“Sorry, I need to get home.”
“At least have another beer with us before you go,” Layne insists.
I hold up my hands. “No more beer. I’m on my bike.”
“You’ve had two beers. You’re fine.”
I am fine. But if I have another beer, I won’t be.
“No worries,” Conner says. “We can have a beer on the island. Did I tell you Serena has a best friend who’s single?” He waggles his eyebrows. “I love threesomes.”
I have no interest in Serena’s friend and he shouldn’t either. He’s married. I’m not usually the moral police, but I watched Mom fall apart when she found out Dad left her for another woman. I could never cause that pain.
Mac slaps me on the shoulder. “Once you get the custody arranged, you’ll have more time to spend with us.”
Except I don’t want to give up custody of Adele. I want my daughter in my life every day. Not one day a month. The thought still shocks me, but it feels right.
I stalk to my bike, wondering if my friends have always been this big of assholes. How did I miss this? A cheater, a drinker, and a negligent father.
If this is my normal life, I need a new normal. Maybe a new normal, including a baby girl named Adele and her sexy nanny.
Slow your boat, Zane. Adele is my baby and I shouldn’t abandon her but Sloane is a step too far. Relationships are not for me.
Except…
Being a dad wasn’t for me either.
Chapter 14
“Nothing good ever follows the words ‘Aren’t you going to let me in?’”
Sloane
Iyawn as I make my way from the bedroom to the kitchen. I should still be in bed, but Zane has a meeting this morning and asked me to watch Adele earlier than usual.
I couldn’t say no. Saying no to Zane is difficult enough, but when he’s holding an adorable baby in his arms? It’s impossible.
I really need to save some money and find a place to stay that doesn’t include temptation on a daily basis.
“Good morning,” he greets when I enter the kitchen.
I grunt. I’m not usually a morning person and today I’ve had even less sleep than usual.
He hands me a cup of coffee. “Milk and no sugar. The way you drink it.”
My eyes widen. Zane knows how I drink my coffee? Nope. I’m not going to read anything into this. He doesn’t care for me. He is simply observant.
“Thanks,” I mutter before taking a cautious sip. It’s perfect. Enough milk to kill the bitter taste, but not too much to make the coffee milky.
The doorbell rings. I sigh before setting my coffee down. “I’ll get it.”
“If it’s one of my brothers, don’t let them in. They’ll hide some kind of prank and we won’t find it until the smell gets to us.”
I giggle, but when I open the door and see who’s standing on the porch, the giggle dies in my throat. This isn’t one of his brothers. Not even close.
Mom flips her dyed blonde hair over her shoulder. “Aren’t you going to let me in?”
I open the door and motion her inside.
