Page 10 of Winning Brynn

She rushes to her side in an instant, shooing Harley out the way to make space for her on the rug. "Well, aren't you the most precious little ladybug I've ever seen in my life?" Holding her hands out, she beckons Salem into her arms. And fuck me, but Salem actually goes for it.

Goddamnit.

Salem has never warmed to women the way she does with men. With my mother dead and hers out of the picture, she's never been around them long enough to feel comfortable. She's used to the guys. They're all she knows. No female has ever managed to hold Salem without her crying.

Until now, that is.

"Are you having some pizza with us?" Brynn asks, her voice high-pitched and musical. "Do you like pineapple on your pizza? I do, but Uncle Alex thinks it's gross." She pulls a face, sticking out her tongue and making Salem giggle.

"She's one," I grumble. "She doesn't eat pizza."

Brynn gasps dramatically and clutches her heart with one hand. "No pizza?" She speaks directly to Salem, holding eye contact and tickling her belly. "Daddy's grumpy, isn't he? A big ol' grumpy man with a funny accent and no pizza."

There's a snort somewhere in the group, but I'm too enraged to see where it came from.

"I'm not grumpy, damn it." My hands clench into fists, white-knuckling my beer so hard I'm surprised it doesn't smash. "I just don't want to poison my child with junk food before she even has a full set of teeth."

"I bet it's spinach every day. Am I right, ladybug?"

Salem giggles again, and my rage skyrockets.

"Where's your mama, huh? Maybe she'll let you have pizza."

The room sucks in a collective breath. Sensing the tension, Brynn looks up, her hazel eyes locking right on my furious ones. "Oh no," she whispers, seeing the expression on my face. "What did I say?"

"Salem doesn't have a mom, Brynn Bear," Alex says gently, but he doesn't expand.

Brynn's face collapses in shame. "God, Leo, I'm so sorry."

I shrug off her apology. It doesn't matter. It doesn't mean anything. I'm not heartbroken over Salem's mother leaving. Hell, I haven't even seen her since the night our daughter was conceived. But Brynn doesn't know that, and it might serve her right to stew in the anxiety of the unknown.

"Whatever," I mutter, turning away from her apologetic gaze. "So, how are we feeling for the new season?" I ask the boys and get lost in conversation, pretending not to notice the smile on my daughter's face as Brynn plays with her—or the way Brynn's nipples strain against her tank with every breath she takes.

Harley was right. She is a total smoke show.

And I fucking hate how aware I am of that fact.

An hour passes of us both ignoring the other’s existence, until conversation turns to my search for a nanny, and all hell breaks loose.

"He made a girl cry yesterday," Roman says because, apparently, he just can't let it go.

"What the fuck, man?" Arun rounds me with an accusatory glare. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Peeling the label off my bottle, I grumble, "She offered to suck me off in exchange for the job."

Theo snorts. "And you made her cry because...?"

"Because she was there to interview for a job looking after my child, that's why."

Harley shakes his head. "Yeah, I don't get it."

"Thank you." I sigh with relief.

"No. I don't get why you'd make her cry for that and not just take her up on the offer."

Jesus Christ.

Until this moment, I thought Harley possessed at least a few more brain cells than his best friend, Theo, but evidently, that is not the case.

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