“Come here, babe.” He reaches down and grabs my arms, gently pulling me up onto his lap. “That was amazing. Thank you.”
I give him a shy smile and feel the blush heat up my cheeks. “You’re welcome.”
He stands up, still holding me in his arms and starts walking towards my bedroom. “Can I stay?” he asks.
“I’d like that.”
“What time does Brooklyn get up?”
“I usually wake her up by seven a.m.”
“I’ll be gone by then so I’m not here when she wakes up.”
He walks into my bedroom and sets me down on the bed. He follows me into bed, sliding us both under the covers. “Come here, you,” he says as he rolls me to my side, his front snug against my back. Maddox slides one arm under my neck and throws his other over my side, wrapping it around me. I relax instantly in his embrace as he kisses the side of my neck.
“Good night,” he whispers.
“Night, Maddox.”
*****
My alarm clock goes off at six-thirty which generally doesn’t bother me too much, but since Maddox woke me up at five this morning but didn’t leave until five forty-five, I’m dragging a little this morning. I run through a quick shower and set out to getting myself ready for work. When I head into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee before I wake up Brooklyn, I see the pot is already on, coffee already made. I smile at his thoughtfulness.
I step over to the counter where my cell phone sits and send off a quick message to Maddox thanking him for the coffee. Before I can even leave the kitchen to go wake Brooklyn, my phone pings signaling his response.
I figured that since you were short on sleep, a little coffee would help
Indeed it does help. Best way to be short on sleep
Have a good day, babe.
You too. Talk to you later.
I smile widely thinking about the terms of endearment he’s been using lately. Babe or Baby. I never liked them when Drake tried using them, but coming from Maddox, I think I could definitely get used to it. I wander back to Brooklyn’s room and begin the process of getting her ready for the day. Once she’s dressed, teeth are brushed, and hair is pulled up in a ponytail, I fix her up with her favorite Frosted Flakes for breakfast. As she’s eating, I fire off a text message to Jake to confirm that he’s ready for Brooklyn’s arrival.
I have help with Brooklyn four days a week from a neighbor who stays home with her grandkids. Between my mom, brothers or Holly, they all take turns watching her on Monday’s. Brooklyn has preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I always drop her off at school on my way to work and my neighbor, Rosemary, picks her up when she’s done.
Today is one of those days where everyone is working but Jake. He loves spending time with her and gladly does it when he can. With his work schedule though, it doesn’t happen all that often, so Brooklyn is extremely excited to go spend the day with Uncle Jake. I pack a bag of toys and all her necessities and head out the door.
When we pull up to Jake’s house, Brooklyn is already buzzing in the backseat. I help her out and she takes off towards the back door. Jake’s already walking through the door and down the stairs towards us.
“Uncle Jake!”
“Hi, Bean,” he exclaims as he kisses her face. “I’ve missed you!”
“Me too! Let’s go pway dollies!”
“Dollies?” he mumbles at me.
“Oh, you just wait, Uncle Jake. She has a whole bunch of Barbie’s in this bag. And no Ken dolls,” I say with a laugh as I see his face take on a look of pain.
“Barbie’s? I’m going to play Barbie dolls?”
“Yep! We pway Barbie’s! Dollies first, though. You can be a Mommy, too!” Brooklyn exclaims. They both take off inside the house, me bringing up the rear.
“Got any coffee?” I ask.
“Sure, help yourself. Late night last night?”
I almost miss the cup as I pour the coffee. I’m not sure what to tell him. I hate lying to him, but I can’t tell him that I was sleeping with his best friend last night. And this morning. “I was reading too late. You know how it is when I get engrossed in a good book.”
“No, actually I don’t know. I hate reading. Always bribed the pretty girls with dates in school to help me,” he says with a wolfish grin.
“I’m surprised you passed,” I reply dryly.
“Oh, I passed alright. Sex Ed was my favorite class. Straight A’s.”
“Anyway,” I say drawing out the word, “her blanket for naptime is in the bag, she’s already had breakfast, and don’t give her a Snickers bar this time. She was wound up for hours after the last time.”