Bo grinned. “Yeah!”
Penelope grabbed a fistful of Everett’s shirt and tugged it happily.
“We should get going, too,” Jayne said. He cleared his throat and gave Shep a meaningful look. If he stayed here any longer, he’d melt into a puddle, and it wouldn’t be because of the Rohypnol. “Thank you for looking after Parker and Shep, Alex. You too, Gwynn.”
“It was no problem at all.” Alex grinned. “You know, of all the harebrained schemes you guys have come up with, I have to say that the Single Dad Babysitting Ring is my favorite. One night looking after all the kids in exchange for one day off a week for the next three weeks? I’ll take it. When are you hosting?”
“Probably after TD.” In an effort not to stare like a slack-jawed idiot at the paternal perfection that was Everett, Jayne gave Shep another hard, meaningful look. Shep, ever cooperative, grunted and climbed to his feet. He shuffled toward the door. “I guess I’ll see you then?”
“You bet,” Alex said. “Do you need us to keep Parker’s car gym here, by the way? Laurence mentioned that you were taking an Uber over.”
Shit.Jayne looked at the car gym. It disassembled and was easily transportable, but it was bulky. Theoretically, it would fit in the trunk of any car, but Jayne wasn’t sure what the etiquette was when it came to transporting something like that in an Uber. It was bad enough that Parker’s car seat was back home in the Biernacki family minivan, leaving the necessity of borrowing a spare from Alex. Jayne was going to have to make do. “Yeah, if that’s okay with you. I can drive back this afternoon and come pick it up. Sorry for the inconvenience—this morning’s been a bit of a disaster.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Everett said, his earnest smile translating flawlessly in his voice. “All things considered, my morning was one of the best I’ve ever had.”
Was Everett trying to turn him into a pile of goo? Jayne stood straight in an attempt to combat bonelessness. He didn’t know if Everett and Caleb were brothers, roommates, lovers, or some incestuous combination of all three, but he did know that whatever their connection, it was best not to get involved. Jayne did one-night stands, not commitments, and he was happy about it, thank you very much. No matter how many military-grade butterflies Everett filled him up with, last night had been his chance, and he’d blown it.
Only, how is that fair?a voice in his mind inquired.They protected you when you were drugged. They brought you home and kept you safe, and they respected you enough not to lay a finger on you.
Jayne bristled at himself.
He hated it when he was right.
“Since it seems you’ve been having a bad morning, why don’t I drive you home?” Everett asked, sending a new shiver of delight down Jayne’s spine. “I’ve got room in the trunk for the car gym, and there’s space in the Jag for you and the kids. Well… for three car seats, anyway. Your brother would probably have to sit on the floor.”
Everett glanced at Shep, who rolled his eyes and shrugged, muttering something about how he’d ride on the roof if he had to in order to get home.
Everett continued earnestly, “All Bo, Penelope, and I were going to do was hang around the condo until their dad gets back home later this afternoon, anyway. It’s not like you’d be keeping us from anything.”
“Adventure!” Bo proclaimed. He fixed his toothy grin on Jayne, and it proved almost as effective at knocking out Jayne’s defenses as the butterflies had been. TD knew how to make cute kids, and fuck, did Everett know how to play his role as their incredibly attractive and dubiously available uncle.
If Jayne said yes, it’d be Everett, Jayne, four kids, and a motherfucking Jaguar. Had Jayne’s heart not been pounding in his chest like he’d just mainlined a dozen Jägerbombs, he would have laughed. Who came to pick up kids in a Jaguar? Apparently the same kind of guy who’d bring home a date-rape drugged stranger, launder his dirty clothes, spot-clean the glitter from his chest, charge his phone, and tuck him into bed without demanding any kind of compensation.
What was the catch?
With men, there was always a catch.
Jayne looked Everett over apprehensively, searching his expression and posture for clues that there was more to what he was saying than what he’d let on, but he found nothing. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to say yes. Jayne was in need of a ride, and it wasn’t like Everett was a stranger. Not only had he proved his character through his actions the night before, but he was TD’s brother and, allegedly, Alex’s cousin. Not even TD, who was sweet and simple in all the best ways, would have let him come pick up the kids if he wasn’t trustworthy.
And besides, it wasn’t like Everett was asking him out. All they were going to do was—
“In fact,” Everett continued, cutting Jayne off from his thoughts. “Since we have some extra time, I was thinking about stopping to eat. If your morning was terrible, you probably haven’t eaten, right?” Everett’s eyes sparkled. He knew that Jayne hadn’t eaten, but it seemed like he wasn’t about to broadcast it to the rest of the house. What had happened last night and this morning would stay between them. Jayne couldn’t begin to express how thankful he was for Everett’s discretion. “We could grab breakfast or something. I’ve heard about a little place that does great bacon.”
“Not that awful charred stuff that’s all the rage these days, right?” Jayne hitched an eyebrow. He couldn’t resist.
Everett laughed. “No, I promise—there won’t be a charred piece of bacon in sight.”
9
Caleb
Ifound him.
The text from Everett arrived while Caleb was drying the cast iron pan he’d used to make bacon earlier that morning. Far more interested in figuring out what Everett meant than continuing with kitchen cleanup, Caleb set the pan aside, rinsed his hands, and shook the water from them until they were dry. Once his thumb was dry enough the sensor could read his thumbprint and unlock his phone, he fired back with a text of his own.You what?
I found him. Jayne, I mean. Apparently it’s spelled with a y. I guess that makes it masculine.
You did not.
