3 Seconds (Time for Love 6)

“What the hell?” I muttered. I never had this many visitors in one day. Not unannounced at least.

I swung the door open, surprised to see the petite, long-haired blonde standing there with a toddler on her hip.

“Hey, Gaby.”

She flashed a huge smile at me and responded, “Hi, Brendan, I hope we aren’t bothering you…”

“Of course not,” I said, my voice full of suspicion.

“I have a huge favor to ask you,” she said sweetly, and when I didn’t answer, she continued, “I was able to get a last-minute dental appointment. I have this cavity that’s been bothering me for weeks … and I just couldn’t pass it up. You would be a sweetheart and watch Emma for me for a little while?”

I narrowed my eyes at her, but she kept her expression bright and innocent.

“Sure, I was just about to make myself some eggs, did she eat yet?” I turned and walked back toward the kitchen, sure that Gaby would be following right behind me. “As you can see, it’s kind of a mess though … I’ve been going through a pretty rough time.”

I was laying it on a little thick, but I figured if the girls were going to try and pull one over on me, I might as well get something out of it as well.

“Oh, let me take care of those real quick,” Gaby said when she saw the messy counters and dirty pile of dishes in the sink, just like I knew she would. She handed Emma to me, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work.

As a baker, Gaby was no stranger to the kitchen, and I’m sure the state that mine was cu

rrently in was enough to give her hives. I usually kept my cooking space spotless, but I hadn’t been able to make myself care about much of anything over the last few days.

It was time for me to get over this funk. It was embarrassing.

Gaby had the kitchen cleaned up in no time and left for her “appointment,” leaving me and Emma to scrounge together some late lunch.

My favorite thing about Emma was how serious she was. She watched everything, full of curiosity, taking it all in as if she was storing the information for later.

I placed her on my hip as I cracked eggs into a large bowl. Emma watched as I whisked, and when the eggs were just about ready, I handed it to her and let her attempt to stir the way she’d seen me do it.

I chuckled when some eggs spilled over the side, and was rewarded with a tiny giggle from the little girl.

I was careful not to spice them up too much, in order to please the little one’s palate, but had to add a little bit of pepper, salt, and garlic, to give them a little punch. Then I added some shredded sharp cheddar and poured them into the heated skillet, the sizzle of eggs meeting the pan causing Emma to clap her hands.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

She nodded silently.

I put some toast in the toaster, figuring I’d throw my eggs between two slices and have a sandwich.

Once our food was done and plates were made, I realized I didn’t have a high chair, so I put both plates at my spot and sat with Emma on my lap.

She looked at the fork, then the eggs, then up at me, before gingerly reaching out and picking up a piece of scrambled egg with her fingers, and looking at me again.

“Go for it,” I said, giving her permission to eat with her hands. As long as she ate, I didn’t care how she did it.

I felt like a king when she finished the small portion I’d put in front of her, and after I awkwardly finished off the last of my sandwich, I lifted her and walked out to settle on the couch. I’d just turned the TV on when her eyes began to droop.

By the time Gaby came back, Emma and I were both dozing on the couch, and when they left, I figured I’d lay back down and catch a nap before my show that night.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I heard a knock at the door.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…”

I heaved myself up off of the couch and stomped to the door, sure I was going to find Victoria and Dec on the other side.

Instead, when the door swung wide, I was surprised to see Sasha standing there.