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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
A LIGHT TAP on the door had JP glancing up from where he sat on the floor with Kayla. Since his daughter had crawled for the first time, life exploded into a new phase of gates and babyproofing.
She’d gone from inching three feet forward to cruising around the entire house with the speed of a NASCAR driver in a matter of days. The first time she’d wonked herself on a piece of furniture, JP had a heart attack and bought out the entire stock of babyproofing supplies at the local Walmart.
For now, she was content to sit in one spot and play with the laces on his shoes while he applied for college courses online. Anything to keep his hands and mind busy and away from thoughts of Hannah.
“Hey, Jagger. You need something?” he asked his brother.
“Nah, bro. Just checking in to see how you’re holding up?”
“I’m great.” The lie slipped off his tongue too easily.
Jagger shot him a disbelieving look then switched his focus to Kayla.
“And how is my niece? The cutest baby in the world.” Jag moved in and scooped her up. She squealed as he hoisted her in the air then brought her to his massive chest. Jag had the bushiest beard of all the Benson men, and Kayla couldn’t get enough of tugging on the thing. Thankfully, Jagger was also the most mild-mannered and handled it like a champ. JP knew from experience how fun it was to pry little fingers from his hair. “Did you work with Keith today?” Jag asked.
“Yeah,” JP answered, as he saved the application and closed the laptop. “Ronnie and Mickie split the day taking care of the princess.” He settled back and smiled at the sight of his brother and his daughter. Exhausted as he was—Kayla had been a little fussier than usual since he got home—he found himself feeling more satisfied than he’d ever expected.
Unless his mind drifted to thoughts of Hannah, then he felt nothing but anger, betrayal, and frustration.
Fine, he also felt loss. He’d convinced himself what he was feeling was merely lust, yet he found himself missing her at the most random times of the day. Hell, they barely knew each other, but he’d come to enjoy spending time with her more than almost anyone. Had to be more than lust because he hadn’t fucked her yet. If he had, he’d be over this stupid crush on the woman who lied her ass off for weeks. He glanced at his daughter in Jagger’s arms. Did she notice the change? Could she be missing Hannah, and did that account for some of the crankiness?
Probably not. Most likely, he was projecting his complex feelings on the munchkin.
A yawn took him by surprise, cracking his jaw and making his eyes water.
“Shit, JP, you look wrecked. Why don’t I hang with Kayla until bedtime? I’ll get her down for you, and you can try to hit the sack early.”
Shaking his head, JP reached out and bopped Kayla on the nose. She gave him a one-toothed grin then went back to trying to tear Jagger’s beard off. “Nah. I got it. My responsibility.”
With a frown, Jagger gave him one of those big-brother glares Keith was known for.
“Dude!” JP said with an exaggerated shudder. “Stop looking at me like that. It’s way too Papa Keith.”
Over Kayla’s head, so she couldn’t see, Jagger flipped him off, making JP laugh.
“Seriously, JP, you are doing an amazing job with her. None of us are questioning your devotion or how much you love her. But this shit is hard, and you’re exhausted. Take the help where we offer it. Promise we don’t think you’re shirking your duties.”
JP scratched his chin. He could really use a long, hot shower, a good shave, and a solid eight-hour sleep. Though that last one wasn’t likely to happen with the way she’d been fussing on and off all evening.
“All right. Thanks, Jag.”
Grinning, Jagger climbed to his feet with Kayla secure in his arms. “My pleasure. It’s never a hardship to have a date with such a beautiful lady.” He blew a raspberry into Kayla’s neck, setting her off on a fit of baby giggles. Jagger laughed. “That seriously the best sound ever.”
“I know,” JP said, still sitting on the floor. It’d probably take him a few minutes to work up the motivation to move.
“You talk to her at all?”
The her didn’t need further clarification. With a murderous glare for his brother, JP shook his head. “I knew there was a fucking catch.”
Jag raised his free hand. “No catch. Just checking in. You guys seemed to get close fast. No one would fault you for missing her or wanting to call her.”
Fuck. “We’re really going there?”
Jag shrugged. Kayla yawned then settled her chubby cheek against her uncle’s chest. JP noticed she loved to cuddle like that, all snuggled up to his or his siblings’ chests. He liked to think it was because she found their heartbeats soothing under her ear, but who knew?
