Page 77 of The Single Dad

Declan disconnects the call, and I stand at the window for a moment, steeling myself to talk to Reed. Of the two of them, Reed is much more likely to try to call me out if he catches wind of anything off. The last thing I want is to explain myself to him, of all people.

But when I finally dial his number, Reed answers with surprising bluntness. “Hello? What do you want, Cole?”

“Take it easy,” I say. “Friendly call. What’s going on with you?”

“Sorry,” he says. His exhale is reduced to static by the phone microphone. “It’s just been kind of an intense day. What’s going on?”

“We’re picking up poker nights. Friday at Declan’s place. You in?”

Reed seems to perk up at that. Some of the seriousness goes out of his voice as he says, “Of course! It’s about damn time.”

“Great. Looking forward to it.”

“Eight o’clock, right?” He chuckles. “Or—I guess I’ll just show up whenever. Did I ever tell you that I guessed Declan’s door code? I can let myself into the Wright residence whenever I feel like it. Maybe I’ll go in and rearrange his spice cabinet, or something.”

The joke is classic Reed, but there’s something a little strained in his tone. I frown. Something’s not quite right.

“Are you good, Reed?” I ask.

“Totally,” he says, but he sounds distracted. “Just… busy with something. Speaking of, I gotta run. I’ll talk to you later.”

Reed hangs up before I can say anything else, and I’m left standing, staring at my cell phone.

There’s definitely something going on there, I think to myself.

I don’t wonder about it for long, though; Declan and I will probably hear about it at poker night.

With a sigh, I return to my desk, moving my mouse to turn off my screensaver. Time to get back to work—and time to keep my mind off of Riley, if that’s even possible.

* * *

Riley

On Friday night, while Cole is getting ready to leave, I busy myself clearing away the dishes from the dinner we shared with Archie.

Archie tags after Cole, whining, “Why can’t you stay and paint with me and Riley?”

“I told you, little man,” Cole says, ruffling his hair. “I’m going to spend some time with Uncle Declan and Uncle Reed. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them.”

“So? I want you to stay,” Archie pleads.

Silently, I smile down at the dishes. I have to agree with that. Since Cole told me about his poker night yesterday, I’ve been a little bummed out that we won’t be able to spend the night together.

I’ve been trying to tell myself to get over it; this is the deal we have, and besides, I’ve spent time with him almost every night since that first time we had sex. He’ll probably be back in my room tomorrow night, I tell myself as I start the dishwasher, drying my hands on a kitchen towel.

“Riley,” Cole says from the doorway, “can I speak to you upstairs for a moment, before I head out?”

“Sure.” I set down the rag and follow him up the stairs. He heads straight for my bedroom, and I feel a prickle of excitement as I step inside and close the door behind me. Whatever this is, he doesn’t want Archie to hear about it. Which might mean…

As soon as the door is closed, Cole reaches out to take one of my hands. He places something small and silicone in my palm.

“What is this?”

“This,” he explains patiently, “is a remote-controlled vibrator. When you’re finished taking care of Archie tonight, I want you to put it in.”

I blink, surprised and somewhat confused. “I… I don’t understand. What am I supposed to do?”

He smiles, and his finger slides to the larger, bulb-shaped end of the vibe.

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