Page 149 of Over Time Advantage

He shakes his head. “I don’t want my queen driving by herself late at night. I had my dad drop me off so I can drive you home.”

She smiles sleepily. “Okay, but I can walk.”

He shakes his head again. “My queen deserves to be carried.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Is your queen going to get bent over the kitchen table when she gets home?”

He chuckles. “You know it, baby.”

“Ugh, enough,” I growl. “I don’t need to hear this shit.”

Kennedy smiles widely. “My dad and Fallon made a porno. He was watching it when I arrived. It was fucking hot. BDSM hot.”

Daylen’s face lights up as he looks at me. “Can we watch it?”

I grit my teeth. “No, you fucking idiot. Get out of my house. Both of you.”

Kennedy nods. “Good idea. Let’s go make our own porno. We can’t be outdone by old people. We need to one-up them.”

“Out!” I yell as I point toward the door. “You two lunatics deserve each other.”

They both laugh as he carries her out of my house, leaving me a lot to think about and a lot of plans to make.

THIRTY-ONE

JETT

Iwalk up Tanner’s grand front entrance with Kennedy and Daylen standing on either side of me. Taking a deep breath, I knock on the front door.

Tanner opens it looking a bit more casual than I’m used to seeing him. He’s in jeans and a black sweater. I suppose I’ve never seen him in his home.

“Hey,” he pinches his lips together. “You ready for this? She’s not going to make it easy.”

I nod. “Yep. It has to be done. Thanks for being agreeable.” I offer my hand to shake with sincerity. My silent peace offering.

He gives me a small smile as he takes it and then opens the door wider in invitation. “She’s in the kitchen with Bailey and the babies. Daylen knows the way.”

We walk in through the foyer of Tanner’s immaculate home. It’s traditional with a modern touch. The house is well kept and professionally decorated, much like Tanner, but there’s also a warmth to it. I’m not sure why that surprises me, but it does.

As we enter the kitchen, we see the babies on the kitchen table in bouncy seats. Bailey is giving one baby a bottle while Harper is doing the same with the other.

“Good morning, ladies,” I offer.

Bailey smiles and cheerily replies, “Good morning.”

Harper scrunches her nose at me without responding. I deserve that.

Swallowing nervously, I ask, “Harper, may I please talk to you?”

She looks at Bailey in question, who nods. “I think you should talk to him. It’s okay. Why don’t you four head into the living room for some privacy? Daddy will take over feeding Rory.”

Harper shakes her head. “I don’t want to talk to him. He’s mean, and he made Mommy cry.”

Daylen walks over to her and holds his hands out for her. “Come on, little nugget. He’s a good guy. I promise. I’ll be with you the whole time, and I’ll let you braid my hair next time it gets long.”

I’m grateful for his attempt to put her at ease.

She hesitates briefly before placing the bottle on the table and allowing Daylen to easily lift her into his arms.