“I’ll hold her if you want me to,” Vale said across from him.
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t mind.” Vale threw his napkin down, then stood. “Let me go wash my hands first.”
“Okay.” Fox watched him disappear into the bathroom then turned to Ava sitting beside him. “So, how long have you known, Captain Vale?”
“I just met him today.”
“Really?”
“He seems like a good enough guy.”
“He is,” Fox told her.
“How do you know him? You guys seem like friends, but not. If you get what I mean.”
“We’re family friends. And yes, I know what you mean. But trust me, we’re friends.”He just doesn’t know it yet.
Fox looked at Ava, who was looking at Genesis. He held Genesis closer in his arms. His former cop senses were telling him that something was off with the kid, not in theI want to steal your baby kind of way, yet he couldn’t pinpoint what he was feeling.
“Okay, let me hold her so you can eat.” Vale returned, taking Genesis from him.
Fox watched as the other man sat back down and cradled Genesis in his arms. He smiled, looking down at her, and just like the last time Vale held her, Genesis gazed up in his face with wonderment. Vale was truly sexy with a baby in his arms.
Maybe one day he’ll hold me in his arms like that.
“Eat before your food gets cold.” Vale looked up from the baby in his arms to Fox.
“Just checking to make sure she’s fine,” Fox lied.
Vale quirked a brow, “What, don’t you trust me?”
“How do you want me to answer that?”
“The truth would be nice.”
“Yes, I trust you.”
Vale stared at him for a bit, and Fox wished he could tell what the man was thinking. “Eat,” he ordered.
“Gosh, you’re bossy,” Ava said beside him.
“You be quiet,” Vale told her.
Fox snickered listening to their banter—they sounded more like siblings than strangers. He reached for the vinegar and Bella’s special seasoning, sprinkling both on his French fries then squirted a large glob of mayonnaise on the side.
“Do you always eat your French fries like that?” Vale asked.
“Yeah.” Fox picked up a couple of fries and dipped it into the mayonnaise, humming at the first delicious bite, his mouth bursting with flavor.
“I knew someone who used to eat their fries like that.”
“It’s the best way to eat it. I like adding a little hot sauce to the mix, but I’m not in the mood for it today.”
Fox bit into his burger, chasing the juices slipping down his chin with his tongue.
“He said the same thing to me as well.”
