Page 9 of His Omega Bear

I looked over my shoulder at him. “I’m Jaxson. His brother-in-law. And this is Emilia.”

She cried harder, and nothing was working. It was like she knew she wasn’t the sole focus of my attention… or you’re just crap at the whole being a dad thing.

I ignored that voice for that moment, especially since I knew it would be back. My inner voice had no problem pointing out my inadequacies.

I could sense him behind me, but he was the least of my concerns. I needed to calm my niece down now, or I knew it would be a rough night ahead.

I hurried to the fridge and got out one of the already prepared bottles. I knew I couldn’t stop moving, but I also had to get the bottle in the warmer and —

“Would you like me to hold her while you do that?” The sound of his voice had me turning to face him.

“You look like you could use a break,” he said, breaking the silence. “How about I take her. ”

“You sure?”

His smile set me at ease somewhat and created warmth in my chest. Looking him over, I decided it couldn’t hurt. I didn’t have the time or energy to beat around the bush with him while she cried.

“Absolutely. I’m great with kids. Our family is enormous.”

He could be just what you need.

I ignored my inner voice because the last thing I needed was a complication, and this guy had the word written all over him.

I couldn’t help noticing his perfect smile as he shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the island.

“Probably would have been a good idea to ask my name before coming into my house. I could be a serial killer or something,” I snarked.

He snorted, like actually snorted. His brows shot up and his eyes danced as he laughed.

Maybe it was just the way the light reflected off his face, but it made him seem so handsome. His eyes crinkled at the corners and the smile that pulled his lips wide revealed gleaming white teeth.

Emilia continued to wail, interrupting the deep sound of his laughter that reminded me of a well tuned classic car revving up. It was perfect.

Perfect, huh? I ignored the mocking voice. I clearly needed more sleep.

Rhys walked over with confidence I wish I felt and scooped her out of my arms. I wasn’t sure which one of us was more stunned. He kissed her head and pulled her close to his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he rubbed her back and rocked her gently, cooing softly into her ear. And as if by magic, Emilia finally quieted down - her cries became little hiccups as she snuggled closer into his chest, and soon enough she wasn’t wailing anymore.

“I can’t believe?—”

I couldn’t believe it; here was this guy I’d just met, and he seemed to have some sort of magical power over my daughter.

My mouth dropped as I watched Rhys continue to coo at Emilia while swaying side to side until we had blessed silence.

I couldn’t stop staring at the small miracle that was taking place. Her little fist held on to his shirt, like she had no plans of letting go anytime soon. And he looked very at ease with her in his arms, cooing and rocking her back and forth like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He must have felt me staring, because he finally looked up and I raised a brow. What I really wanted to ask was how the hell he did that?

“I told you I’m good with kids,” he shrugged. “My brothers and their ma—partners have eight kids between them, with one on the way. So yeah, I have a lot of practice.” He snorted again. “Who better than the single uncle to babysit for date night?”

His eyes widened like he couldn’t believe he’d said the last bit, and his cheeks flushed red. Rhys quickly looked away from me, returning his attention to Emilia, who, surprisingly, was still not crying.

It was like watching a snake charmer work. Usually, I couldn’t get my niece quiet unless she’d just been fed, and even then, not always. It felt like we were in a cycle of her wearing herself out until she fell asleep, while I wanted to do the same.

I knew it was small and petty of me to feel it, but I couldn’t seem to help it. I should have seen this moment as a brief reprieve. But here was this stranger, holding her like he’d done it a million times before, and he wasn’t breaking a sweat.

My dau—nie—Emilia was normally only quiet for a few minutes. But here was Rhys. I could swear he’d cast some sort of spell on her, because she just laid there, contentedly cooing back at him. She looked so peaceful and happy that I couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy.

Okay, it wasn’t only jealousy, because watching him interact with Emilia filled me with admiration and awe. His hand was on her back as he held her to his chest. She responded to his touch and how he moved with her.

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