Page 75 of The Complication
Parker. Ah. Wear the blue one. You’re too sexy in the red one. The Board wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Me: Does that mean I can wear the red one only for you?
I held my breath. Had I gone too far? Pushed too much?
Parker: Flirt. Behave.
Parker: Have fun with your meeting. I’ve got a full diaper and a messy face waiting for me.
I’d never thought it possible, but right then, I would have traded all future board meetings for one more of Joy’s stinky diapers.
The next dayI texted him asking for lunch suggestions.
The day after that, we discussed if I should try a new hairstyle. Parker was vehemently against it, so I got my usual haircut.
And the day after that, Parker sent me an adorable picture of Joy. But the text message was even better.
Parker: Would you be free to go out on a date with me on Saturday?
26
PARKER CAIN
When I pickedDeclan up for our date, I wasn’t sure which of us was more nervous. Yeah, we’d fucked countless times and we’d lived together, but something in my head shouted that this was my last chance to put us on the right foot. We’d done everything out of order and backward from the very beginning. If we were going to make this work, I needed us to do things properly just one time. After today, we could return to our usual chaos.
Declan answered the door instead of Franks. God, the man looked so fucking good. I’d texted him that he should dress casually. I was still a little stunned as he stepped outside in a pair of dark jeans and a white button-down shirt. The air had taken on a chill in the evenings, with more rain showers popping up. Summer was over, and fall was crawling into Cincinnati.
“Damn,” I whispered.
“What?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to say that out loud. But really, baby, I think you got sexier, and that’s not fair.”
One corner of Declan’s mouth lifted in a near smirk. “Same for you. Did you lose some of the baby weight?”
A loud bark of laughter escaped me, and I stumbled a couple of steps. I hadn’t expected him to make such a great quip. “Yes! I had to fend for myself for a while. No more delicious Donovan food and endless snacks. I lost some of my dad bod.” I patted my mostly flat stomach, relieved that my clothes were fitting less snugly again.
It hadn’t occurred to me how much snacking I’d been doing until I didn’t have someone bringing me goodies every day. Dinners also became a lot more basic once I had to cook them. Unfortunately, I was also putting Joy on store-bought food. The spoiled little princess was not a fan, but she’d adjust.
“You’ve always been sexy to me,” Declan continued.
“Come on, flirt. There’s someone I want you to meet before dinner.” I waved him toward my car, waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “I’ve got a pot roast in the oven. You’re getting my home cooking tonight.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Declan’s eyes light up. “With the potatoes?”
The man was addicted to those potatoes, and I was happy to make them for him for the rest of our lives if it meant I got to see that look of joy in his eyes.
“We’ll see.”
As I reached the car, I opened the passenger side door for him, but he froze when he peered into the back seat to find the car seat missing.
“Where’s Joy?”
“Sebastian and Byron volunteered to babysit tonight.”
Declan’s head snapped around, and I swore he stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You’re joking?”
“Nope.”
