Page 113 of Double Daddies
“Me either,” Cami echoes, and as she snuggles in close, I know she’s exactly where she wants to be.
Chapter Six
Ryle
“Do you have everything you need?” I ask Cami.
She stops mid-sprint—her preferred method of getting around—and turns to face me. “Yep.”
“Hmm. Water bottle?”
“Check.”
“Protein bar?”
“Check.”
“What about earplugs?”
She screws up her face. “Earplugs? Why would I?—”
“Just checking.” I kiss her on the lips and give her a firm pat on her ass that brings out her sunny smile. “Have a great day at work.”
“I’ll do my best.” She begins to walk away, but I tug her closer to me, give her belly a rub.
“Bye, baby bean,” I say, even though she’s not showing in the slightest.
She laughs at my antics. “See you when I get home.”
Home. It’s been three weeks since Cami and Ben moved in. So far, things have been going better than I ever could have imagined when I proposed the idea. Ben has returned to deskduty at work, and he and I have managed to find a balance to share both the responsibility and the joy of being with such an amazing woman. If anyone had ever suggested I’d find myself in such an arrangement, I would have found it laughable.
I wouldn’t have been able to imagine getting past the jealousy, the complication, the confusion. But somehow, we have. Cami makes it worth it. And, truth be told, the more I get to know Ben the more I realize he’s actually a good guy, despite how we first met. Now that I’ve been with Cami these last weeks, I can hardly blame him, which is how, despite the unusual circumstances, we’ve managed to form a relationship of mutual respect. Cami likes to call it a “bromance”.
And we both love her so much, we let her get away with it.
My phone begins to vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and check the caller ID. “Speak of the devil,” I mutter as I press the green button and put the phone to my ear. “What’s up?”
“Hey, Ryle. You working?”
“Not yet. My meeting with Asia is tonight. Different time zones.”
Ben whistles. “I don’t envy you.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, we’ve established that. You good?”
“Yeah,” he says.
I hear the hesitation. I wait and give him the space for whatever he wants to say next. I’ve learned a lot about giving space these last few weeks.
“The department thinks I’m ready to try and get off desk duty.”
This time, I’m the one who whistles. “You think you’re ready for that?”
“I don’t know,” he admits. “Would you want to hit the gym with me? I thought I’d start trying to get ready.”
“Sure, I’ll come spot you.”
There’s a beat of silence. I’m not sure if I’ve said something wrong, or if Ben just wasn’t expecting that response. Either way, I know he’s trying—so I can at least meet him halfway.
