Page 42 of Under My Skin

Get a fucking hold of yourself, Hicks.

Taking a deep breath, I exited the car and hit the lock button on my key fob twice before heading up the stairs and knocking on her door. When the door opened to reveal the beautiful girl I wished like hell I could call mine in picture-perfect condition, holding a cooing baby in her arms, I nearly collapsed from the instant relief that flooded over me.

“Dani,” I breathed as I stepped over the threshold and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her as close as I daredwith the precious cargo she was carrying. “You’re okay. Both of you.”

“I told you we were,” she murmured as she awkwardly leaned against me for an all-too-brief moment before pulling out of my embrace to shut and lock the door.

The whistling of a kettle pierced through the air, making Isaac start crying at the shrill noise, and she tried to shush him as she headed into the kitchen. I followed her and watched as she shifted him to one arm while quickly moving the kettle to a silicone mat on the counter and turning the burner off.

“Do you want me to take him while you finish there?” I asked.

She turned to look at me with the same stunned expression she’d worn when she had walked out of her bedroom and found me holding Isaac the night we’d gone to La Terrasse.

“Are…are you sure?” she stammered.

“I’m notcompletelyuseless,” I chuckled weakly. “My cousin, Jay, has two kids. I spent plenty of nights at his house watching those babies when I was in high school. And during my summer breaks in college.”

A flash of something that looked almost like pain flickered across her face before she schooled her features and walked over to me, hoisting a still-crying Isaac up so I could take him. I easily lifted him from her arms and cradled him in mine.

In that instant, two things happened at once. First, the wails quieted, like what he’d wanted was to be held byme. And second, the last of the nerves and anxiety from the stress of the past hour just melted away as I looked down at his angelic little face and big brown eyes.

Once again, this overwhelming sense ofrightnesscame over me, and for the life of me, I couldn’t explain it. But I didn’t need explanations. What I needed was to figure out a way to keep this sweet little boy and his mom – because Daniwashis mother in all the ways that mattered – in my life. Forever.

“Shh,” I whispered as I leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead and slowly swayed back and forth, rhythmically bouncing from my knees. “It’s okay, little man. The scary loud noise is gone.”

Then I looked up at Dani. I knew I needed to tell her about the unwelcome delivery I’d gotten today, but I couldn’t bring myself to just launch into that. Especially not while I was holding her baby. I couldn’t explain why, but it just felt wrong.

“So, you had your last final today, right?” I asked.

She nodded as she grabbed two mugs from a cupboard, then took a box of hot chocolate mix and a couple of other items out of the small pantry. “Yep. I am officially at your disposal until I start med school.”

I snorted. “That wasn’t why I was asking. How does it feel?”

“Weird,” she chuckled. “Like, I’ve been working so hard for the past four years, and I swear I barely even remember these past six weeks. And now I’m about to walk across the stage and get a diploma. Assuming I passed all my exams.”

“How do you think you did?”

“Pretty good. The only one I’m really nervous about is biochem, but Morgan and I spenthoursstudying for it last night, and she crashed here. Lina actually ended up staying too because she wanted me to get a good night’s sleep before I took the test. She even got up early and made sure Morgan and I ate a good breakfast before we left.”

That made me smile. I hadn’t gotten to spend a whole lot of time with Lina, mainly since Dani and I had only been on the one official date, but I could already tell she’d been a godsend. I couldn’t stand the thought of Dani having to let her go when our agreed-upon year-long period was over. It would barely make a dent in my bank account to pay Lina’s salary at least until Dani could start her paid residency. And then Isaac would be old enough for preschool.

This wasn’t the time for that conversation because we had way more pressing matters to discuss tonight, but I decided Iwouldbroach the subject with Dani at some point soon. Because I just didn’t feel right about cutting off the lifeline I’d thrown her and leaving her drowning again once this was over.

I probably should have thought this whole plan through a little betterbeforeI’d decided to go through with this cockamamie scheme. But it was way too late to back out now. I was in too deep. I had been from the day we’d met.

“That’s awesome,” I told her as I watched Isaac wrap his tiny hand around my outstretched finger. “I’m really glad she’s such a good fit for you.”

“She’s been amazing,” Dani sighed, walking past me with two mugs in her hands. “The second I met her, it was like I could finally breathe again, you know? Like I justknewshe was meant to end up with us. And she’ssogood with him.”

Yeah, I was going to make sure they stayed together. No matter what.

“Here, let me put him in his swing. He’ll be out like a light in two minutes,” she said as she set the mugs on the coffee table and turned to me.

“I’ve got him.” I walked over to the baby swing that was set up on the floor across from the couch, carefully placed Isaac in the seat, and strapped him in before switching the motor on. “Sleep tight, little man.”

Going back to the couch, I took a seat next to Dani and let out a long sigh. With a small, anxious smile, she slid one of the mugs in my direction. I gratefully picked it up and took a sip, and my eyes went wide when I discovered that she’d added some kind of spice to the hot cocoa mix.

“Holy shit. What did you put in this? It’s amazing.”

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