Page 11 of Moon Blind Hearts
“We have that in common,” I joke, smiling at him. “I also really like cheese.”
His face lights up. “I made this brie recently that goes well with?—”
“Stop bombarding her with your cheese flavors, Saw,” Cash growls. “She ain’t here for that.” He finally turns the baby gate around after Oak grunts at him again and gets it going properly.
“I mean . . . I’d actually like to hear about it,” I say, smiling up at Sawyer. I’d very much like to see that look of passion cross his face again.
“You would?” Sawyer asks, his face flushing in embarrassment.
“I would,” I nod enthusiastically. “Did you know you’re eyes sparkle when you start talking about cheese? I kind of like that. A man after my own heart.”
Sawyer flushes brighter and clears his throat. “I enjoy the process.”
“Tell me about this brie you made,” I encourage.
Cash watches me carefully and then looks at Oak with a raised brow. “Bro has better game with cheese facts than I do with flirting. The world’s not fair.”
Ivy leans in closer. “I like cheese, too,” she purrs. “Gouda is my favorite.”
“An admirable favorite,” Sawyer nods, before launching into his explanation.
An hour later, I do, indeed, know a lot more cheese facts. I know that cheese making originated over four thousand years ago and that you have to heat the milk with starter cultures and rennet so curds form. I know you then separate them from the whey before they’re pressed and aged. I also now know there are over two thousand types of cheese and I’ve been slacking on tasting them all. Also, apparently it takes about ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. The entire time Sawyer talked about it, he was animated and lively, clearly loving what he does.
It makes me like him more.
A man with passions and hobbies is a good man in my experience. And Sawyer seems like a good man. I’m tempted to ask about his eyes, but it feels rude when we’ve just met. And besides, I don’t really get the chance to ask before the baby gate is complete and they’ve moved on to plugging every outlet in the cabin.
“All done,” Cash declares, coming back into the living room. “I don’t think there’s a thing in this house the little lady can get hurt on.”
It’s true. Not only had they plugged all the outlets, but Oak had found the old cabinet locks and installed them. Cash had also added little soft cushions to all the sharp corners. They’d done a damn good job baby proofing it, better than even I’ve done.
Bonnie nods her approval as she inspects everything. “It all looks good to me. Better than I even hoped for. You three have saved this old woman from having to panic chase Genie all over this house.”
“I really appreciate it,” I say again. “I’m sorry I didn’t mention it before. I didn’t think you’d want to work with me otherwise.”
Oak shrugs. “I was worried, but you brought help. Clearly, it won’t get in the way of the collaboration. If there’s anything else you need from us, let me know.”
Oak is the gruffest of the three, preferring only to interject in the conversation at less frequent intervals and only when he has something important to say. He strikes me as the kind of man who only speaks when needed. He doesn’t waste words. But, despite this and his literal bear-like appearance, I’d noticed a detail that doesn’t fit. Around his neck, he wears a strand of white pearls, a strange juxtaposition with his plaid button down and cowboy hat. Maybe he just likes pearls? I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right to ask. Not when this is all fresh and new.
Genie waddles over to Cash and stretches her arms up toward him, demanding to be picked up. He glances at me. “Is that okay?”
“Sure,” I shrug. “Oh, but watch your?—”
I’d been about to warn him. Cash has piercings, one in his eyebrow, a ring in his lip, a line of piercings up his ears, and Genie really likes shiny things. The moment he picks her up, before I can fully warn him, Genie has her little fingers on the lip ring and pulls.
“Ow!” Cash yelps, carefully reaching up to loosen her hold and lean back. “The little beast is feral!” he teases, making Genie giggle and try to reach for it again. “No, no, no. You can’t be pulling that out. I need it for the camera, little goblin.”
“Sorry,” I say, rushing over. “She’s only recently discovered piercings and really likes to grab them. We’ve been trying to curb it.”
“It’s fine,” Cash says with a grin. “She hasn’t done anything I ain’t had worse done. These things are pretty tough.”
Which is a lie. But I can tell he’s genuinely not bothered by Genie trying to reach for the other shinnies at his throat. Weirdly, the sight of this goth cowboy holding my daughter, cooing to her, does strange things me. It might be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
I never used to think I was particularly maternal before Genie happened, but watching Cash holding her and being gentle does something to me I never expect. There’s just something about a good-looking man holding a baby that does it for me.
“I think she likes me,” Cash says proudly as Genie clamps her little hands on his face and starts trying to grab his eyeballs. “That or she wants to steal my eyes and wear them like a necklace. You didn’t spawn a little monster, did you?”
I laugh. “The jury’s still out on that one.”
