Page 23 of Winning Brynn

Leo:Do I even wanna know?

Roman:We changed a girl's life with an exclusive two-for-one deal.

Leo:I hope you pricks are wrapping it up.

Alex:Says the one with an illegitimate child.

Leo:Just saying, condoms are only 99.99% effective. I learned that the hard way.

Alex:I'll take the 0.01% risk.

Leo:Statistically speaking, you conceived at least one child last year.

Leo:And got two venereal diseases.

Alex:You're just jealous you're not getting any.

Leo:Have fun with your herpes. I've heard the itching is a bitch.

Chapter Eight

Brynn

"Dada!" Salem claps andsqueals at the sight of Leo running drills on the field of the training ground.

"That's right, ladybug. There's your daddy." I point to him and then to the other players. "And there's Uncle Alex, and Roman, and Harley. They seem to be doing something very important with those orange cones right now."

The little girl in my arms wriggles until I set her down so that she can press her nose against the glass window overlooking the turf.

Apparently, Leo didn't trust me enough to look after her at home today, so he's set us up in the clubhouse where he can shoot anxious glances at us every 3.5 seconds. Even after a very intense six hours of learning everything there is to know about caring for a one-year-old yesterday, he doesn't deem me ready enough yet to utilize my knowledge unsupervised.

"Are you ready for a snack?" I ask, and her blue eyes brighten in excitement.

"Okey dokey." I lift her under her arms and settle her into the highchair, complete with a little tray for bitesize food and toys. "Do you want to face out the window so you can still see Daddy?"

She doesn't answer me, of course. She probably doesn't understand a word I'm saying, but I position the chair for her anyway and pop some sliced grapes onto the tray.

She's barely lifted her hand to her mouth when my phone chimes.

Leo:What is she eating?

Our eyes catch through the glass. He's standing at the edge of the field with a water bottle in one hand and his phone in the other. Sweat drips down the side of his face, despite the freezing January air, and my tongue darts out mindlessly to wet my lips at the sight.

Brynn:Pizza.

Brynn:Getting her to try it was my top priority.

Leo:Make finding her a new nanny your next priority.

Brynn:Calm your tits, Daddio. They're grapes.

Brynn:And before you have a stroke... yes, I cut them up before I gave them to her. Into quarters. Lengthwise. Just like the American Academy of Pediatrics says to.

Through the window, I watch his shoulders sag in relief. He really is the epitome of an overbearing father, but I think it's cute, which is a shock because I never thought I'd find any part of Leo Sullivan cute, but here we are.

I guess it's more than that, though.

His protectiveness and borderline neuroticism are simply the way his love manifests. And Salem deserves a parent who would take on the whole world to keep her safe and make her feel loved. Every child does.

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