“About thirty minutes. I tried the whole going in and rubbing her back until she fell asleep again thing, but she wasn’t having it.” He lifts Ellie to stand on his legs and she starts bouncing and jiggling like she’s on the dance floor. “Girl is ready to par-tee,” he says with the besotted smile Ellie brings out of him.
“He’s thrilled leg day got cut short,” Tyler adds, standing and stretching. “But I put him through a decent amount of torture before the munchkin takeover.”
“I’m so sorry,” I repeat, mortified. “Taking care of her is literally my job, and I?—”
“We managed just fine,” Felix cuts me off, his voice gentle. “You must have needed the rest. Tyler will be back to kicking my a—” He wrinkles his nose at Ellie, who’s watching him with wide eyes. “...Bum… all over the gym on Monday.”
Ellie giggles again. “Bum!”
Felix points to the television. “Bluey bum.”
Ellie shrieks with delight then drops onto his lap, curling against him. And despite my internal guilt trip, I can’t help but smile.
Tyler grabs his gym bag from the floor. “As much as I’d love to continue bingeing the adventures of painfully annoying cartoon dogs, I’m out.” He jabs a finger in Felix’s direction. “Show up tonight.”
“Not likely.” There’s an edge to Felix’s voice I can’t quite identify.
“What’s tonight?” I ask, not sure I really want to know.
“I’m meeting up with Mindy and some of her friends at a bar in town. Live music, pool, darts, people. All of which are normally right up Barlowe’s alley. Only now, he’s a hermit.”
“You know why,” Felix says through gritted teeth.
“You have Piper to stay with Ellie.” Tyler pulls out his phone, tapping the screen. “I’m texting you the address. Come out, man. It’s Friday night. You need to let the old Felix out of his cage for a few hours.”
Felix rolls his eyes. “Fudge you, Ty.”
“You’re not my type.” Tyler’s tone is dry, but he turns to me with a smile. “If he stays in, you’re welcome to join us instead. I guarantee a good time.”
Felix makes a sound low in his throat that sounds an awful lot like a Roy Kent-style growl, which is surprisingly hot. But he doesn’t say anything or tell me I can’t go.
“Thanks,” I say, even though the idea of hitting a bar makes me exhausted all over again. “I’ll think about it.”
As Tyler heads for the door, I walk to the kitchen and grab a glass of water before returning to the family room. Bluey’s family is playing some elaborate game that involves the entire house, and Ellie is transfixed. Even with the sound from the TV, the cabin feels too quiet. Too intimate.
“I should feed her dinner,” I say, needing something to do with my hands. “Do you want?—”
“I’ll handle it.” Felix places Ellie on the sofa next to him then stands.
“I can do it, Felix. I’m capable of handling dinner.”
“I know you are.” One thick brow lifts. “But if you’re meeting up with Tyler and the gang, you might want to start getting ready.”
“How bad do I look that you think I need hours of prep for a night out?” I try to make the question sound like a joke, but the truth is his words sting more than they should. “And why aren’t you going?”
“You don’t look bad.” His jaw clenches, and he glances out the picture window that frames the valley. “Tyler’s right. I’m wound too tight, and now I’m projecting on you. Maybe I need to go out and get my head straight.”
We both know it’s not his head that he’s talking about, and something twists in my chest at the thought of Felix with another woman. Like I have any right to act or even feel possessive. So I plaster on the widest smile I can manage. “You should definitely go out.”
I move to the sofa and take a seat next to Ellie, gathering her in my arms. Felix and I stare at each other for a long moment, engaged in some silent battle of wills neither of us wants to acknowledge.
“I’m going to take a shower,” he says finally.
“Great.” I force a brightness into my voice that coats my tongue in acid. “Maybe you’ll meet a nice single mom fangirl who can help with yourhead.”
His eyes flash with something that, if I didn’t know better, I’d call hurt or anger, but he just shakes his head and disappears upstairs.
The episode ends, and I carry Ellie into the kitchen, my thoughts churning as I heat up her dinner. This is good. It’s what Felix and I need—space, distance, and a reminder that this isn’t real. We’re just two people stuck together by circumstance…and a series of poor decisions on my part.
