wall soon.”
“Can we?” Paisley jumped once, excited.
“Say hi to your uncle.” I turned her head around so she was facing Max. “You were excited to see him five seconds ago.”
Paisley grinned up at Max. “Hi, Uncle Max,” she said. “Are we still gonna go to the park today?”
“I don’t know.” Max stepped inside, looking from Paisley to me.
“Let him get inside before you start barking out requests.” I laughed and tugged Paisley away from the door.
We all walked into the kitchen. Breakfast was still out, so I went to work doing the dishes while Max and Paisley settled down at the table.
My mind was still on Candice as I ran the hot water and poured soap onto a sponge. I could still see her smiling face as she slid behind the wheel of her car. The way she’d lifted her hand to wave goodbye was so casual, so comfortable.
“How are you feeling?” Max asked, jerking me back to reality. He ran his hand over Paisley’s head. “Any better?”
“Oh, yeah.” Paisley smiled.
Max looked at me doubtfully. “She’s fine,” I said. “Her fever broke, but I still think we should take it easy today.”
“No way!” Paisley shook her head firmly. “I’m all better. We can still go to the park like Uncle Max promised.”
“I don’t think so, kid.” Max shook his head. Paisley opened her mouth to argue, but I cleared my throat to stop her. “We’ll go to the park in a few days. When you’re one-hundred percent.”
“But, I am,” Paisley whined. “Candice took really good care of me.”
Max turned his eyes on me. “Who’s Candice?”
“Daddy’s friend,” Paisley said. “She’s really nice, Uncle Max. And she likes snakes, just like me.”
“Is that right?” Max never took his eyes off my face. “Well, that’s awesome.”
“Yeah!” Paisley bounced up and down, oblivious to the tension in the air. “She’s coming over to play with me tomorrow too.”
“Wow.” Max looked at Paisley, a tight smile on his face. “Hey, kiddo, where’s that book I bought you? The one about pythons?”
“Upstairs,” Paisley said.
“Why don’t you run and find it.” Max ushered her out of the kitchen. “We can look at it together, okay?”
“Okay!”
Paisley darted through the living room and bounced up the stairs. Resolving myself for the worst, I sat down and waited for Max’s disapproval.
“Who is she?” he demanded.
“A woman I’m seeing.” My tone was haughty and more defensive than I wanted it to be.
Max’s eyebrows shot up. “Seeing?” he asked. “Or working?”
“Fine.” I sighed. “Yes, Max, Candice is a client, okay? Are you happy?”
“You have got to be fucking kidding.”
Rolling my eyes, I got to my feet and walked to the fridge. I pulled it open and grabbed two beers. Tossing one to Max, I leaned against the counter and popped the top off my own. Max just glared at me in disbelief.
“Drink.” I nodded to the beer in his hand. “If we’re gonna have it out, I’d rather not do it sober.”
“Are you a child?” Max hissed, making sure to keep his voice down. “How could you bring a client around your daughter?”
“Speaking of Paisley,” I took a sip of my beer, “she’ll be down any minute, so maybe we should just talk about this later.”
“The python book is at my place,” Max said, undeterred. “She’ll be up there for a while.”
Scoffing, I took another swig from my bottle. “You lied to my kid?”
“Like you never have?”
“I’m her father,” I reminded him. “That’s my right.”
“You can’t do this.” Max shook his head, finally using the corner of the table to pop open his beer. He took a drink and then set the bottle down with a thud. “She’s going to get attached.”
“Who?” I asked, trying to keep my own anger in check. “Paisley? Or Candice?”
“Wait.” Max frowned, realization suddenly dawning on his face. “Is this the daughter? The client whose mother hired you?”
I hesitated. “Yes,” I finally said.
“Let me get this straight.” Max laughed, unamused, and pushed himself to his feet. “Not only are you dicking this poor woman around, but you’re bringing her around Paisley? What the fuck are you thinking, Ryan?”
Turning away from him, I put my beer to my lips and closed my eyes. As much as I hated these fights with my brother, I knew he was right. What I was doing was wrong, but how could I stop now?
“I like her.” I sighed and turned back around. “Candice is … Well, she’s more than a client, okay? I like her.”
Max exhaled sharply and looked away. He paced around my kitchen, his
eyes flickering between my face and the window.
“You’re in over your head,” he finally said. “You like her? Well, get over it little brother because the second she finds out the truth, she’s gone.”
“You don’t know that,” I snapped.
“Don’t I?” Max whirled around, a daring challenge in his eyes. “Do you honestly think she’d ever forgive you? And even if she did, do you actually believe she would be okay with dating a male escort?”
A thousand arguments flew through my mind, each more useless than the last. Max was right. If Candice ever found out about my deal with her mom, she would hate me forever. And worse, what if she never found out? How could I be with her when our entire relationship was built around a lie?
“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted. “I just know I don’t want to lose her.”
Max glared at me, but something in my face must have softened him because his body sank in on itself. Sighing, he sat down and took a slow sip of his beer.
Putting the bottle on the table, he turned to me and said, “Tell her.”
I shook my head and looked out the window. Max knew that was impossible. If I told Candice, the contract would end. I wouldn’t get paid, and all of this would have been for nothing.
“Money isn’t everything,” Max said, reading my mind. “You and Paisley will be fine.”
“How?” I demanded. “If I can’t even keep a roof over her head, how the hell will we be fine?”
“I’ll help you.” Max stood up and started forward. Stopping in front of me, he waited for me to lift my eyes to his face. When I did, all the judgment disappeared. “I’ve said it before, Ryan. If you need money, I’ll give you money. If you need a job, I’ll find you one.”
“No.” I turned away, but Max grabbed my arm before I could move.
“I don’t know where you got the idea that you have to do everything by yourself,” he said. “But it’s a fucking stupid one.”
“What if she hates me?” I asked, my voice weak. “What if I tell her and she …”
“What?” Max asked. “Walks away? Leaves you?”
My eyes hit the floor. Max’s words hurt more than I cared to admit. I flashed back to the day Paisley’s mother walked out on us, and my chest tightened so much, I couldn’t breathe.
