He nods, and as I secure a blanket to a chair, Ines appears with coffee in hand, dressed in dark blue skinny jeans and a white shirt.
“Going somewhere?”
“I made a nail appointment.” She lowers her gaze to her feet then peers up at me. “Is that okay? Can you look after Santi?”
I brush my fingers over Santi’s cheek before I stand and step toward his mom. I duck my head low so my eyes are level with hers. “Of course it’s okay. I told you I’d look after him anytime.”
“Thank you.” Lips pursed, she assesses her son. “He should be ready to eat at one, and he usually naps right after lunch. There’s soup in the fridge. You’ll just need?—”
I place my hand on her shoulder, silencing her. “Go. We’ll be fine.”
Ines gives me a grateful smile then says goodbye to Santi, crouching and kissing him on the forehead. “Uncle Hayden is going to look after you for a little while. Promise me you’ll listen to him?”
“Okay.” He nods, eyes serious and trained on her.
“I won’t be long. After your nap, I’ll be home.”
“Okay.”
She kisses him again and then heads out. When the door closes behind her, I turn to Santi with a mischievous grin.
“So, how about we build a fortress instead of a house?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” He jumps around, hands in the air.
“And then we’ll play. Who do you want to be? A knight whoprotects the fortress, or”—I pick up the T-Rex toy from the floor—“the dinosaur who wants to destroy it?”
He pumps one fist. “A knight!”
I hold the dino up and bellow, “Then I’ll be a big, roaring dinosaur!”
He presses his hands to his cheeks, looking at me with stars in his eyes. “Tío, you the best.”
I chuckle. “Let’s get to work, buddy.”
Three hours later,Ines returns and takes her shoes off at the door.
“Hey,” I whisper from my spot on the couch. “Santi is still asleep.”
“Thanks.” She gives me a grateful smile. “Want to taste test the croissants before you go?”
I hop up and rub my hands together. “I’d love to.”
She gestures for me to sit at the table then busies herself in the kitchen. “Coffee or tea?”
I scrub a hand down my face, wiping away the fatigue that hit me after Santi went down, when the apartment was quiet. “Coffee.”
As Ines works, I can’t help but think of Riley in my kitchen this morning. The scent of vanilla, the pancakes, and the view—damn, the view almost broke and healed me at the same time.
With her hair pulled up, her delicate neck was on full display, her nipples poking at the fabric of her loose tee, making it hard not to stare at her chest. And those tiny sleep shorts should be fucking illegal. The curve of her ass and her toned legs affected me so viscerally, I had to sit at the bar to hide my erection until after she’d left the kitchen.
In a matter of a week or so, the walls I built between us have really begun to crumble.
“Hade?”
I blink and refocus on Ines.
Brow arched, she studies me. “Is everything okay?”
