Austin groaned. “I don’t know how you do it. One is killing me. My kitchen’s been taken over by bottles and my house by baby equipment, and she wakes me in the middle of the night screaming.”
“So you have your executive assistant helping you out?” Ian asked.
Austin nodded. “Quinn is the only one who can step in right now, and she’s got the magic touch. The baby adores her.”
“As do you?” Ian tapped his foot against the floor. His expression indicated he’d already drawn his own conclusion about Quinn and Austin.
And he’d be correct. But she’d put a solid wall between them when she’d admitted she didn’t want kids while he had the feeling Jenny was, in fact, his.
His life had become fucking complicated, because ever since he’d felt Quinn beneath him, his cock grinding into her pussy, separated only by thin underwear, his desire for her had merely increased. In addition to how his heart sped up when watching her with Jenny? It wasn’t like him. Nothing going on in his life right now was like him.
Ian studied him intently. “I saw how you looked at Quinn today. I’ve been there, and trust me, I suggest you lock that down before someone else shows up and steps in first.” Ian probably wasn’t joking, either.
Austin had heard about how Ian’s wife, Riley, had been his half brother Alex’s best friend. Ian had come between Riley and Alex, and though they’d never been a couple, from Ian’s possessive tone, that hadn’t mattered. According to Dare family lore, Ian had worked hard to win Riley, and once he had her, he kept her pregnant and happy.
The thought of another man making a play for Quinn didn’t sit well with Austin, but he didn’t have a say. Picking up a pen on his desk, he rolled it between his palms, thinking about the woman outside his office.
“She doesn’t want kids,” he admitted to Ian. “She’s already all but raised her siblings and cousins. Which means whatever I might be feeling for her doesn’t matter as long as Jenny is mine.”
Ian studied him. “In my case, what Riley thought she didn’t want and what she was afraid of were one and the same. Once I got her past her issues, she became mine.”
Austin heard the man but he believed Quinn knew her own mind. And she’d said she didn’t want children. Austin believed her.
“What if the baby isn’t yours? I happened to turn and notice that little kiss you gave her. Looks to me like you’re already falling for the baby, too,” Ian said with certainty.
His words hit home, but unsure how to respond, Austin remained silent.
Ian cocked his head to one side. “Look, I’m giving you things to think about. I just want you to be happy. Like I want for everyone in my family. Now let’s talk business.”
Jesus, the man could cause whiplash, Austin thought and refocused himself on his clients and what was in their best interest. “Fine. Damon’s contract is up at the end of the season. He’ll be a free agent. I’ve had other teams sniffing around. Is there a reason I should take them seriously?” His brother wanted to remain in Miami, but no need to tell Ian that and tip his hand.
Ian folded his arms across his chest, his face impassive, giving nothing away, either. “If he plays the same way this year as last, we’ll talk.”
“You know he will.”
He shrugged as if to say, we’ll see.
They discussed a few other mutual clients and Ian rose to his feet. “We should get together. Riley loves babies and maybe you’ll pick up some tips.” Ian grinned. “I’ll text you some items that might save your life.”
“I’d appreciate that. As for getting together, give me a week or so to settle in with Jenny and to make sure she’s really mine.” If she was, his entire life would remain as it was now, upside down and brand-new. If she wasn’t his, what was he going to do? Give her up to social services and some unknown family?
He’d only had Jenny in his home for a weekend, but she was a helpless infant and she needed loving care. Not a family who took her in for cash or had other kids and couldn’t give her the love and time she deserved.
Both thoughts churned his already upset stomach.
Chapter Five
Austin had convinced Quinn to let him drive them to and from work since they were coming and going from the same place anyway. She figured people in the office would learn she was helping him out with the baby, so she didn’t have to hide them arriving together.
When they returned home at the end of the day, he parked and she noticed a huge box sitting on the front step. “What is that?” she asked.