Page 14 of The Cowboy Contract
“Yeah. Mommy says it’s normal. All boys get re-rections.” She smiled at him sweetly. “Prolly even you.”
He might deserve every second of what was happening right now, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. And it definitely didn’t mean he had to sit and endure it.
Scooting to the edge of the bed, he hooked one toe into his jeans, lifting them up so he could slide them on, zipping his untimely ‘re-rection’ into hiding before facing his niece. “Are you hungry? Want some breakfast?” He’d give her anything she wanted. Candy. Cookies. Hell, she could plow through a whole can of aerosol whipped cream if she would stop saying wiener and re-rection.
“Yeah. I’m hungry.” Rosemary bounced off the bed, landing like a gymnast against the carpet. “Is Paige bringing us something to eat?”
In all the confusion and trauma of his conversation with Rosemary, he hadn’t had the opportunity to think too much about where Paige might be. The door to the bathroom was wide open and the room beyond was dark, so she likely wasn’t in there.
He stepped out into the hall, looking around. “Have you seen Paige?”
He peeked into Will’s room, fully expecting her to be in there with his nephew. Hoping, even, that was the case, because it would give him another glimpse of Paige cuddling a baby.
He was like a fucking addict. Knew how bad it was for him to think of her the way he did, but still couldn’t stop. Even went so far as to seek out opportunities to make it happen.
Like inviting her over to help him babysit.
But Will’s room was empty outside of the small body beginning to wiggle around in the crib.
His nephew might not be fully awake yet, but Leland knew the second he walked away, the little stinker would unleash holy hell, so he decided to deal with it now. After scooping Will out and changing his ten-pound diaper, the three of them started for the stairs. They were only partway down when familiar voices reached his ears.
“Ugh.” Rosemary made a disgusted sound. “Mommy and Daddy are back.”
Leland scoffed. “Don’t sound so annoyed. You love your mom and dad.”
Rosemary rolled her eyes up to stare at him like he was an idiot. “Yeah, but they make me eat eggs for breakfast.”
“That’s because it’s their job to keep you healthy and filled with vitamins and minerals.” He rested one hand on Rosemary’s back, trying to get her stalled feet moving again. “I don’t have the same restrictions.”
And on some level, he loved it. Loved being able to show up and be fun and laid-back and spoil the shit out of Rosemary and Will.
On the other hand, he wished like hell he had kids of his own to force-feed eggs in the morning. Kids who had their Mommy’s dark hair and green eyes.
Shit.He needed a fucking intervention.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Beverly met them in the entryway. She didn’t greet Rosemary or reach for her baby. Instead, both hands went to her hips as she offered Leland a glare. “What did you do?”
He looked from Rosemary to Will, then back to Rosemary again. “You just said I had to keep them alive. You didn’t say they had to brush their teeth.”
Beverly waved one hand dismissively before finally scooping Will’s chubby body away. “I’m not talking about my kids.” She booped Rosemary on the nose. “Even though they are adorably alive. Thank you for that.” Her glare came back to his face. “I’m talking about Paige. She ran out of here like she was on freaking fire. Or like...” Beverly’s eyes widened and a slow smile worked across her face. “Or like maybe...” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
He pretended not to follow along. No way would Beverly say anything inappropriate in front of her kids, and he planned to use that to his full advantage. “Maybe, what?” He lifted hisbrows, trying to look way more innocent than he was. “You don’t think she was sick, do you?”
Beverly scrunched her face at him, upper lip curling into a scowl. “You know what I mean, Lee. Don’t play stupid.”
He shrugged, turning toward the kitchen. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He didn’t want to have this conversation with his sister again. They’d covered his relationship with Paige a million times. And a million times she’d threatened to punch him in his face for being stupid. He wasn’t in the mood this morning to make it a million and one.
Plus, he wasn’t being stupid. He was being perfectly fucking reasonable and protective of what he had.
“You know exactly what I mean.” Beverly followed right behind him, jabbing his shoulder with her finger in a way that confirmed where her daughter learned that particular trick. “Do I need to wash my sheets?”
He sighed, the sound long and loud and a perfect embodiment of the suffering he’d dealt with over the years thanks to the woman currently giving him the third degree. “No. You don’t have to wash your sheets.” He shot her the same scrunched face expression she’d given him. “Dirty girl.”
“I mean.” His brother-in-law shot him a grin from where he was making himself a cup of coffee. “That is why I married her.”
Normally he would laugh at his brother-in-law’s lame joke, just to make him feel better. But it was early and he was tired. And annoyed. And had to get to work.
