“I mean … what else am I supposed to do? She’s mydaughter. Her mother justabandonedher. I don’t see any other choice.”
His dark blue eyes have always been like ocean waves that could take me down with just one look.
I’ve managed to keep my distance from him for years. Spending the night in his place, with his daughter, feels dangerous. I shouldn’t do it.
But I’ve never done what I should do where Walker is concerned.
Chapter Four
Walker
Iknow it’s not the smartest thing to do, asking Jessie to stay with me. There are many reasons why I’ve kept my distance from her over the years. But I’m desperate. I need her help. And I trust her.
She stands in front of me, arms wrapped loosely across her torso, biting the inside of her cheek as she considers what I’m asking. All I can do is stand and wait, hoping she agrees. Because if she doesn’t, I don’t know what I’ll do.
“I’m not promising more than tonight.” She points her finger at me, but all I feel is relief.
At least I know I can make it through the night. Tomorrow is an entirely new beast.
“Thank you, Jessie,” I sigh.
She looks around my place. “So, what is it that you have?”
I point to the diaper bag. “That’s all—what is in there. Oh, and a stroller in the hallway.”
Her eyebrows rise. “That’s it? You can’t even make it through the night with that. We need to go to the store. Now.”
“Now? She just fell asleep. Where do I even put her to go shopping? Can I just carry her into the car? Is that safe?”
“Shit. No. She needs a car seat. Okay.” She takes a deep breath in and then lets it out. “I’m going to run to the store.”
She grabs her purse off of my counter.
“Ugh, you’re gonna just leave her here with me … alone?”
If looks could kill, I’d be dead.
“Seriously, Walker? You want my help? I’m helping. Yes, I’m going to leave you alone with your daughter for, like … an hour.”
I gulp down the mountain of anxiety that creeps in at the thought of being alone with her for an entire hour. “Okay. I’ll just … hold her like this, I guess.”
She rolls her eyes. “Do what you gotta do.”
She holds out her hand, as if I’m supposed to give her something. I raise my eyebrows in question.
“Credit card, dummy. I’m not paying for this shit.”
“Oh, right.” I turn around and stick out my butt. “Wallets in my pocket.”
She reaches in, and—I’m not gonna lie—the warmth of her hand on my ass is nice. Even in a moment of panic, my body reacts to her touch. It just proves that this is a stupid idea, being this close to her for an extended period of time.
“Which one?” she asks as she opens the wallet, apparently completely unaffected by touching me … there.
“Um … the black one right there.”
Another eye roll from her. “Of course you have a black Amex.”
What a surprise. A snarky, judgmental comment from the world’s most annoying woman. If she wasn’t saving my life right now, I’d have something to say back.
