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I roll my eyes.
“Well, thank you. I mean, what would Adeline do if you didn’t give her permission?” Ellery groans.
We set a date for when Damon will be home to watch Clover, and as if she heard her name, she whimpers in the stroller. I slide out of my chair, but Damon stands and picks her up, bringing her to sit with him at the table.
“Damn,” Bryce says. “Even Damon looks good with a baby in his arms. Pass her off to Miles, I wanna see.” She moves her finger as if she’s directing a play.
“Screw off, she’s my daughter, not a hot potato.” Damon scowls at her.
I laugh. “They have a special bond.”
He plays with Clover’s pacifier, moving it closer so she opens her mouth, then away from her. She loves it, but he eventually gives it to her and whispers, “Good girl,” in her ear. I have to suppress a shiver when I think of how I’d like to hear him whisper the same thing to me.
“Oh shit,” Ellery says. “You’re changing my opinion about you having a baby.”
“Really, this is adorable, but it’s not always like this,” I say.
Damon puts his free arm around the back of my chair. “What are you talking about? It’s great.”
I give him a doubtful look. “Sometimes.”
The pizza comes, and we pass Clover back and forth while we eat, but Bryce finishes before any of us and demands to take Clover so we can both eat.
“Give her the baby,” I say to Damon, who is holding her hostage.
“I can hold a baby, Damon. I need practice in case Miles and I have one.”
Miles’s eyes widen. “Shit, that was fast. I want her pregnant with my baby. Give her the baby, Siska.”
Miles isn’t really what you’d expect of a professional athlete. Or maybe he just loves Bryce so much he’s not afraid to tell the world.
Finally, Damon hands Clover over, being bossy on how to put her arms, telling Bryce he’ll place the baby in her arms and she’s just not to move.
“I’m sorry,” I say, apologizing for his behavior.
“Believe me, I’d rather have this version of Damon than the other one,” she says.
“Other one?” I ask.
“Before you.” Bryce smiles and hugs Clover to her body after Damon releases her.
“Yeah, I can’t believe how much you’ve changed, Siska,” Cooper adds.
“Amazing what a baby can do,” Miles says and smiles at Bryce holding Clover.
I force a smile.
“And you wonder why I didn’t want you to meet Adeline and Clover. You guys act like I was such a dick.”
None of them say anything. Bryce may have, but she’s too busy trying to get Clover to laugh.
This is why he didn’t want me to meet his friends. Because now there’s this voice at the back of my mind whispering about whether the Damon Siska I’ve had for the past seven or so months isn’t who he really is. That maybe I’ve trusted someone who isn’t being true to himself. And the only reason that hurts is because I’m already way too invested.
Chapter20
Adeline
It’s been two weeks since I went back to work and one week with our new nanny, Astrid, and I swear I’m about ready to quit my job.
