Page 29 of The Way We Collide

8

Raven

“This house is incredible! And this view…” I’m standing on a concrete balcony with a bronze and glass banister overlooking the city of Los Angeles spread out for miles below. “It’s like that house inCharlie’s Angels. You know, the one where Drew Barrymore falls over the balcony?”

“Never saw it.” Hendrix stands at the sliding glass doors with Haddy against his chest.

He’s getting better at holding her. In the past few days, all through hiring the movers and coming here, he’s gone from stiff and nervous to relaxed and downright sexy holding her.

Not that I’m thinking of him in those terms.

We’ve laid the ground rules, and I’m sticking to them.

His daughter, by contrast, has no rules and is clearly in love with her daddy. She’s gotten to where she’ll go to him as quickly as me. He can even get her to stop crying now.

“We’ve got to do something about your lack of movieknowledge.” I lean my back against the railing, crossing my arms. “Are you not coming out here?”

“I don’t want to get too close to the railing while I’m holding her. She might jump out of my arms.”

Pressing my lips together, I will not tease him for being overprotective. It’s actually kind of cute. “Then I’ll come to you.”

I walk across the wide balcony, stepping into his posh home. It has heavy, reclaimed wooden floors with rustic columns throughout. All of his furniture is leather and dark mahogany wood. It’s designed in a split-level style with the different floors separated by short flights of stairs.

It’s very Frank Lloyd Wright, built into the side of the hill and designed to blend with the scenery, concrete and steel.

“Jack said we could hire someone to childproof the house for us.” He walks into the living area where a massive flatscreen television hangs over a gas-log fireplace. “We can put pillows around the fireplace mantle, but this coffee table is a hazard.”

“We should be okay until she starts walking.” I pause at a credenza where several framed photographs are arranged.

One is of Hendrix and Garrett hugging each other on the sidelines. As much shit as they give each other, I can tell from their expressions it’s all an act. Pure love is on their faces.

“I adore this photo.” I lift it, turning it so he can see.

“Oh, yeah.” He stops, walking back to where I’m standing. “I wanted to have one of all four of us together, but Jack retired before I could.”

“You have this one of you and Garrett with Logan.” It’s a shot of the three of them together on the sidelines. Garrett’s arms are crossed, but Logan is laughing at something Hendrix has said. “These are so good!”

“That one’s from the team photographer.” He nods at it. “The other one came from a gossip site. They made a lot of money catching us all together like that.”

“Are you saying this is a money shot?” I tease, replacing the photo.

“Definitely.”

Following him through the house, I’m in love with the gorgeous, mid-century modern design, then we arrive at another short flight of stairs leading to a whole separate wing.

“This will be your half of the house.” He slides his hand over a light switch, and warm yellow light illuminates a spacious sitting area with wood-paneled walls and two doors on either side leading to separate bedrooms.

“Very inviting.” I open one of the doors to see a wide-open space with a desk and two chairs in the center. A king-sized bed is near the windows, covered in a pine green duvet with fluffy white pillows. “I take it this is my room?”

“Is that okay?”

“It’s beautiful.”

My suitcases are stacked beside the closet, and I remember briefly seeing a man at the airport collecting our things and loading them into a black SUV.

Hendrix leads us across the hall, opening the other door to a pretty room painted in a vintage purple color. It has a gleaming wooden crib at the back wall with a pretty mobile attached to the side. Plush, pink and purple fairies hang from it all holding wands with ribbon streamers.

The mattress is made up with a pink and purple crib sheet and a bumper all around the sides. A queen-sized bed is positioned against the opposite wall, and a glider with a footstool is by the floor-to-ceiling windows, which have blackout shades waiting to be lowered.

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