Page 58 of Bad & Bossy

The engine roared to life as the pilots came over the speakers, going over the safety information I’d heard a million times before. I fished between our bodies for her seatbelt and passed it over, slipping it behind Drew’s body so it sat flush against her lap.

“You’ll need to hold him during takeoff, landing, and any turbulence,” I said, trying not to cross any boundaries by accidentally touching him as I buckled her in. “Any other time you can have him in the car seat or… whatever else you do with babies.”

She chuckled, her cheeks warming from how close I was as I tightened the belt around her. Drew watched me in fascination, his wide green eyes boring a hole into mine. “Do you not know a lot about babies?”

“Honestly? No. I’m learning as I go,” I grinned. “But we’ve got nine hours in the air for you to fill me in.”

————

In the spare two seats across from us, Drew slept peacefully in his foldable bassinet. He’d only kicked off once so far, and to be fair, I always wanted to do the same during takeoff when my ears ached and popped, so I didn’t blame him one bit.

Dana leaned her back against my chest, no longer worried about anyone ahead of us asking questions. Whether that was her own choice or if it was a result of me leveling glares at anyone who dared look back at us was beyond me, but I was happy to be close to her, nonetheless.

“I like him,” I said softly, my fingers drifting up and down her arm as she watched him breathe. The more I knew about him, the longer I watched him, the more I felt at peace with him. If there was even the slightest possibility of a long-term thing with her, I could handle a child being involved in that. At least, in theory.

Her sleepy grin as she tilted her head back at me warmed my heart. “Me too.”

I chuckled quietly, careful not to make too much noise in case I woke him.

A silence settled over us as she opened her mouth but quickly closed it, deciding against whatever it was she’d wanted to say. Instead, she sank further into me, her hand fiddling with the fabric that covered my calf. “Can I ask you something?”

I buried my nose into the top of her head, drinking in the scent of her, memorizing the berries, hibiscus and vanilla. “Anything.”

“How… how can you afford this?” she asked, waving her hand, gesturing at the entire plane. “The private jet, the company retreat, the house. I know Pearson Beers brings in a lot of revenue, that’s clear, but this much?”

“A combination of the success of Pearson Beers and being born into wealth,” I sighed. “My… family, if you want to call them that, comes from old money.”

She went silent again, returning to fiddling with the fabric of my slacks before speaking. “Why do you say family like?—”

A cry broke through from the bassinet, startling Dana into action, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew where her question was going, and I didn’t want to go down that road with her, at least not yet. She didn’t need that weighing on her along with everything else.

She plucked Drew from where he lay, his toothless mouth open and his eyes squinted shut as he let out another cry. “I know that cry,” she said, rolling her eyes as she leaned over to the massive bag of baby things she’d brought with her. She fumbled for whatever it was she was looking for, grunting in frustration, before sitting back up empty-handed. “Can you hold him?”

“What?”

“I can’t reach the cooler his milk is in,” she said nonchalantly as if it made perfect sense and wasn’t at all weird for her to be holding Drew out toward me.

I don’t know why I froze. I’d had no problem taking Brody when he was given to me and had no problem in general with babies, but the longer I looked at him the more it felt like there was something that couldn’t be changed after touching him. “Dana, I?—”

“It’s okay,” she insisted. “It’s just for a second.”

Reluctantly, I grasped him under his little arms and took him from her gently, his wails beginning to calm. Damp eyes blinked open, that flash of green meeting mine, and I knew I was right—this couldn’t be changed.

Quickly, Dana unbuckled her seatbelt and got up, fishing through the bag with a newfound determination. She glanced at us as she pulled out the mini cooler.

He wiggled in my arms, the threat of another cry on his lips. “Hey, hey,” I cooed, setting him down on my lap and letting him wrap his stubby little fingers around one of mine. “Calm down, bud. It’s coming.”

Drew made a little noise that sounded like a hiccup as his head tilted back to look up at me. I winced as he shoved my finger in his mouth, his gums chomping down.

“Uh, Dana?”

Clumsily, he pushed my finger to the side, up against his cheek until he seemed satisfied with the placement. He bit down again, his other hand playfully grabbing for my shirt as he seemed to calm down.

Dana stood with a bottle in her hand, her brows knitted together as she watched. “Is this normal?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“He doesn’t normally bite your finger?”

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