Page 33 of The Third Girl

CHAPTER 15

MATT

Shit.The sound of Sailor crying comes through the baby monitor on the bathroom counter. I don’t know what’s going on with these earlier-than-usual nighttime wake ups. Except, she was feeling crappy earlier this week, so it threw off her sleep schedule. Now that she’s better, it’s like she’s trained herself to rouse at that time when she hadn’t been doing that for months and months. Unfortunately, this is exactly when I’m in the middle of showering and getting dressed for work. I might have to change my routine if this keeps up.

The wails get progressively louder as I hurry to rinse the lathered soap from my body and the shampoo out of my hair. After a particularly loud howl, I grimace.Fuck it.I snatch a towel from the bar outside the shower, give it a cursory swipe over my skin to catch the bulk of the water dripping from me, then wrap it around my waist, tucking the end in before I dart from the bathroom.

At the doorway of Sailor’s bedroom, I come to a screeching halt. The first thing to register in my head is that the light is on and the door is standing open. The second is that the incessant screaming has stopped. And the third is that Skylar sits in the rocking chair with my daughter on her chest, calmly stroking a hand over her back. She whispers softly to her in tones too low for me to hear.

A few nights ago, I’d told Skylar that it was okay if she came in without knocking and made herself comfortable. I didn’t want her standing out on the front porch waiting on me if I was caught up with Sailor or still showering or something. She’s not a guest here anymore. Most days, she spends at least a third of her hours in my home.

I grip the sides of the doorway with more force than is necessary, not knowing how to proceed. I can’t stop myself from staring at the picture the two of them make in the rocking chair. It knocks the wind out of me. I never imagined someone else would be holding my child and rocking her in the chair Terri used to sit in.

“Oh hey, Matt.” Her green eyes snap to mine and widen before making a slow journey down my torso. Because,shit.I’m in a goddamn towel and still wet from my shower. But the way she’s looking at me… I must be imagining it. Her slim throat works visibly to swallow. “It’s okay. I’ll get her back down. You can finish getting ready.”

That’s when I realize I haven’t said a damn word. And I’m dripping all over the floor. And it’s soapy. And I have a rapidly developing hard-on. “Thank you.” I hesitate, then mutter, “Shit, sorry.” Needing to not be in close proximity with her right now, I spin around and stride right back to my room.

Back in my shower, I spend the next few minutes mentally beating myself up. Guilt crashes over me in waves. Seeing Skylar sitting in the rocking chair just like Terri used to had been a punch to the gut. But at the same time, it didn’t stop my body from responding to her. Not one bit. I hope like hell I turned away fast enough, because my dick was all for saying hello. I shake my head. Not gonna happen. I rinse off properly this time before drying myself and getting into uniform. By the time I’m done with that, I’ve managed to calm myself down. Sort of, anyway.

Seeing the light off and the door closed to Sailor’s room—and the soap suds gone—I head downstairs to search for Skylar before I leave for work.

I find her in the living room, curled up with an e-book reader. “Hey. Sorry about earlier. You didn’t have to clean up, I could have done it.”

She gives me a funny smile, picking up her phone off the back of the couch, and glances at it. “You wouldn’t have had time. It’s fine. I’m sorry if I surprised you, but I didn’t figure you’d want me to ignore her crying up there.”

I run my hand over my freshly shaven cheek, then slide it to the back of my neck, pulling on it. I wince. “You’re right. Sorry for running around in a towel.”

“It’s your home. What were you supposed to do? You didn’t know I was there.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I check my watch and to my dismay, I see I’m going to be late if I don’t leave in the next minute or so. “Okay, well.”

“It was no big deal. I’ll see you in the morning, Matt.”

* * *

I’m grumpy as hell. During my shift, there was an incident with some kids sneaking into the high school and using the gymnasium as their own personal playground. Not to mention the fact that they were all hopped up on who knows what. Logan was on the call with me and, man, we had a time of it corralling the teens and taking them down to the station. I feel for the school’s principal who got a middle-of-the-night emergency call that they’d need a cleanup crew in there the next morning.

But really, Logan and I had it easy. The other two officers on duty had to deal with a couple of cars that collided on a narrow country road on the outside of town. We haven’t heard yet whether there were fatalities. I draw in a shaky breath, getting worked up just thinking about it. Anytime I hear about a vehicular accident, I automatically flash back tothatnight. And the thing is, I know if I had to do it again, I would. If I had to help someone, I’d absolutely do it without hesitation. But the thing is, I’m certain that it would mess me up badly, so I can’t bring myself to regret being sent on the call to the high school on this occasion, instead.

I finish up my shift report and turn it in, then stop for a moment at the front desk. There’s a young guy manning it. He’s been here since last Saturday. He’s doing okay with it, but it feels awfully strange to see someone other than my mother sitting behind the bulletproof glass. With a sigh, I give him a wave and turn to leave, but get waylaid by my brother as he comes in.

“Hey, you have a sec?” Travis waves me over to the side of the lobby where there’s a bench without waiting for my response.

I huff out a tired laugh. “Yeah, sure.” We sit down, and Travis braces his hands on his knees, but turns his head to peer at me. “Um, so Kennedy’s been fussing at me for the last couple of days.”

I rear my head back. “What did you do?” My brows draw together. Kennedy’s like a sister to me. And she’ll soon legally be my sister-in-law. “Do I need to throat punch you? Because you’re my brother, but—”

“Good. It’s good to know that you’d defend my wife against anyone who might cause her grief.” He laughs, shaking his head. “No, it’s actually because of something I haven’t done yet, and she insists it’s necessary.”

I cock my head, shifting my body toward his.

He does the same. “I figured it was obvious, but she says I’m supposed to formally ask you.”

My lips stretch into a slow smile because I know what he’s about to say. “What are you asking me, little brother?”

“There’s no one else I’d ask to be my best man. So… will you stand up with me at my wedding?”

I nod, then pull him into a tight hug. “I would do anything you asked of me, but I’d be honored to be at your side when you marry Kennedy.”

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