Page 38 of Bossy Baby

Of course that reminded Hayley of the treat he’d missed out on the night before. “I’ve heard that before. And you cheat. I want my reward now.”

“Nope. You have to get up and ready for the day.”

“What about this?” Hayley waved his arm around. “You’ve seen how useless I am without my right arm.” He couldn’t even dress himself properly. Mac had to help him. “I just don’t see how I’m going to run my business.”

“You’ll accept my help.” Mac walked in and sat next to him on the bed. He even captured Hayley’s good hand with his.

Hayley loved how much of an effort Mac always made for him. Touching wasn’t something Mac was used to, but he did it for Hayley. “I don’t want you to get tired of me.”

“What did we talk about last night?” Mac demanded.

“That youwantto take care of me.”

“That’s right,” Mac said. “It makes me happy to take care of you. You want to make me happy, don’t you?”

Chuckling, Hayley nodded. “You know I do.”

“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’ll get up and ready for the day. We’ll have to stop at your apartment for clothes, so we can’t laze around. After we have breakfast, I’ll drive you over. Then we’ll open the shop together. You’ll sit your cute little bottom behind the counter and tell me what to do.”

Oh yeah, that sounded like fun. “I get to boss you around?”

“To a point.” Mac flicked his ear. “But remember that I’ll be in charge when we get home. And bratty boys don’t get rewards.”

“Good boys get rewards,” Hayley said hopefully. Like more of those scorching kisses. Another hand job. More?

“You going to be a good boy for me today?” Mac asked, leaning forward.

Hayley stared into his light hazel eyes. The color seemed to change from time to time. Today they were a soft gray. “So good,” Hayley promised.

Mac kissed him gently.

The urgency from the night before was missing. This kiss was soft and sweet. Perfect.

Hayley blinked his eyes open as Mac pulled back. He knew his sigh was silly, but Hayley floated in bliss.

“Do you need my help getting ready?” Mac offered.

“I think I can do it,” Hayley replied. He needed to see what he could and couldn’t do, after all. He was still considering asking one of his brothers to come down and help him.

“I’ll get breakfast on the table.” Mac rose.

Hayley caught his hand. “One more kiss?” he questioned. After Mac kissed him, Hayley knew he could do anything.

“Of course.” Leaning down, Mac gave him another one of those slow, soft kisses.

“Okay.” Hayley could do this. He would absolutely conquer this new obstacle in his life. He had the tools to be mentally strong. Mac was there to help. Jumping off the bed, he headed into the adjoining bathroom.

Stepping inside the bright room, Hayley took a deep breath.

Of course it took a lot longer than Hayley had anticipated to use the bathroom, wash his uninjured hand and face, and brush his teeth. By the time he was finished, he was exhausted. Still, he had promises of more kisses. Maybe some cuddles. He could get through the day.

Stepping out of the guest room, Hayley peeked once again into Mac’s bedroom. More clothes littered the floor. And he just couldn’t leave them there. Mac was going to have to learn that Hayley’s need to clean was a part of him.

Hayley picked up the discarded pants, socks, and a shirt before looking around for a basket or hamper. The closet door was cracked open. Inside, right next to more clothes on the floor, Hayley found what he was looking for.

Dropping the clothes in the basket, he then picked up the others. Satisfied, Hayley closed the door behind him. He took a step toward the hall, but the French doors he’d spotted last night caught his attention.

Mac had said that Hayley could explore. Maybe he hadn’t meant it, though. Mac could have just been saying that to be nice. No, Mac wasn’t like that. When he said something, he meant it.

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