You go out this weekend with some friends and enjoy yourself. I’ll stay home and babysit for you. It’ll give Tabby and me plenty of time to bond while you’re gone.”
“How’s that fair to you?” Jax’s brows crinkled. “You’ve been stuck here with us when you should have been able to get some alone time too. Maybe you want to go out …”
“And in due time, I will,” Ryder said, laughing. “But not right now. This weekend can be yours. Gather the guys and go out. Have a good time. I mean it.”
Jax finally nodded. “I’ll go out, but you have to promise me that next weekend, it is your turn.”
Ryder laughed and threw his hands up. “Agreed! If that’ll make you happy.”
“It will,” Jax said, “Now, allow me to cook dinner, and I promise you won’t be sorry.”
Ryder tilted his head and let himself imagine this was him coming home from work, giving Jax a kiss while he made dinner for them, which they would then share.
“The kitchen is yours,” Ryder said. Even though he wanted to kiss him again, he left the kitchen and headed up the stairs. When he reached Tabby’s room, he opened the door and walked over to the crib to find her still sound asleep.
“Hey there, baby girl! You and I are going to have an amazing time this weekend together while your papa has some quality time with his friends. We’re gonna have some fun.” He reached down and brushed the hair from her eyes. “I can’t imagine you not here. I’m hoping one day when you’re a teenager slamming the door, it’ll be in this room.” He sighed, then left her crib and stepped back out into the hallway.
“Are you sure you’re going to be fine here?” Jax asked. “I really don’t need to go out. I feel kind of guilty leaving you and Tabby home alone. I don’t need to hang with the guys. I swear.”
Ryder smiled. “What did we say about doctor’s orders?” He made sure to look stern and got a smile from Jax. “You need to do this for you. And we’re going to be just fine. I’m actually looking forward to spending the day with my favorite girl. So, off you go … Have a good time and try to relax. Tabitha is safe with me.”
“I know she’s safe with you.” Jax held his gaze at that. His eyes dipped downward, and Ryder worried that Jax would start crying. Jax shrugged, then looked back up. “I know she’s safe with you, but come on … It’s going to be weird going out and leaving you back here to watch over my child.”
The way Jax said “my child” bothered him. He knew that Tabby was Jax’s. He wasn’t trying to interfere where he didn’t belong, but along the way, he’d fallen in love with Tabby, and he’d hoped that Jax would start seeing him as someone who would make a great parent for her. He forced a smile.
“I understand what you’re saying,” Ryder said. “But Tabby and I will be just fine. So, you don’t need to worry about anything. Remember, I’m the one offering, so it’s not like you’re saddling me with her. Just remember that.”
When Jax finally stopped fretting, he went and got ready to meet up with the guys. It wasn’t long before there was a honk, and Jax was running down the stairs. He stopped and kissed Tabby, then Ryder. Then ran out of the door.
Ryder stayed frozen in the spot by the door, then he moved to watched Jax and waved back when Jax did so from inside the car. Ronin was driving.
Ryder watched the car disappear and couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
When he finally closed the door and took a seat, he couldn’t stop thinking about how normal and right it’d felt having Jax kiss him as he left the house like it was something he did every single day.
“Your papa …” Before he could even figure out how to finish the sentence, Tabby woke up and started to cry.
“Hey, there bug.” Ryder put her on his shoulder and began patting her back, “Hungry? Wet?” He checked her diaper and stood, heading for the stairs.
He rocked her as he grabbed a fresh diaper. When he laid her down on the changing table, she looked up at him with those big blue eyes of hers. “Yes, you’re alright. Aren’t you, Tabby?” She giggled, and he grinned and bent down and kissed the top of her head.
Ryder quickly changed her, then picked her up and headed for the kitchen. As he put her in the bassinet they kept in the kitchen and headed for the fridge to grab a bottle, a cold sensation crept up his spine. He looked around and hurried back to the bassinet to make sure Tabby was okay. She was.
If something was wrong with Jax, his brother would call him. So he shook off the feeling and walked back to the fridge, got the bottle, and put it in the bottle warmer. “You’re being crazy, probably just worrying about Jax.” Yeah, that must be it. It was Jax’s first time out of the house. But even as he waited for the bottle to be ready, Ryder couldn’t shake the feeling that someone or something was watching him.
Ryder went and picked up Tabby and checked the back door to make sure it was locked. His wolf was still on edge, so he checked the front door, too.
“Okay, we’re safe and sound,” he said. “Ryder has you.” Tabby mewled, and he hurried back to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle.
Ryder walked into the living room and sat in the rocking chair. He’d bought it specifically for Jax. He tested the milk’s temperature. Satisfied, he put the bottle to Tabby’s lips, so she would start sucking. When she got going on the bottle, Ryder smiled at the sucking sounds she made. “You're a good eater, aren't you?”
He swore she smiled at him even with the bottle between her lips.
“What am I going to do with your papa, little one?”
He looked down at her as she drank hungrily, and he smiled. She continued to suck on her bottle, but she never stopped staring at him.
“We kissed, but he still seems to want to run from me. Isn’t that crazy?” She made a gurgling noise around the nipple, and Ryder chuckled. “I agree. It’s crazy. I should just tell him how I feel, right? Then at least he knows.”
