Page 17 of Double Take

When I open my eyes, the sky is dark, leaving my room blanketed in shadows. What time is it? I snatch my phone off the bed–6:30 p.m. I slept all day. How? And who shut off my phone?

I climb out of bed and twist on the lamp. My hair is matted to my head with sweat, and my face is pale with a trail of dried spit crusted in the crevice between my mouth and chin. “Wow. I look like death.”

The door swings open, and Oliver frowns. “What are you doing out of bed? You need your rest. We’ve got everything taken care of, so don’t worry. Sunny is fed, and not some fast-food meal either. We made those animal chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese that Sage brought over. She said Adalyn loves them. Sunny cleaned her plate, so she must feel the same way.”

“Thank you.” I scrub my face to remove the evidence of drool. “That’s so sweet of you and Axel. I appreciate it so much. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He waves his hand dismissively. “We’re good in a crisis.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “That’s handy because all I seem to do is be in a crisis. Please thank Sage for me. And …” I glance away from him, groaning inwardly. My tank top is twisted across my body, leaving little to nothing to the imagination. And my panties barely cover my butt. This day keeps getting better. “Um….” I gnaw on my bottom lip as he leans his shoulder against the doorjamb. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Are you up to it?”

My head spins again. Am I up for what? Him helping me with a shower? Yes, I can handle that. The sickly pallor is gone from my reflection, replaced with ruddy red cheeks. “I’m good. Outside of being weak.”

“Good.” One corner of his mouth arches upward. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. But if you need anything….” His eyes sweep over me before his gaze returns to mine, but not before my toes curl from the heat radiating off him. “Let us know.”

“Okay.” My mouth is so dry I can hardly speak.

“Your color looks better.” He winks as he shoves off the wall.

“Yeah.” I speed-walk to the bathroom, snapping the door shut, and smack my head against the trim. There’s no point in denying I want him. I shudder from head to toe. But I also want Axel. What am I supposed to do?

Chapter Ten

Axel

I boost Sunny onto my shoulders and walk to the Christmas tree. “Go ahead, pumpkin. Put the star on the top of the tree.”

“So pretty.” Her delighted laughter fills spots in my heart that I didn’t know were broken. I knew I was carrying some baggage from my childhood, but I didn’t realize how much I missed these warm holiday activities until we decided to get a tree for the girls and put it up while Rylee slept.

And if you’d asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted children, I would have said no. The thought of screwing another person up because I couldn’t connect and provide the attention kids need had kept me from considering that type of relationship. But I was wrong. Connecting with Sunny has been easy and instantaneous, and I want her to have these memories etched onto her heart so that she has a solid foundation to build her future.

“Go play with your toys.” I drop her down to the ground and wait for Oliver to join me with a mug of steaming coffee. The expression of pure joy on Sunny’s face as she runs across the room causes a lump to form in my throat. Rylee might think she’s screwed up, but she’s done a wonderful job at raising her daughter.

“Here you go.” He hands me the drink.

“Thanks.” I wrap my hand around it. “Are we doing too much?”

“What do you mean?”

“All of this?” After taking a sip, I place the mug on the coffee table and cross my arms over my chest. “We’ve bulldozed our way into Rylee’s life and by default, Sunny’s. She’s starting to care about us, but if Rylee isn’t interested in a relationship, we’re bound to let her down.”

Oliver rakes a hand through his hair as he watches Sunny with a wistful expression on his face. “And us. I’ve already fallen for the little angel. She’s sweet as pie.”

“I know.”

She drags a baby doll by its foot, smacking its head on the ground, before she kisses the booboo and cradles it in her arms. “Hush, baby.”

I chuckle at her parenting skills and then sober. “Yeah, if she ditches us or takes off, I’ll be devastated.”

“Me, too.”

I rotate my shoulders and shove my hands into my dress pants. It would’ve been better if I’d had the chance to change clothes, but we were in a hurry to get here as soon as we discovered Rylee had caught the same bug that Sunny had over the weekend. It’s been a long day in dress clothes.

“I contacted Ethan, and he’s agreed to take her case. I told him I don’t know all the specifics, but the ones I do know are enough that we’ll seek full custody.”

“From the sounds of it, I don’t think her ex even wants Sunny other than to make Rylee’s life miserable.” He talks in a low voice to keep Sunny from overhearing.

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