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Keith barked out a harsh laugh. “Tell me how fun it is when you have dudes leaving their used fucking boxers in your mailbox.”
“Oh, ew.” Hannah’s nose wrinkled.
“I told him we could wash the ones that are his size so he could keep them, but he gets all growly when I suggest it,” Mickie said with a shrug, craning her neck to face them.
God, his family was nuts, but he loved them.
JP smiled as Hannah rested her head on his shoulder. The plush leather seats cradled them in luxurious comfort. Within minutes her weight went slack, and her breathing evened. He kissed the top of her head and gazed out the window as a smile played across his lips.
What had he been so afraid of for so long? If this was what settled felt like, he just might be able to get used to it.
Around ten the next morning, Hannah sat cross-legged on her rented bed with Kayla in her lap. His daughter munched on these flower-shaped puffy baby snacks that basically melted o her tongue.
They were nasty as fuck—yes, he’d tried them—but Kayla couldn’t get enough of the things. She was happy as could be, sitting with one of her favorite people and slobbering all over her favorite snack.
Hannah, on the other hand, could only be described as a nervous fucking wreck. She worried her bottom lip as she stared at the open video chat app on her computer screen.
“You might actually have to click something to get it to call them,” JP said. He sat beside her with his second cup of coffee. Hannah had been cut off at one. The woman didn’t need any help getting the jitters today.
“Yeah,” she said, sounding so defeated, he was tempted to call the whole thing off. “I’m working up the courage.”
“Hey, look at me.”
When she turned those glum eyes on him, he grasped the back of her neck and kissed her. Once. Twice. The third one got a little out of hand. Only a squawk from Kayla when she ran out of puffs broke them apart.
“See,” Hannah whispered. “There are much better ways we could be spending our time.”
“Your parents are expecting your call. You know you’ll regret it if you bail.”
With a huff, she thunked her head against his shoulder. “I know. I’m just worried they’ll be unkind to you.”
God, this woman. Always thinking of everyone else. “Babe, I couldn’t give two shits what they think about me. All I care about is how they treat you and Kayla, ’kay?”
She nodded against his shoulder. “Okay. Let’s do this.” Straightening, she gave Kayla another puff then hit the button on the laptop. The familiar ringtone sounded through the quiet apartment.
“My, baby!” Hannah’s mother said soon as her face filled the screen.
JP did a shitty job of hiding his reaction. She looked so much like Hannah, he felt as though he were getting a glimpse into her future. Different from Mary Anne, who’d had darker hair and a lighter complexion.
“Hi, Mom,” Hannah said. She gave Kayla her fingers to grip then said, “Can you say hi to Grandma?”
“Oh, my sweet girl. Look how big you’ve gotten.” She straightened with a frown. “Hannah, should she be eating that? She could choke. Our attorney wants us to document any hazards we become aware of.”
Beside him, Hannah stiffened but didn’t react in any other way. “No, Mom. They’re fine. They’re designed for babies her age. See?” She held up the canister with the six-month-and-up label facing the computer’s camera. “Actually, most of the time, they dissolve on her tongue before she gets a chance to swallow them.”
The face her mom made would have had JP laughing if the situation wasn’t so tense. “Sounds like they’re full of chemicals. Figures they’d feed her—”
“Mom.” Hannah’s sharp tone dragged the woman’s attention from the baby. “I’d like you to meet someone formally. This is JP. It was his idea to call you. He figured you’d love to see Kayla. JP, this is my mom, Patricia Briggs.”
Way to try and give him a leg up, but from the looks of it, he’d need a whole soccer team’s worth of legs to get in Patricia’s good graces. He didn’t want to admit it to Hannah and cause her more angst, but the attorney factor unsettled him a bit. Even if they had no grounds for obtaining custody of Kayla, they could make his life miserable with lawsuits and time in court.
Patricia’s gaze shifted to him for the first time since the call began, and as though she hadn’t realized he’d been present all along, her mouth opened and closed a few times.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Briggs.” Might as well go for formal. She seemed the type to appreciate the gesture.
“What’s going on? Hannah? Why is that man here?”
Maybe not.
