Bucking the Rules(83)
“Sorry, little man. Let’s get you out of here.” He hopped down and unbuckled Seth from the car seat, making up his mind then and there to stop by. “We’re just going to pop in quickly and drop off the cookies from Emma. No pressure, right? We’re not hanging around to make her nervous.”
He knew Jo had the afternoon off; she’d texted him that much when he’d messaged her to say good morning. So he didn’t even bother peeking in the bar doors, instead going straight up to her apartment. After a quick knock, he jostled Seth a little on his hip. “You’re going to behave, right? All I need is for you to … hey.”
Jo opened the door, watching them both warily. Her hair was up; she wore a faded scoop neck T-shirt and sweats with the elastic pushed up over her calves and bare feet. “Hey. What’s up?”
He held up the hand with the bag. “Delivery from Emma.”
“Oh.” With another quick glance toward Seth, she opened the door farther and motioned. “Come on in.”
“Thanks.” He handed her the bag and set Seth on the floor with his stuffed dinosaur, Danny. The kid could crawl like hell on wheels, but the apartment was small enough—and Jo was tidy enough—there wasn’t much for him to get into. “Emma wanted to thank you for lunch the other day.”
Jo smirked. “You bought lunch downstairs. I didn’t even make it. That would be Stu’s domain.”
“Well, he can have a cookie, too.” He kissed her cheek, then breathed in. “You cleaning?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“You smell like lemon,” he said with a grin. It was such a homey, domestic picture, he couldn’t help himself. He kissed her more fully on the lips, savoring the contact while still trying to keep one ear out for Seth and any possible mischief. This whole Dating Daddy thing was hell on his nerves.
“While you’re here, you want one?” She pulled back and shook the bag. “I’ve got some milk up here, if you and Seth want some.” She chewed her lip a little. “Can he have cookies yet?”
“Sure, one won’t hurt the kid. And I’m always game for some milk and Emma’s cookies.” He found Seth pulling himself up to stand with the help of the edge of the coffee table. His newest favorite trick. Soon enough, the kid would be walking. The thought both thrilled him and terrified him. “Seth’s not much for cups yet, though, so he’ll just take the cookie.” He went to pick up Seth for their snack.
“Oh, well …” Jo popped into the kitchen, then back out again, holding something. He walked over and took it.
It was a sippie cup, decorated with little cowboy boots and spurs and lassos. “What’s this doing here?”
“I was going to give it to him next time I came over. Or just to you, to give to him.” She snatched it back. “It was stupid. I saw it when I was grocery shopping this morning and I just bought it. It was an impulse purchase. Like a candy bar at the register. If you don’t think he needs it, I can just—”
He kissed her again to stop the flow of words, arching his back in a complex pose to keep Seth from pulling Jo’s hair.
She’d bought his son a sippie cup. A completely benign item, probably only a few bucks, and not altogether special on its own. But this was his Jo. And she’d done it all by herself. And now she was embarrassed by it.
This was a fantastic sign.
“It’s perfect. He’ll love it.”
“I’ll just go wash it,” she mumbled and took off into the kitchen again.
Seth yanked on Trace’s collar and he watched his son motion to the kitchen. “You want the cup back? She’ll bring it. Let’s sit down here a minute and wait our turn.”
He sat, Seth on his knee, and angled the chair out to give them both room. With his legs as long as they were, both his and Seth’s chubby thighs didn’t fit under the table.
“Okay, so that’s one milk for the little guy,” Jo said, carrying in three glasses like a pro. She set the cup down in front of Seth, who grabbed it and started chugging. “Wow, thirsty, huh?”
“Kid likes his milk.” Trace took the glass she offered him and smiled. “Thanks for letting us hang out. We weren’t going to stay… .”
Jo smiled a little at Seth. “It’s fine. He’s cute. And much less crabby than last time, huh?” She reached out and traced one finger down the boy’s cheek. Seth leaned into the touch and grunted excitedly.
Trace reached for the bag of cookies, but had to drop them to grab hold of Seth, who leaned over so far he almost fell from his perch. “Easy, son.”