Page 42 of My Darling Mayhem

“Just wanted to see if you needed anything before we take off.” Her eyes trailed over my face and down to the grease pencil in my hand. My mind snagged on her words, which had me turning and setting the pencil down.

“Where are you guys headed?” Not that it was my business, but damn, I wanted to know.

Wren glanced back at the door and then gave me her attention again. “I’m heading into work for a bit.”

“Does Cruz want to stay and help me? I can watch him play in the backyard…I mean, only if you’re comfortable with it.” Fuck, now I was embarrassed. There was no way she would let him do that after last night. Not just the almost having sex thing, but the fucking hole in her fence.

Her lips twisted to the side as she glanced back at the house.

My neck felt hot as I tried to shake off her impending rejection. “I’m sure he’d rather hang with you, but if it helps, Kane’s foster mom offered to drop him off in an hour, so he’ll be here too.”

Just then, Cruz opened the sliding glass door, looking dejected. “Do I have to go with you, Mom? I hate going into your work.”

Wren winced the smallest bit as she took stock of the grass before glancing up again and focusing on me.

“That’s really nice of you to offer.” She hesitated, then seemed to let out a silent breath. “I’d love it if he could stay with you.”

My head snapped over, making sure I heard her right.

“Seriously?”

She laughed, a smile spreading across her lips. “Don’t seem too surprised. I am trying, you know.”

Something shifted in my chest at the sight of the sun cutting through the clouds, making her eyes brighter than usual. I dipped my head and gave her a smile in return.

“Fair enough.”

She turned away to go talk to Cruz before spinning back toward me.

“Oh yeah…uh, cell phone numbers…we need to exchange them in case you need to contact me.”

I felt a jolt in my chest. “Yeah, of course.”

It was okay; this was fine. I stretched my fingers out so they didn’t shake as I grabbed my cell, but Wren was there a second later, stepping closer to hand me her phone. She smelled so good, I didn’t even know what it was. It was floral and somehow also spicy, but it was perfect on her, and every time I breathed near her, I withheld a groan. I added myself as a contact and then sent a text so she could find me easily in her text threads.

She smiled thinly before explaining to Cruz that he’d be staying with me. My heart grew inside my chest when I saw his head swing over, a huge smile taking over his cute little face. He jumped excitedly like she’d just told him he was going to Disneyland. Fuck, that made me feel a thousand feet tall, knowing he liked hanging out with me. I would do whatever it took to protect that feeling in him. Make sure I never let him down. Which meant I couldn’t fuck things up with his mom.

Thistle and Gunner were helping with the fence and having a great time with the boys. The sun came out in a shock of late September heat, which honestly took me by surprise. Both Kane and Cruz kept squinting and trying to shield their eyes while their cheeks turned rosy. I knew they needed sunscreen and hats, most likely.

“Hey, Cruz.” I pulled him and Kane under the covered patio where Wren’s furniture was set up. “Do you know if your mom has sunscreen?”

His little cheek dimpled as he smiled. “In our beach bag, I think.”

I didn’t want to go sneaking around Wren’s house. Maybe I should just go to the store. Although, I’d have to find one that sold hats, and most drug stores didn’t.

“Where’s the beach bag?”

Cruz grabbed my hand. “I’ll show you.”

We walked inside, leaving the slider open so Kane could come in and find me if he needed to. Cruz walked through the kitchen and crossed the hallway to a closet. Twisting the knob, he pulled it open, revealing a few shelves and a large multicolored beach bag on the floor.

Bingo.

I tugged it free, bending at the knees, and started pulling out neatly folded towels and sifting through clean beach toys. There in the side pocket was sunscreen and even a few sun hats. Right as I was about to shove the bag back into place, I noticed a clear tote to the left of it. Inside, near the bottom, was a business card with a black, dripping heart inked into the middle—the same as her tattoo.

“Thanks, buddy. I got it from here. You can head back out with Kane, and I will be out in just a second.” Cruz gave me a swift nod before turning around and darting through the sliding glass door. Kane was already playing under the covered patio, out of the sun. I decided to take a few seconds while they were there to remain inside.

The clear tote sat there in the closet full of secrets. It was an invasion of her privacy…I shouldn’t.

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