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“Lovely. I wonder what the liability is if a child skids down a loft in our office and busts their head open.” He glares at me with that familiar you idiot look I’ve seen ten thousand times.
I frown, studying my handiwork. “You have a point. Guess I’ll order some gym mats to put under it or modify this slide for extra safety...”
“You sure like this kid,” he says, throwing his hands up in the air. “Don’t tell me. You found out one of those one-night stands made you a father, didn’t you?”
I don’t respond to that with more than a fuck-you glare.
I’m not attached to Millie. I’ve barely even met her. I just wouldn’t want any kid getting a broken bone having fun, especially from something I assembled.
“Did Paige order you here to solve the package mystery?” I ask.
“Paige knows about this?”
Shit. I didn’t mean to start anything between them.
“Not really. She just asked about my packages when they started piling up closer to your office. I thought maybe she sent you to find out—”
“Hardly,” he clips. “I don’t need my wife to send me in like a charging Marine when all that banging around was reason enough. You’re lucky the evening crew left. But if you had a kid, we would know about it, right? You’re not that insane?”
Fuck, he’s serious.
If my own brother has to ask me that, maybe it’s truly too late to evolve beyond Nick the Prick.
“Nah. I’d keep it secret until the kid’s a teenager so they’re well-prepared to deal with their dick of an uncle,” I snarl, tossing the screwdriver at his feet. “Come help while you’re here. We just need a little muscle to turn it, then slide it against the wall.”
“One condition,” Ward says as he takes one side of the bed. “Tell me what kid’s worth uprooting Grandma’s old office.”
I take the other side.
“Reese’s. She’s going to have custody of her niece for a while, and she’ll need help. I’m not having her go bankrupt paying Chicago daycare fees.”
“Wait. You want her kid hanging out here?” His eyes flash like lightning, a shade brighter blue than my sea-green.
“I’ll hire a nanny. I’ve thought this through,” I say sternly.
“How old is she?” he asks.
“Four, I think.”
“I see you’ve made an executive decision.” He nods. “And you’ve decided we provide on-site childcare, huh?”
“I’ll pay for it, Ward. I’ll accept full responsibility for any and all complications, not that I’m expecting any. Don’t worry about it cutting into your profits...or your damn bear cave of workaholic secrets.”
“I don’t care about that. I just want to know what it is you’re not telling me.”
“Nothing, besides keeping details of Reese’s personal life mum without her permission to throw them around. This also makes the most sense, keeping the kid at the office. She can do her job in peace and grab the girl at the end of the day without another ride through traffic.”
“Are you sure that’s it?” he asks quietly. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the way your mouth hit the floor the first time you saw her face? Back when you realized she wasn’t a fucking man?”
Before I can fire back, he holds up his hand, palm out like an apology.
“I’m not criticizing. Not much. But if there’s more to this than you’re saying...I’m your brother. Tell me.”
I nod, surprised he’s letting up on his dickery. “You remember when Grandma was in the hospital?”
“How could I forget?”
“Paige saved her life and took on a mountain of extra work. She picked up the slack so we could be there without worrying about the office going up in flames,” I tell him.
“My wife’s nothing less than amazing.” He smiles, a far-off look in his eyes.
“She is. However, somebody else stepped up that week. Reese drove all over the known universe anytime we needed it. She made late-night hops to the hospital and early morning coffee runs way before her start time. She needs our help now, and if we let her down...you know how hard Grandma would lose it?”
Ward nods, stroking his beard. “So you’re stepping up. I’m sure Reese will be pleased with all the support.” He motions to the other packages. “Do I want to know what’s in these boxes?”
“Stuffies and a rope with giant clothespins. She can grab a stuffie and play whenever she wants to,” I say, a little proud I put so much thought into what I’d enjoy as a kid.
“What the hell’s a stuffie?”
I grin. “It’s what Millie calls her stuffed animals.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You know Reese’s niece that well?”
I don’t answer.
I don’t know.
He looks at the packages and back at me.
“Okay, well, I have to say I’m floored. I’ve hardly seen you take this kind of initiative with anything, and dammit, I’m a little proud of you. But Reese has never been fond of you, right? I’m not sure why you’d volunteer to get so involved. I mean, I have an idea. I’m just worried about how it’ll work out.”
