“Why?”
“They can fly. They are very smart. They take good care of their young.” He reached out and tickled the side of Avery’s neck. She dropped the mischievous look and let out a genuine giggle. “And they look really silly when they are trying to walk across ice.”
“Really?”
“I wanna see,” Addison said.
“Let me just finish my masterpiece.” The braids Sloan had put in Avery’s hair the other day were still in pretty good shape. The style Rafe had attempted on Addison’s hair looked fucking terrible though, and he owed it to her and both of their self esteems to fix it. After bringing down two different combs, four different hair products and the spray bottle they kept in the bathroom, he pulled their little blue coloring table over to the couch and got to work. He looked at the paused YouTube tutorial one more time. His parts were the issue. He had to get better at making clean parts. He looked down at Addison’s soft curls and realized Avery’s patience wouldn’t hold out that long.
Distractions seemed to be the theme of the week for everyone under the Copeland roof. Rafe couldn’t stop thinking about the way things had unfolded between him and Sloan a few nights ago. Kissing her, touching her, making her come had been fucking amazing. He’d jerked off in the shower after they kissed the first time. When she came to his room, his dick was more than ready for a second round, but the alarm he’d set had gone off before he’d sated his desire to find out how good his dick felt inside her pussy.
All he wanted was for Sloan to spend the night in his bed, even though he knew there was no chance in hell of that happening. They were just testing the waters and those baby steps didn’t involve an overnight in each others’ arms. She’d done the right thing and slipped out his room and back upstairs, so she could get some sleep. Rafe had jerked off again.
He knew that for as long as he worked for Sloan there was a pretty good chance he’d be building up his forearm strength. What he didn’t expect was the stiff hello he’d received the next morning when Sloan was heading out. Not that he expected her to give him a four-limbed greeting in the early morning light. But he didn’t expect her to go out of her way to avoid his gaze as she got her stuff together. In the short time they’d known each other, she’d been sweet, a little awkward, and warm with him.
That morning, it was clear she’d constructed a bit of a wall between them. She wasn’t cold exactly, though something was definitely off. When she returned from the hospital, it was more of the same. She was oddly distant, even though Rafe had already put the girls to sleep. He understood that post-nut clarity, the logic your brain magically reclaimed when you got an orgasm out of the way and regained your sanity. He just wasn’t sure how it would impact Sloan.
After running every second they’d spent together through his head, Rafe had to admit that they just didn’t know each other very well. Definitely not well enough for him to know how Sloan dealt with morning afters, even when he thought they were on the same page. They also weren’t in a relationship. And on top of all that, she was a fucking surgeon.
Rafe couldn’t imagine the stress, the pressure that came with a job that intense. Still, instead of moving forward he felt like things had stalled out. Rafe couldn’t say it didn’t bother him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Good thing he had two small children he was now responsible for. Keeping children alive—an excellent way to keep your mind off your bizarre personal life.
“Grab the tablet,” he told Avery, “and I’ll walk you through it.”
“Kick. Ass.” she said, throwing her foot in the air.
“Hey, take it easy with the colorful language.”
“Sorry. Kick butt, kick butt, kick butt,” she sang as she danced across the room. The house phone rang just as she reached the tablet where it was plugged in. She changed course and sprinted for the kitchen.
“It’s grandma!”
“That’s some amazing caller ID you got there.”
“Grandmas are the only ones who call the house phone,” Addison explained.
“Oh, okay. If it’s not your grandmother, give me the phone, please.”
“Hi grandma,” Avery said, nice and loud, letting Rafe know she had the situation under control. “It’s Avery. I’m good. How are you?” Avery at least knew how to respect her ultra elders. “Mommy is still at work and we have to get ready for bed soon. We have new nanny. He’s a boy.”
Rafe glanced over at Avery, who wasn’t paying him a lick of attention now. She was tracing the tile pattern with her socked feet. “Almost one week.—Okay.” Avery came back over to the couch and held out the cordless phone. “Here, talk to grandma.”
“Hello,” Rafe said in his most polite voice. He tied off the final braid and gave Addison’s shoulder a little squeeze. She looked over her shoulder, then ran toward the bathroom to check his handiwork when he gave her the thumbs up.
“So you’re Rafe.”
“I am. I’m not sure which grandmother I’m speaking to, but it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Sloan’s mom. Pauletta.” Just then, he heard the door to the garage open.
“Would you like me to call you Pauletta or Mrs. Copeland?”
“Pauletta would be just fine. Thank you for asking. Where are your people from, Rafe? I think I hear a little North on I-95 in your voice,” she asked as Sloan came walking into the kitchen. She never stopped being gorgeous. Still, she looked like she’d been put through the ringer.
“Right outside of Boston. Woburn.” Pauletta said something about having family in Barnstable, but Rafe wasn’t paying attention. He was too focused on Sloan. Their eyes met for a moment as she put her stuff down on the counter before she looked away. It had been that way all week.
“Hey, love bugs.”
“Mommy!” Avery said, jumping up and down.
