Page 66 of Power Play

With a deep breath, I answer his call, pointing the camera at Maya and me. “Hey, Clay.”

“Hey.” His smiling face causes the butterflies in my stomach to start their usual dance. “Hey, Maya. What are you…Wow, I’ve never seen anything cooler than this! Is that an eye patch?”

Her cheeks redden a little as she nods. “With unicorns.”

“Really? That is absolutely incredible! Do you have one for me?” Clay asks enthusiastically. “I wanna be cool too.”

“Only pink,” Maya tells him. A pang pierces my heart; everything in me freezes. He’s so fucking good with her, I can’t breathe.

Clay pouts. “You think pink isn’t my color?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “You need black, like piwate.”

There’s a bit of silence as Clay zones out, seeming thoughtful. Then his lips break into a smile. “Black will definitely be better. I would look like a pirate!”

Maya giggles. “Can we get black for Clay, Mommy?”

“Ye-yeah,” I stammer, pasting a smile on my face. “Of course we can.” I clear my throat. “But you need to promise to wear it so Maya won’t be alone wearing hers.”

“Anything for you two,” he says nonchalantly. His dashing smile rekindles a fire in my lower abdomen.

“Um, did you like the video?” I ask, noticing how his eyes roam over my face. The familiar glint behind his irises makes me regret not inviting him over today.

“I did. Those two dogs are hilarious.”

“I want a Willa. She will play with Coop!” Maya exclaims, turning to me. “Can I have Willa?”

“I’m afraid we can’t have Willa. Winston would be super sad without her, but…um…if you want, we can look for a puppy like Willa for your birthday. What do you think?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” She starts jumping excitedly, her cocoa spilling all over the blanket. Thank God it’s not hot. “Mommy!”

Taking a deep breath, I stand up from the bed and peer at Clay. “I gotta go. We had a cocoa incident.” I squint at Maya, who’s sitting on her bed with her eyes wide as saucers. “Someone is going to crash in my bed tonight.”

He chuckles. “Good night, Layla. Good night, Princess.”

“Night, Clay!” Maya yells.

“Night, Clay.” I smile at him warmly and end the call.

Before I have a chance to set my phone on the nightstand, it dings with a new text.

Clay:

I wouldn’t mind crashing in your bed someday too.

Me:

Looking forward to it

Sent.

And now I start cleaning.

Chapter 23

I’ll Take It

CLAY

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