Page 77 of The Foul Out

He smirked, though it was a bit forced, and leaned farther back against his chair, releasing his hold on my hand. “We have two hours before their dad will be here, and Piper owes me a manicure. So you think about what you want for dinner while she and I do that.”

“Yeah.” I blinked at his hands, already missing the feel of his rough, warm palms. Shaking my head, I forced myself out of the haze I’d fallen into. “Wait, did you say manicure?”

“Girl needs her nails clipped, and I have a plan.” He reached down to the floor beside his chair and picked up the bag he’d brought with him.

He couldn’t mean that. When it came to clipping her nails, Piper was impossible. It always led to a complete meltdown where I had to all but physically restrain her so I could get it done. It was easier to just let her claw me when she was upset than to cut them. If Kyle thought she would happily let him do her nails, he had no idea what he was in for.

“What kind of plan?” I leaned forward and reached for the bag, but he yanked it away with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Don’t be nosy.”

“Nosy?” I balked, straightening.

“Yes, Crabby. This is my plan.” With a laugh, he stood, then strode over to Piper in four steps.

At the movement, she glanced up from her tablet, her eyes going wide. And then she did something I never would have expected. She dropped the tablet and jumped off the couch, wrapping her arms around his waist. Piper was not a hugger. She wasn’t normally comfortable enough to initiate physical contact. Once in a while, she hugged me, but even that was so rare that I soaked up each occasion, knowing it wouldn’t happen again for some time.

He looked as shocked as I felt. That didn’t stop him from carefully patting her back, though he was sure to avoid her head and neck, knowing touching either might trigger her. But the smile that split his face as he sank into her embrace wasn’t at all careful.

The way the two of them responded to each other made my heart swell.

“You said you’d come home Monday,” Piper practically yelled as she pulled back.

Kyle tapped his ears, always so patient, and smiled.

Yanking off the headphones, Piper repeated her statement at a normal volume.

“I missed you all, so I came home early.”

“Does that mean I get to do your nails with the baseballs and Revs stuff?” She surveyed him from head to toe, then scanned the room. When her gaze landed on the bag, she rushed over.

He didn’t even bother to stop her.

“Oh, so she can look?” I teased, cocking a brow.

“Feeling jealous, Crabby?” His blond hair flopped forward a bit, messier than usual. God, he looked so damn sexy in that moment. Brown eyes sparkling, lips pulled up in a grin.

Chuckling, I shook my head, then I watched Piper pull out two flat white pieces of cardboard.

“Look.” She flashed them my way, showing me the blue shapes behind plastic. “They have baseballs and the Revs logo. Kyle promised I could put them on his nails.”

“He did?” I turned back to the man in question.

He tipped his head, cocking a brow at my daughter. “As long as I get to do yours too, Pipe. You know the deal.”

She nodded, her pigtail braids bobbing.

For the next hour, I sat on the sofa with my heart in my throat as Piper turned all the baseball star’s nails blue and he didn’t bat an eye. He showed her how to use the clippers and then the file. Then he helped her make sure the sticker was straight on each of his large nails.

He was known for being a man obsessed with his image, and yet he was painting his nails for my daughter. Talking about her week, asking about therapy. He was content with her one-word answers, though he didn’t once give up his unaggressive attempt to engage her.

“What do you mean you wouldn’t try turkey?” Kyle feigned shock, splaying a hand against his chest, making the blue stickers that had yet to be trimmed flap against his T-shirt. “It’s the best.”

“It made the entire room smell yucky.” Piper kept her focus fixed on lining up the last blue sticker on his pinky nail.

“Yeah, it can sometimes have a strong smell, but it tastes so good. Maybe next time, you’ll try some with me.”

She froze. From where I sat on the sofa, I braced for her response. Instead of panicking like I expected, she simply lifted her head and almost looked at him before refocusing on his fingers.

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