Page 24 of Staying for You

He rolls his sleeves up and I see his strong forearms. They’re hairy but not overly. But I can literally see the cords of his muscles. It’s… well, I need to quickly divert my eyes because in the span of the last twenty minutes I’ve been turned on by this man more times than I was in the last year of my marriage simply by him being him. “I bet that was a workout with them strapped to you, huh?”

“I promise I’m not this out of shape but yeah, they’re a lot of work.”

He reaches over and pulls a bottle out of his coat pocket and shows it to Isabelle. “Hungry, baby girl?” She scoots around and reaches for the bottle. “Mind if I use your microwave?”

“Ha! Yeah. Of course. Coffee?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

He warms up the bottle while I check to make sure the coffee in the pot is still warm enough from earlier and pour us each a cup when I see that it is.

“Cream or anything?”

“Black is fine.”

“Ah. Man after my own heart.”

He settles back on the couch and reaches down for Isabelle and I stop him.

“Mind if I do it?”

“What?”

“Feed her? I mean, I saw you give her a bottle yesterday and it’s not as if she needs much help there. She’s just so cute and precious. My nieces and nephews are all toddlers now and don’t have any of my own, and it’s just been a while since I’ve held a baby. I would love to help you and feed her. And, I haven’t…” I trail off, realizing I just way overstepped by the look on his face. “Never mind,” I murmur and bring him his coffee and curl up on the other end of the couch with mine, wishing that this small cabin would double in size so I wouldn’t feel like the walls were closing in on me.

“You don’t want to now?” he asks, reaching a hand over to give me the bottle.

“I do. I thought… well, I thought I was being weird and overstepped.”

“Why would that be weird?”

“Oh, just give me the baby,” I say with a laugh, realizing that he’s looking at me funny because I’m acting irrationally.

“Yes, ma’am.” I take the bottle from him then he leans over and lifts Issy into his arms and carries her to me. I cuddle with her for a second before she’s reaching over for the bottle, ready to be fed.

“My word. She’s cute.”

“Yeah, she really is.” He runs the back of a finger along her cheek and she smiles around the nipple on the bottle. A little bit of milk runs out of her mouth and he’s quick to wipe up her chin with his finger, wiping it on his jeans without a care in the world.

“Okay, go on. I know there’s more to the Harry story and how you came about owning this place.”

Chapter Eight

Owen

Last night I hardly slept.Knowing she was down here in this cabin by herself had me tossing and turning, unable to relax or get comfortable. Worry had settled in that she wouldn’t be warm enough, would be spooked by how dark it is at night without the city lights lighting up the night sky, that whatever sadness brought her here to The Escape would keep her up unable to sleep.

This morning after I got the kids ready, I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax until I was sure that she was okay. I have no idea why I feel such a strong concern over her well-being but it’s there and I can’t stop it.

When she opened the door, I felt my lungs inflate fully, just seeing her in person with proof that she was, in fact, okay. I have no idea who Scott is to her, but she dismissed him and even ignored her phone ringing immediately after she hung up. I heard the man on the other end shouting but couldn’t make out what he was saying.

There was a lightness about her after she opened the door and hung up the phone. It was as if she was physically shaking off the person on the other end. I expected her to tell me no when I asked if she wanted to go for a walk but was pleasantly surprised when she seemed eager to join us.

Right now, though, holding Issy in her arms and feeding her, she looks relaxed and perfectly at home in this tiny cabin.

“Owen?”

“Huh?”

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