Play Fair(23)

Jacks picked her up and sat her on the island next to me. “It depends on the context. If I were to say, Buttercup, can you hand me that tool over there? That would mean I was asking you for an instrument used to fix things. But if I said something like B’s ex-boyfriend was a tool, that would be different. That would be me using the word in a negative connotation to describe someone’s less-than-sparkling personality.”

Luke walked in, holding his hand up to Jacks. “Parenting. Nailed it.”

Jacks slapped his hand and then went back to the coffeepot. Was it wrong that I felt no urge to defend Shep? He wasn’t a bad guy; he just didn’t seem to be the guy for me. We’d been together two months; I’d slept with him, then immediately started to get bored as hell. Dammit. Dylan was right. Sort of. I let out a deep breath and then tickled Landry’s ribs. “What do you want for breakfast, sweet girl?”

She giggled and squirmed. “Uh…muffins? Can we make muffins?”

She’d asked me to buy muffins at the store yesterday. I told her we could make better ones ourselves and then piled the ingredients in our cart. I nodded. “We sure can. Blueberry or chocolate chip?”

“Blueberry. I don’t eat chocolate for breakfast.” I turned to the pantry and laughed when I saw Jacks with a cookie halfway to his mouth.

***

Landry and I made muffins, and the wolves descended and ate all of them. Then the guys went down to the studio and Dylan went to work. Once again it was just Lexi, Landry, and I all alone in this massive house. Landry was at the coffee table with a coloring book and huge box of crayons. Lexi was watching a pregnancy yoga workout on TV. Smith had put it on for her before he went downstairs, and she’d gotten on her mat and done it until the door shut. Then she’d gotten up and climbed on the couch. I adored her. I looked out the window, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was too pretty to be inside.

“Hey, Landry? Have you ever seen blue water and powder sugar sand?”

She turned around, her long hair whipping to the side. “No.”

I grinned. “You want to?”

She hopped up, that fun little light in her eyes. “Yes! Can we go?”

“Go upstairs and change into a swimsuit while I get some stuff together.” I looked across the room to Lexi. “How ’bout it, Lex?”

She put her hands on her belly. “I’d love to. But I have a Skype meeting with the builders today. I’ve been overseeing our house as well as Luke’s and Jacks’s. I am spent.” She sat up. “Actually, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to take over Jacks’s place while you are here.”

“Take over how?”

“The guys all worked on their own plans with the architects, but they need help picking out everything else. Tile, paint colors, fixtures. Would you mind?”

Would I mind picking things out for a house that wasn’t mine? That some other woman would live in one day? I couldn’t say I was thrilled about it. But if Lexi needed help, I wouldn’t deny her. “Uh, yeah, sure, I can do that.” I’d just pick out a few different options and then let Jacks do an either/or type of deal. It wouldn’t take long and then he would be responsible for the final decisions. “But can I start tomorrow? I’m taking that girl to the beach.” I jerked my thumb in the direction of the stairs.

“Yeah, of course. You guys go have fun and I’ll put all the catalogues and builder notes in your room.”

I went to the kitchen, got some snacks together, and loaded it all in the small cooler I’d found in the pantry yesterday. Then I headed into the studio to let Jacks know where we were going. I was once again greeted with the sound of a guitar, and before I even saw him, I was licking my lips in anticipation. His eyes opened when my foot hit the last step, like he could sense that I’d entered the room. He continued to play, his gaze never leaving mine. I was captivated by him, and I barely resisted the urge to jump him. After the last chord was strummed, he sat his guitar down and came toward me. My breath hitched in my chest. I had a sudden vision of him grabbing me by the back of the head and pressing his mouth to mine. Well, our friendship was taking an odd turn…

“What’s up, baby doll?”

I blushed. I freaking blushed at the sweet nickname that I’d heard a hundred times before. “I, uh, we’re going to the beach.”

He frowned. “Right now?”

“Yeah, well, Landry said she’s never seen the ocean and it’s such a pretty day.” Why did he look so upset? He asked me to watch her and…oh. “I’m sorry, how selfish of me, I didn’t even think to… You should take her for the first time, you should be there when she sees it.”