Page 65 of Play For Keeps

“You’re in a rush, Ev. I’m not. Why don’t you let me drop Birdie off at school for you?”

“It’s fine. It’s never a big deal if I’m a couple of minutes late. They know I need to get Birdie to school. Besides, I don’t want to add to your plate.”

Jake turns me around in his arms, shaking his head at me. “It’s not adding to my plate. I love being with Birdie and I’d like to take her. That is, if it’s okay with you?”

I don’t know what to say. This man never ceases to amaze me. He’s always looking for ways to make my life easier, to make me happy, and I know Birdie would love to have Jake drop her off.

“Okay,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck as his slip around my back. “But only if you’re sure you have time.”

“I have time, baby. And I want to,” he says, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead before his lips brush against mine in a slow, panty-melting kiss. I can’t help the little groan that slips from my lips.

Jake rests his forehead against mine before letting me go. “Birdie!” he hollers as he walks towards the hallway. “Guess who’s taking you to school?” Then he winks before disappearing down the hall.

I hear the two of them high-fiving, and when I peek my head down the hall, I see that Jake has Birdie in his arms. She squeals as he twirls her around, and for a moment I allow myself to imagine that this is what it would feel like if Jake, Birdie, and I were a real family.

It feels right.

Birdie is falling for Jake just as hard as I am, which is equal parts wonderful and terrifying.

I say a silent prayer for more good days like this one.

JAKE

That was only the second time I’ve spent the night with Everly, and I already know I want to do it again. Soon.

I know she’s nervous about sleeping in the same bed as me with Birdie around, so I’m not going to push her. I know Birdie comes first with her, that’s part of why I think she’s so incredible. But that doesn’t stop me from hoping it can become a more frequent thing.

I drove Birdie to school this morning, and it was the wildest experience ever. Everly had called to let the teachers know I’d be the one dropping her off, so in that way, everything went great and there were no problems. What I wasn’t prepared for was the crowd of curious moms who introduced themselves, clearly wondering who I was. I was half-expecting Birdie to take off running to meet her friends as soon as we got there, but instead she took my hand and showed me the butterfly she drew that was displayed on the art wall. She eventually let me leave, but not before giving me a giant hug goodbye. I left the school with this fucked up feeling in my chest that I’m still trying to make sense of. How could such a simple, everyday thing like dropping Birdie off at school make me feel so happy? I’m not usually the type of guy who gets all charged up with emotions —especially not about dropping a 7-year-old off at school— but I liked the way it felt, and I find myself actually looking forward to doing it again.

The car ride to school was entertaining as hell too. Birdie wouldn’t stop talking, and it was cute as fuck when she asked if she could be the DJ and choose a song from my playlist. Constant conversation doesn’t come naturally to me, I tend to be pretty quiet—thankfully, Birdie seemed happy enough to do most of the talking.

After I dropped her off, I went home to shower and put on a change of clothes. In the car on the way to work, I thought about this morning, about having sex with Everly without a condom. It’s not something I ever do. It’s risky, even if she’s on the pill, but when Ev is naked and in my arms, I lose brain cells. Fuck. I can’t even say I regret it because I don’t. My cock buried in Ev, raw, was better than anything I’ve ever felt.

All in all, it was a pretty perfect morning. I haven’t even had a chance to process the fact that Birdie told me she loved me. I’m pretty sure it freaked Everly out, even though she didn’t admit it. It probably should have freaked me out too, but it didn’t. Not even for a second.

I love that little girl too.

TWENTY-ONE

DO I EVEN WANT TO KNOW?

Jake

I’ve been on edge all day thinking about my Gran and Sierra meeting Everly and Birdie. I’ve invited the four of them for dinner tonight, along with Grayson because he’s my sister’s fucking boyfriend now, and I’m just a little nervous about how it’s all going to go. It has been a long time since I’ve introduced a woman to my family, and I just want the night to go well.

I know that I’m stressing out for no reason. You only have to be in the same room as Everly for five minutes to like her. She has this calming way about her, she effortlessly makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room with her.

Everly and Birdie came over early to help with dinner, and since she hasn’t been to my house before, I wanted her to see it and feel comfortable before everyone got here. So far, we’ve been spending all of our time at Everly’s apartment—it’s just easier with Birdie. But I’d like to change that. I want them both to feel at home whenever they’re here. Hell, I’ve even thought about making the spare bedroom into a room for Birdie, but I’m afraid that’s moving too fast. I’d do it tomorrow, though, in a heartbeat if I thought Everly would go for it.

Instead, I went to Target on my lunch break yesterday and bought a few things to keep Birdie entertained. Board games, a stuffed cat she can keep here, some toys. I hope I did alright. I tried to remember what I’ve seen at Ev’s so I could buy some of the same things. From the smile on Birdie’s face when she saw everything waiting for her in the living room, I think I nailed it.

She’s been kneeling at the coffee table working on a sticker book I bought her for over half an hour, while Everly and I sit together on the couch. Everly’s tucked up into my side, her hair tickling my arm and the citrusy scent of her skin driving me mad. I love her scent so fucking much. I rest my chin on her head. It almost feels like we’re a family. From the outside looking in, anyone would think we were. And I like the thought of that. Regardless, these two feel like mine.

“Birdie-girl, there’s one more thing I bought you that I think you might like. It’s in the cabinet under the TV if you wanna go see,” I tell her with a grin.

She bounces over to the cabinet, then squeals when she opens the door and sees the Nintendo Switch. “Can we play, Jake? Can we play?”

“Birdie, mind your manners,” Everly admonishes. “What do you say to Jake?”

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