The Secret (Single in Seattle 1)

“Babies like me,” Olivia says shyly. “I have a lot of siblings and cousins. And this one is absolutely divine. Aren’t you?”

“I like her,” Kelly declares.

Olivia smiles softly. “I’ll go so you guys can eat. It was nice to meet you. Especially you, little princess.”

She boops Paisley on the nose and passes the little girl back to Kelly.

“If you think you’re leaving now, you’re mistaken,” Kelly informs Liv. “You can’t leave me outnumbered here. Besides, Paisley will be sad if you go.”

Olivia glances my way, and I nod.

“You should stay and eat. You’re welcome to.”

And, damn it, I just want her nearby for as long as I can have her. I hate that I made her feel uncomfortable yesterday.

Jesus, I’m no creeper.

I can’t make assumptions about her level of comfort, especially this early in our relationship—whatever that is.

The truth is, I don’t know her well enough to assume that she’ll find something like what I did yesterday funny.

And I feel like a jerk for it.

“Thanks. I could use some food, I suppose.”

The fact that she agreed to stay gives me hope that she might give me another chance.

“I’ll share my moo shu fun,” I inform her. “But I won’t share the eggrolls.”

“We got extra,” Jamal says. “Plenty for everyone.”

“Bon,” Paisley says, reaching for me. I take her and kiss her cheek.

“Vaughn’s her favorite person,” Kelly says with a smile. “I’ll go get things dished up.”

“Oh, I’ll help,” Olivia offers and hurries after the other woman.

“Dude,” Jamal says.

That one word says everything he needs to say.

“I know.”

“Don’t mess this up,” he advises. “I have a feeling about her.”

“I do, too. And I’m not trying to mess it up. I like her.”

“She’s not a bimbo,” he says, keeping this language clean for the sake of the baby, who’s resting her head on my shoulder and dozing off.

“I know that, too.”

“Maybe you’ll grow up with this one.”

His comment doesn’t even make me mad. I know what he means. That it’s past time for me to stop acting like a kid. And he’s not wrong.

It is time.

“We’ll see how it goes. We didn’t have the chance to talk much before you arrived. She might be hanging around to be polite because you and Kelly are here.”

“Nah, if she were still mad, she’d have left. We didn’t have to try hard to keep her here.”

“I guess you’re right. It’s a step in the right direction, I suppose.”

“Come on. I’ll put the baby down for a nap, and we can have lunch.”

Just as we both stand, a blood-curdling scream sounds from the kitchen.

The baby wakes up and joins in.

Chapter 6

~Olivia~

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Vaughn asks as he and Jamal come running into the kitchen.

Kelly’s laughing her ass off.

And I’m covering my face with my hands in horror.

“She—” Kelly begins but then dissolves back into laughter.

“Is anyone bleeding?” Jamal asks.

“No,” Kelly manages.

I drag my hands down my cheeks and take a long, deep breath. “There was a spider.”

“A spider?” Vaughn asks.

“Well, I thought there was a spider,” I clarify. “But it wasn’t a spider, after all.”

“That’s how you react when you think you see an insect?” Jamal inquires.

“Doesn’t everyone?” I counter. “It was massive.”

“And imaginary,” Vaughn adds.

“There was a shadow from something outside, and it looked like a big, hairy spider running on the countertop.” I shudder at the thought.

“But, to be clear,” Jamal says as he passes the baby to Kelly, who has managed to get herself under control, “it was a fictitious spider.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Yes.”

I like these people so much. They’re not only absolutely gorgeous with the sweetest baby ever but they’re also welcoming and kind.

And, because of them, I’m seeing an all-new side of Vaughn.

“Now that we’re all awake,” Vaughn says and smiles at me softly, rubbing his hand over the center of my back, “I’m starving.”

“I’m going to put her down for a nap,” Kelly says. “You guys go ahead. I’ll be right back.”

“How old is Paisley?” I ask Jamal, who looks very familiar to me; I just can’t place where I know him from.

“She’s just over a year,” he says.

“She’s absolutely gorgeous,” I reply. “But you know that already.”

“I don’t mind hearing it.”

We’ve just filled some plates with food when Kelly returns and joins us. “She didn’t put up a fight at all. Baby girl was bushed.”

“We played quite a lot,” Vaughn replies with a proud smile. “We played kitchen and made a gourmet meal. That’ll wear a person out.”

Yesterday, I never would have thought that Vaughn was this person. Sweet with babies and easygoing.

I’m so glad I decided to come over here.

“What do you do, Jamal? You look so familiar to me, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Football,” he replies and bites into an egg roll. “I play for Seattle.”

There it is.

I nod and snap my fingers. “That’s where I know you from.”