Page 45 of The Third Girl

A light knock sounds on the door, which has me jumping out of my skin.

“Skylar? I have coffee.”

I inhale sharply before I get up and crack the door open. I know I probably look like a hot mess.

Matt’s brow furrows as he holds the mug out to me. “I thought we could talk over breakfast if you’re hungry.”

My eyes drift down over his solid chest in his uniform, and the sight of him makes my insides flutter. But then my uterus cramps again, and I wince, trying to smile through it as I accept the coffee and take a sip. “Thanks. Um. I’m really sorry, but I’m going to have to go home.”

Matt’s eyes narrow, and he cocks his head to the side. “Are you not feeling well?” When I don’t answer, he tries again, though it’s not a question this time. “You look like you don’t feel so hot.” He rubs a hand over his jaw as he studies me.

Oh, God.I take a deep breath. This is totally cringeworthy. But Matt’s concerned gaze is pinned on me, and there’s no way he’s going to let this go. Especially when I keep wincing like I am. I let out a gasping breath. “My period came early, and I was caught off guard.” I shoot him a tight, slightly embarrassed smile. “It was dumb of me, but I have no supplies here.” My face crumples as my uterus clamps down on itself. There’s nothing like having this happen in front of someone else that reminds me I need to schedule an appointment with my gynie about the unbearable cramping.

Matt shrugs, then motions toward his room. “This might sound weird, but I’ve never cleared out Terri’s stuff from the bathroom. I’m sure there’s plenty of whatever you need in there. In fact, I know there is because Lucy’s raided the drawer more than once.”

Sailor chooses that moment to awaken. There’s some rustling as she moves around, then she cries out, “Skywar?” My brows shoot to my hairline, and my teeth sink into my lip. That’s the first time she’s ever called for me instead of her daddy. I sure wasn’t expecting it, and by the look on his face, neither was Matt.

Gruffly, he says, “I’ll go get her. The drawers to the left of the sink in the bathroom were Terri’s. You can check in there.” He leaves my side to go to his daughter.

Standing alone, I exhale hard. He had to know that eventually Sailor would get used to me being here most mornings. I hope it doesn’t throw him off too badly but if it does, I guess we’ll talk about it. Shaking my head at the timing of it, I hurry past the open door to Sailor’s room, glancing only briefly at Matt as he lifts her out of her crib before I push open the door to his room. I haven’t been in here since my first day.

The room smells like Matt, I recognize it now. It’s some sort of woodsy yet citrusy scent, and I inhale deeply, soaking it in as I take off across the room to the bathroom. Sure enough, there’s a plethora of different types of tampons available, so I grab what I need and hastily take care of myself.

Matt and Sailor’s voices drift to me from the hallway. I don’t know if they’re waiting for me out there or what.

I duck my head out of his room, gritting my teeth as I meet his eyes. “Hey, do you have ibuprofen? Or Tylenol? Or both?”

He nods. “Of course. Here, let me show you.” He and Sailor come down the hall, and she immediately holds her arms out and leans toward me.

I take her from him with a smile. “Good morning, Sailor. Did you wake up in a good mood?” She squeals as I tickle her.

Matt waves me into the bathroom and opens a medicine cabinet on the side wall that’d been concealed by a mirror. “You’re welcome to any of this.”

He begins to turn back toward me but stops when he sees our reflection in the mirror. My heart thuds in my chest and his jaw visibly twitches. The sight of the two of us together with Sailor in my arms hits hard. We aren’t a family. But we totally look like we could be. I bite the inside of my cheek, tearing my gaze away. I look up at Matt, but he’s still staring into the mirror. He blinks once. Twice. And then his free hand slides up my back and rests on my shoulder. His thumb grazes the back of my neck. “Breakfast is getting cold. You can stay now, right?”

I suck in a quick breath, blinking hard. “Yeah. Of course.”

He drops his hand from me, and I immediately feel the loss of his warm, strong hand. In what feels like no time at all, I’ve begun to crave his touch. “Take her downstairs, would you? I want to look for something. It won’t take me but a minute.”

I frown, but nod. “Sure.”

True to his word, it’s not long after I have Sailor settled into her high chair that Matt appears. He nods toward the seat to the left of his daughter. “Why don’t you sit there?”

My eyes drop to what’s in his hands. A heating pad. He’s brought me a heating pad for my cramps.Whoa.Talk about an unexpected but totally welcome surprise.

He plugs it into the wall socket behind me, then, in a no-nonsense way, tugs my T-shirt out of the way, exposing my stomach. Positioning the warming pad across my abdomen, he lowers my shirt again, straightens, and walks back into the kitchen, like it was nothing. Very matter-of-fact; the same way he’d acted while sharing that there were feminine products in his bathroom that I was welcome to use.

Matt comes back first with a plate for Sailor. He’s made her scrambled eggs, and there’s a pile of cubed cheese, as well as some grapes, which he’s taken the time to painstakingly slice in half for her. He sets that and her sippy cup of milk on the tray.

“Do you need some help?”

“Nope. You can relax. I’ve got everything ready. Just dishing it up now.” Thirty seconds later, he comes back to the table with a plate for each of us. Eggs, bacon, sausage, and a little sprig of grapes. He sits down across from me with a wink.

I lift my coffee mug to my lips, taking another sip. “Thank you, Matt.”

“Tanks, Daddy.”

I meet Matt’s gaze across the table before eyeing his daughter, all while trying to suppress a laugh.

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