Page 7 of To Build a Home
“My sister is somewhere around here,” he grunts.
Well, duh, Captain Obvious.Archer seems flustered as it is, so I press my lips together and keep my thoughts to myself.
He stands and scrunches his nose. “Hey, Pay should be back any minute, but I need to go try to wash this out. You think you can take her for a moment?”
“Sure.” Archer carefully passes Gabby to me, and I cradle her in my arms, resting against my chest.
I can’t help but chuckle when I see Archer rush from the room. I guess it’s a good thing it wasn’t Ollie she spit up on because he would’ve thrown up right then and there. Archer at least has asemistronger stomach.
“Don’t worry, Princess. Most women have that same reaction to Archer Mosby.” The nickname slips so easily from my lips.
I may not have a lot of experience with kids—okay, basically zero experience—but there’s something about having her in my arms that I feel like I know exactly what to do. I softly sway side to side. Not too much so I don’t suffer the same fate as Arch. Instead, I hum a soft tune. With her fist in her mouth, Gabby looks up at me with her bold blue eyes. I hold her gaze, the hue of her irises reminding me of her mother’s.
How could that dickhead walk away from this little girl—and her mother? They’re both perfect.
A gasp comes from behind me, breaking our staring contest. I turn around slowly to find Payton standing in the doorway with her hand pressed to her chest.
“Rhyland, hi,” she huffs, catching her breath.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. This little one had just spit up on your brother when I walked in here, and you know how he is.”
She smirks. “I tried to warn him, but no one wants to listen to me. At least it wasn’t Ollie, or all hell would have broken loose.”
I chuckle. “I thought the same thing.”
My eyes follow her every move as she messes with something in the bag sitting in the car seat. When she rises, I fully take her in. Even in her shorts and T-shirt, she is stunning. She doesn’t even realize how strong she is.I know it’s difficult to raise a child as a single parent, as I watched my dad do it. Thankfully, we hadthe Mosbys to help. No matter what, Payton will never be alone. I just hope she knows that.
“How are you?” Before my lips finish the last word, I already regret putting them out there. Out of all the things I could’ve said, I went with that. I don’t allow her to answer before I add on, “I’m sorry, you’re probably sick of people asking that.”
“No, it’s fine.” She pauses, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, and I hug Gabby tighter to keep from freeing it with my thumb. Emotion blankets her eyes, but she quickly blinks it away, clearing her throat. “I’m a work in progress. Some days and moments are easier than others, but I’m moving forward with my life.”
Her honesty sort of takes me by surprise. I’m thankful she didn’t throw out some bullshit, saying she was fine, because even I know that when a woman says she’s fine, she’s anything but.
She steps up, invading my space, to where her chest presses against my arms. Her fingers brush against the top of her daughter’s head. “But I would go through everything all over again and again if it means I get this peanut in the end.” The sad part is, I know she means every word.
When she presses a kiss to her daughter’s head, I catch a whiff of Payton’s shampoo. I inhale and hope that she doesn’t notice. That scent has both my heart stopping and racing at the same time. How is that even possible?
When I open my eyes, I find Payton now watching me.Fuck.The world stops around us.
“She’s beautiful.” I pause. “Just like her Mama.” I didn’t mean to say that, but now that the words are out, I can’t regret them when it’s the truth.
A pink blush covers Payton’s cheek. Once again, she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and thoughts fill my mind of me biting her lip.For fuck’s sake, Rhyland, get your shit togetherbefore you get a hard-on not only holding Payton’s daughter, but literally days after her arriving home.
She doesn’t want this. She’s not ready for this.
“Sorry about that,” a deep voice bellows from the doorway.
We both step back from each other, putting the much-needed space between us. Even with the space, the air is still thick with tension.
“Oh, hey, you’re back. You get what you need?” Archer focuses on his sister.
Payton freezes for a moment before answering. “Oh yeah, all good,” she hums. Her eyes dance to mine for a moment, and there’s something in them I can’t decipher completely. I tilt my head to the side.Did she just lie to her brother? Why?
Archer takes a seat in the chair behind the desk with a giant wet spot on his shirt. “You know, I think you taught her to do that.”
Payton giggles, and I can’t help but join her. “Yep, you caught me. I taught her that before I taught her how to talk, crawl, or anything else.” Payton reaches over and scoops Gabby from my arms, and I instantly miss the feeling of her there. “I think you completely forgot that I tried to warn you.”
He mocks her before turning to me. “Rhy, sorry to have left so abruptly. What was it you needed again?”
