“Wanna make some soup?” I ask. Before long, Paisley and I have made a gourmet pretend meal fit for a king.
Of course, she spilled her Cheerios all over the floor and then proceeded to eat them off said floor, but it’s clean.
And I won’t tell her mom.
The doorbell rings, and Paisley and I look at each other.
“Mama?”
“Hmm, I don’t know.” I stand, scoop her up, and walk to the front door. I open it, but instead of Kelly and Jamal, it’s Olivia.
A punch to the gut.
A slap in the face.
I still want her so badly I ache with it.
And that pretty much pisses me off.
She opens her mouth to speak, then stops short when she sees the baby on my hip.
“Uh, hi.”
“Hey,” I reply.
Olivia raises an eyebrow at me in question.
“I’m babysitting,” I say but step back in invitation for Olivia to come inside. “Come on in.”
“Thanks. I got your text and thought it might be easier if I just stopped by.”
“Driving all the way across town to get here is easier than typing out a quick text that says, ‘I’m okay?’”
She narrows her eyes and bites her lip, and I feel like a bit of an ass.
But only a bit.
Because she’s the one who ghosted me, not the other way around.
I lead her into the living room and sit on the couch with the baby on my lap. Paisley watches Liv as Liv sits across from us and takes a long, deep breath.
“Bon,” Paisley says and pats my cheek.
“Aw, she says your name,” Liv says with a smile. “She’s beautiful. I’ve never seen so much dark hair on a baby, and I’ve been around my share.”
“She looks just like her mom, thank goodness.” I grin and kiss the baby, then look over at the first woman who’s ever made me nervous. “So, what’s up?”
“Well, I wanted to tell you, in person, that I’m sorry I ignored you last night. I should have just texted you and told you that I wasn’t going to come over here.”
“Yeah, you probably should have. Why didn’t you?”
“Because you made me really mad.”
I blink at her. “What? How did I manage that?”
“That”—she waves her hand around in the air—“thing you pulled in my office.”
“I kissed you.”
“Oh, no. No, you didn’t just kiss me, Vaughn.”
“Bon,” Paisley repeats helpfully.
“I did kiss you, Olivia.”
“And then you teased me. And that’s not cool. I don’t know why guys think it’s playful or sexy or whatever, but it’s not. It’s annoying. And, honestly, it’s childish. You don’t like”—she waves her hand again and then whispers—“blue balls.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, there you have it. You were pissed because of Adam or something, and you punished me. And I will not have that.”
“Okay.” Paisley pats my cheek, but I ignore her. “I hear you, and I can see your point. If the situation had been reversed, it would have made me mad, too.”
“Exactly.”
Paisley pats my cheek again, so I kiss her palm.
“But you should have said something.”
“I did. If you remember correctly, I told you to get back there and finish what you started. And you smirked at me. Smirked at me.”
She’s clearly getting heated about it again, so I calmly reply with, “Okay. Okay, I’m sorry. I truly am. I thought I was being flirty and charming.”
Olivia snorts. “No. There’s nothing flirty or charming about that shit.”
“Bon,” Paisley demands, still patting my cheek. “Me. My Bon.”
I look down at the baby, who’s frowning at me, too.
I can’t please either of these women.
“What is it?” I kiss her hand again. “What can I do for you, gorgeous girl?”
“Me,” she repeats.
“Am I not paying enough attention to you?”
She smiles big, showing off her four front teeth.
“She’s beautiful,” Olivia says with a happy sigh. “Like, stunning.”
“She is a looker,” I agree without looking away. “Aren’t you? And you’re being so good while I chat with Olivia. You’re a good girl.”
“Look, I said what I came here to say, and I know you’re busy. I can see myself out.”
The doorbell rings again, and Paisley looks up at me with her lips puckered in surprise.
“Yeah, you’re cute,” I mutter as I stand and prop the baby on my hip. I turn to Liv. “You, stay. I’ll be right back.”
“Oh, I can—”
“Stay,” I say again with a wink to soften the demand. “Please.”
“Okay.”
I open the door and see Kelly and Jamal on the other side.
“Mama!” Paisley exclaims and holds her arms out for her. “Shit.”
Kelly sends a menacing look my way when she takes her daughter from me.
“Not my fault.” I hold my hands up. “Olivia showed up, and I’m pretty sure she’s the one who said it.”
“Right.” Jamal walks past us, carrying bags of what smells like Chinese takeout. “Where is she? I want to meet her.”
“Me, too,” Kelly says, hurrying behind her husband.
“Come in, why don’t you?” I say dryly and close the door, then follow them into the living room where Paisley is now sitting on Olivia’s lap, clapping her hands.