“Thank you,” she murmurs, pausing for a beat. “I should?—”
“Oh, I forgot to ask. How’s Kyle’s sitter doing?” he interrupts her, like the words were already on their way out of his mouth before she continued.
Her hand locks up in my grasp.
A sitter? Why would Kyle need a sitter?
Oh my God, she has a kid. I didn’t even think of that as a possibility. No wonder she didn’t want to tell me about him. I don’t think anyone knows besides maybe her family and Andy.
God, I was so insensitive about it. But it all makes perfect sense now.
She swallows. “Really good actually. I get constant photos and updates. I love working with her.”
She has a kid. Wow, I can’t believe it. I didn’t exactly picture myself becoming a dad or father figure for the first time like this, but that doesn’t mean I’m not willing and wanting.
Andy’s voice is pure happiness. “Good.” He yawns. “Well, I’ll let you get some sleep. See you in the morning.”
“Sounds good. Night,” she sings out, quickly shutting the door and locking it.
“Ooh, locking us in? I like it,” I tease her.
Her head whips my way. “The second his door clicks shut, you’re gone.”
“Shay,” I whisper, her hand still in mine, “come on. Just talk to me.”
“About what?” she scoffs. “We have nothing to talk about.”
Her free hand stretches out for the door handle, and I don’t miss the frustration pinched in her face as she struggles to push it down. God, that must be the most challenging thing in the entire world to go through.
“Come on.” I slide over, blocking the door and dropping her hand, only to shift it to the bow on her pajama bottoms. I twirl the ribbon, tugging her gently, and surprisingly, she steps toward me.
“Matt,” she warns, like she’s terrified to cross this line.
“You know you could have told me about your son. I wouldn’t have told anyone,” I tell her honestly, understanding why she kept it a secret but still pained that she didn’t trust me with it.
Her head twitches, nostrils flaring and lips turning up at the corners. “My what?”
I tug her closer, and her hands flatten on my chest, the warmth spreading through my entire body from her touch.
“Your son, Kyle. The one you have a sitter for. I get it. But you having a kid isn’t going to scare me away, Rooney. You should know that.”
A thousand emotions flutter through her features, like she can’t decide what to land on. “Wait …what?Kyle is not my son.” She laughs, tipping her head back with a shit-eating grin. “Kyle’s my … oh my God, this istoo good.”
Did I not hear Andy right? I swear he said something about a sitter.
“Okay, enough laughing,” I tease her, pulling her tighter against me until her thighs brush mine and she’s forced to look straight up at me, her chin grazing my pec. “I’m fully prepared for fatherly duties.”
She wets her bottom lip, biting down on it to stifle her laughter. And for the first time ever, it’s like the titles of our positions fade away, and we’re just Shay and Matt. No rules or boundaries or fear of the what-ifs.
“No need for that,” she mutters, stepping back, and I instantly miss her warmth. “Kyleismy son … but he’s also a dog.”
My words can’t leave me fast enough. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”
She takes another step back, like she’s sobering up from the moment we just shared. “Kyle is my dog.”
“Yourdog.” I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. Lifting my fist to my heart, I do my best to fight the growing smirk. “I swear to be an exceptional dog dad from this day forward.”
She rolls her eyes and laughs. “You have to stop. You’re making this impossible, you know.”
