Page 59 of Hired By My Rich Baby Daddy 3

My heart melted at how sincere he sounded. Out of everything he had received for his birthday, I hadn’t expected the painting to mean that much to him.

“Well, I’m glad you loved it. Your mommy looked beautiful in that picture with her pretty wings, and I really wanted your gift to be special and come from the heart.”

I pulled him into another hug. This time, when I released him, he surprised me by leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek.

“Awww.” I laughed as I touched the spot he had kissed. “Thank you. You’re so sweet. Did you enjoy your birthday party?”

“Yes, I had a good time. And my cousin Summer stayed the night.”

As if she had been waiting for him to mention her, a little girl came running into the kitchen. She stopped beside King and waved at me with the biggest smile.

“Hi! I’m Summer.”

I placed one hand on my hip and looked down at her. “Aren’t you the cutest little thing? You must be Princeton’s daughter.”

She smiled even harder and nodded. “Yes.”

Before I could say anything else, she and King looked over at Ozy. Their eyes immediately landed on Oaklynn, who was comfortably resting in his arms.

“Whose baby is that?” they asked at the same time.

“Oh, this is my baby,” I answered.

King slowly turned his head toward me, looking confused. “You have a baby, Miss Noree?”

“Yes, I do.”

Ozy stepped closer to them. “This is y’all’s little cousin,” he said.

He placed Oaklynn on her feet and kept his hands beneath her arms until he knew she was steady.

“Her name is Oaklynn.”

“Our cousin?” King repeated.

“Yeah,” Ozy assured them.

Summer crouched in front of Oaklynn and waved at her. “Hi, Oaklynn…I’m Summer.”

Oaklynn stared at her for a second before smiling. That was apparently all the invitation the kids needed. King grabbed one of her toys, Summer took her hand, and within seconds, all three of them were running around the living room.

Oaklynn’s little legs could barely keep up with them, but she was trying her hardest. Every few seconds, she would let out one of those loud screams toddlers made when they were having the time of their lives. King and Summer screamed right along with her.

I smiled as I watched them. It felt strange seeing Oaklynn inside Ozy’s home and being introduced to his family.

Strange, but not in a bad way. More like it was something I had imagined so many times that seeing it happen for real didn’t feel real yet.

“Give me a second,” Ozy said, glancing down at his phone. “My homie at the door.”

I nodded, and he walked away.

A few seconds later, Uncle Marcus entered.

“Hey, Unc. Good morning,” I greeted him.

“Good morning, Miss Noree.”

The smile on my face slowly faded as I got a good look at him. He didn’t appear to be his usual self. His eyes looked tired, and his movements were slower than they normally were.