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I nodded. “We do, but that’s because I want her to have healthy meals and snacks. Before I had her, I lived on sandwiches and frozen TV dinners.”
He gasped. “Frozen meals are disgusting.”
I laughed. “Oh no, don’t tell me you’re a food snob.”
“One hundred percent. And proud of it. Then you tell me when you want to cook. Otherwise, please let me do this. I really do enjoy it.”
“We’ll see.” I’d much prefer he did it, but I didn’t want to take advantage of him. Cooking meals was on the list of tasks that he provided, but I’d assumed that was for when the parents weren’t home. I’d never expected that to be a perk for me, too. “What can I do to help?”
He grabbed dishes off the counter with napkins and cutlery placed on top. “Why don’t you set the table?”
I placed the larger one at my spot and a small Little Pony plate on Lexi’s table mat. Walking back to the cabinet, I pulled out another plate. “You forgot to get one for you.”
He stood at the stove stirring the sauce, so I barely heard his mumbled, “I don’t want to intrude. I can eat in my room or after you two are done if you’d prefer I eat at the table.”
Wait. What?
“You made us this beautiful meal, and you’re not planning to dine with us? I mean, if you’re ready for a break, that’s fine. But I wouldn’t consider it an intrusion if you joined us.”
He looked over his shoulder. “Are you sure?”
Turning to my daughter, I asked, “Lex-Lex, should CJ eat dinner with us?”
She yelled, “Yes,” at the top of her lungs.
Holding up the plate I’d retrieved from the cabinet, I smirked. “The majority has spoken.”
His smile was instantaneous and beautiful. My cock perked with interest, probably remembering the incredible pleasure this man had given me. But he was my employee now, and a blinding bright smile and blue irises that shined with happiness meant nothing. No. Not even a little bit. I was so fucked.
CHAPTER NINE
Kevin
It had been a week since CJ started watching Lexi, and it was going better than I’d anticipated. I hadn’t exactly had high hopes, to begin with, but I couldn’t deny the facts. Lexi was thriving under his care, and I was calmer than I’d been in a long, long time. I’d convinced myself that working ahead on my projects had kept me from being stressed out, but I hadn’t realized until now how untrue that was. Between the exhaustion from staying up late to work at night and chasing after a toddler all day, I hadn’t really been doing anything optimally.
The truth of that had really hit home over the weekend. When CJ left Saturday morning with a wave that he’d see us again Monday, I’d had two full days of hanging out with my daughter without a care in the world. We’d had so much fun making meals, playing, and just being together. For the first time since I’d gone back to work after she was born, I hadn’t been worried about trying to get work done while she was napping or after she went to sleep. I’d been able to straighten the house quickly and go to bed. It was pretty fantastic.
“So do you think you’ll go in again tomorrow?” CJ asked as he carried the pot of homemade roasted tomato soup to the table.
Following him with a platter of toasty-brown grilled cheese sandwich triangles, I placed them on the table before giving one to my daughter. “What do you think, Lex-Lex? Is it okay if I go back into the office tomorrow?”
“Yep. I like it better.” She took a big bite of her sandwich and hummed around it.
I jolted as a pang went through my heart. Was her manny replacing me in her affections already? A childish part of me wanted to lash out and tell CJ to hit the road—that we didn’t need him—but it was ridiculous to be jealous of him. He paid Lexi constant attention, which was his job, so of course she preferred his company. Hell, they probably had more fun without me here. “Oh, okay.”
CJ frowned. As he ladled soup into Lexi's small bowl, he asked, “Why do you like it better when your daddy goes to the office?”
Ugh. Why was he making her say it? Actually hearing my kid say she liked CJ better was worse than just knowing it. Did he have to rub salt into my open wound?
“His puter is stinky and makes him sad when he sits at da table.” She tilted her head. “Does work make you sad, Daddy?”
My heart cracked open. I’d thought I’d done such a good job hiding my job-related stress from Lexi, but obviously, I’d been deceiving myself about that, too. “I actually love it. And I love working with Uncle George because he’s my best friend.”
She took another huge bite, then said, “CJ’s my best friend, Daddy. I like hanging out wit him all day.”
CJ beamed. “I like hanging out with you all day, too, miss-thang.”
She giggled. “My name is Lexi, CJ. Not miss tang.”
