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Jaah chuckled and nodded. “I am.”
“Then you can teach me to be a great swimmer. You can teach me tomorrow when I wake up.”
She yawned again and her little eyes fluttered closed. Soft snoring followed and just like that my baby was down for the count. I kissed the top of her head and exhaled a simple thank you that I didn’t have to go to war with my child over a swimming pool.
Lifting her into my arms as I stood, I glanced down at Jaah. “I’m going to get her to bed and then we can talk.”
“About?” His eyes met mine.
“For starters the fact that your manager doesn’t want us here.”
His face tensed and he tugged the end of his beard. “Don’t worry about Drew. I want you here and that’s all that matters.”
I wasn’t so sure about that considering the way Drew’s accusing eyes had greeted me. He hadn’t expected me to be there which meant that Jaah had kept that very relevant detail from him.
“I shouldn’t be long,” I muttered and he stood before I could leave the dining room.
“You want me to carry her?”
I quickly shook my head. “No, I’m used to it. We’re fine.”
He leaned in and kissed Gracie on the cheek. “Then I’ll work on cleaning this up while you get her situated.”
I wrinkled my nose, glancing at the mess spread across the table. “I can get it after I get her down.”
“And I can get it now. Go, I got this.”
I exhaled a sigh, nodding before leaving him to it. Once I made it upstairs I changed Gracie into a two piece pajama set and laid her in the center of the bed.
At four she was able to move around on her own but this was a new environment so I wanted to make sure she was comfortable. The minute I tried to creep off, she whined for me to stay and I laid with her for another few minutes until she was out again.
Then I slipped from the bed, leaving the door open and the bathroom and closet lights on so that the room wasn’t completely dark. This house was foreign to my little caterpillar and I wanted to make sure she didn’t wake up scared or confused.
We had a long day so I decided to take a quick shower and change into something comfortable before going to find Jaah.
By the time I was done and dressed in an oversized tee and cotton shorts, body fully moisturized, I headed back to the dining room which was void of any signs of our dinner or him so I navigated through the house until I located Jaah in his studio.
He had also changed. The sweats and tee he had on earlier had been replaced with cotton shorts and a sleeveless dri-fit shirt, shoulders with corded muscles exposed and rippling from the slight motions he made.
His body was slouched into the massive leather rolling chair, head back and eyes closed. I took in the relaxed expression on his face. He almost appeared sullen. I watched the way his fingers tapped out a slow rhythm against his thigh and assumed he was listening to something.
I hated to disturb his moment and thought long and hard about leaving but my desire to be in his presence was stronger and I ended up centered between his widespread legs until his eyes slowly opened and landed on me.
He seemed tired but the heat in his gaze spoke to every part of me. The headphones came off and ended up on the soundboard. I ended up in his lap. “I didn’t want to interrupt. Almost didn’t. You seemed to be in a different place.”
“I was. But I’m also glad you did.” A lazy smile crossed his face and his hands slid up my back beneath my shirt. The warmth of his palms and fingers grazing my skin caused a shiver to travel down my spine while his eyes traced me.
“You ready to tell me how much trouble you’re in because I’m here?” A hard edge formed at the corners of his eyes.
“Last I checked I was a grown fucking man who didn’t answer to anyone.” I was grateful for his light tone but our situation was serious. My life complicated his and he seemed to be moving without care or consideration to what that meant for his future.
“You are, but you have commitments to your label and a career to consider. Your manager is a part of the team that helps you navigate the least problematic lanes to keep your life simple.”
“He does, but the final say is always mine. Simple isn’t always going to work. Drew understands that. It’s why I pay him to handle complications.”
He threw my words back at me and my eyes rolled slightly. “What did he say?”
“Does it matter?”
