Deceitfully (Sinfully Series) (24 page)
We were watching Jagger and Emilynn for the night so the two couples could have a child free night together. All of us had been to dinner and down to the beach this week, but I thought it’d be a nice treat for them to get away. Plus, seeing Tate bouncing Emilynn on his lap and talking to Jagger about girls and muscles was just too cute.
“Jagger will pretty much eat whatever you eat. He isn’t picky. Oh, he’ll try to manipulate you into an hour of television shows, but he knows he’s limited to one show at night after dinner then bed. He’s a sneaky one. Thank you both again. They don’t trust random babysitters so we thought this day would never come,” Tristen called out as he pointed to the wives who looked like they were about to protest, but Ryder quickly chimed in.
“I get it, especially while they’re still young. Let’s not piss off the ladies before we get alcohol in their system, ‘kay?” he told Tristen as he walked over to Emilynn, who was playing in her bouncer. “Mommy and Daddy are going on a date, sweet girl. You be good for Auntie Stella and Uncle Tate, deal?”
Emilynn cooed and gave a cheesy grin, and I couldn’t help but look in awe. He was a good daddy.
“Let’s go before they realize what’s happening. You have our numbers; feel free to text with updates.” Payton winked and walked out the door.
Once they were all gone and we were alone with the two little ones; that was when it got real. Tate was playing with Jagger on the ground, and I was holding Em in my arms and playing patty cake with her. We could handle this. No problem.
Thirty minutes and a diaper change later, I had a different opinion. I had heated up the bottle as instructed but apparently hadn’t left it in the warm water long enough because Emilynn was boycotting the bottle. Every time I got the nipple close to her mouth after she initially tried it, she swung her head from side to side and clamped her mouth shut.
Jagger and Tate were almost done having dinner, and they were fine together. “Wanna switch?” I begged Tate as I watched him clear the table. I wasn’t about to eat dinner until this little one was asleep, which might be never.
“Sure. Jagger went to grab his jammies. Can you help him get dressed, and I’ll feed the princess?” Tate asked without another thought.
Thank the heavens, this man is a keeper.
“I can do that. She won’t take the bottle. I think she hates me,” I huffed out as I passed her off to the strong arms of Tate.
“Nah. It’s too cold. Where’s the water you had?” He looked around and found it on the counter. I watched as he placed the bottle back in the water, checking it every minute or so and testing the temperature of the formula on his wrist.
“You’re a pro. What the hell?”
“I had sisters, remember?”
“I did, too? Just not the right kind.”
“You two were the same age. It’s different. Mine are all younger and I thought I was the coolest kid ever because I could feed them and burp them all by myself. Mom appreciated the help so I got good at it.” He shrugged as he pulled the bottle out and shook it before testing it again. “You want it lukewarm so that it warms their tummies and makes them want to sleep. Too cold or too hot and it riles them up. Science, baby.” He winked and went into the living room and had a seat as he fed Emilynn.
I went over, helped Jagger with his clothes, and settled down with him to watch a show. His lids were heavy by the first commercial, and I knew he would be out as soon as we got him to bed.
Maybe, between the two of us, we could be great parents.
Payton texted me twice to check on the kids. They had gone to bed easily, and Tate and I had some peace and quiet that we were taking advantage of. By that, I meant that we were taking a nap together on the couch with the monitors beside us.
It was just past midnight when they got home and we woke up to them chuckling lightly at what they had walked into.
“They’re exhausting, right?” Payton asked as they all took a seat in the living room. Tate and I sat up to give Ryder room to sit with us. Looking around, we all looked tired. “When the hell did we get old? I’m not going to lie; I was tempted to take a nap on the way home because it’s past my normal bedtime.”
“Babe, you
did
fall asleep. You woke up right as we turned into the neighborhood,” Ryder confirmed, and Tristen nodded in agreement, followed by a long, drawn out yawn.
“I blame the kids.”
“I blame being asked to play chase and hide-and-seek every day. Little man is fast and guilt trips you if you hide in the same place twice,” Tristen’s wife stated as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
We sat around in various states of exhaustion for a few minutes, relaxing in comfortable silence until we heard Emilynn on the baby monitor as she woke up.
“That didn’t last long.” Payton got up on autopilot and headed for the kitchen for a bottle. The rest of us watched as she sauntered to her daughter’s room, not realizing we could hear everything that was going on in there from the monitor.
“Score!” she quietly cheered. “Daddy’s turn is next and I guarantee he’s going to have a messy diaper to deal with. Thank you, sweet princess, for taking it easy on me. Now let’s get you fed so Mommy can go surprise Daddy with a quickie before bed. Sound like a plan to you?” Payton talked to Em in a soft voice, but there was no mistaking what we all just heard.
“Should we?” Tate asked Ryder, pointing to the monitor.
“Probably, but I just found out I’m getting laid tonight so while you guys listen in, I’m going to, uhh, head to bed. ‘Night.” I’d never seen him move so quickly.
“Lucky,” Tristen muttered quietly, earning him a punch to the shoulder and then a whisper in his ear from his wife.
Not even five minutes later, they had packed everything up and were out the door.
“At least we all think alike. Baby, all the cool kids are doing it,” Tate pseudo-whined with a huge grin as he stood and held his hands out for me.
“Mmmhmm. Maybe I was already planning on it.” Giving him a wink, I walked in front of him, and when I was two steps away from our room, I lifted up my shirt and tossed it behind me, earning me a groan from the man I love.
Five Years Later
“WILLOW. DON’T PUT NUTELLA in your sister’s hair!” I hollered as I opened the door for Payton and Ryder. “I’m serious, missy!”
“Is she doing it again?” Payton asked as she walked in with Brody on her hip and Emilynn by Ryder’s side.
“Mmmhmm. She thinks that because her sister’s hair is lighter than hers that she should make it darker. Hence why she’s putting chocolate in it, constantly. Little sneak knows how to bring her stepstool into the pantry to get it and waits until we aren’t looking to slather it on.”
Ryder and Payton both laughed and I could hear Emilynn scolding her friend that she wasn’t being very nice. While Willow was a sweetheart, she had a way of getting into trouble. Emilynn, on the other hand, was the momma hen who was always looking out for others and felt guilty if she did anything wrong.
Between Emilynn and Brody, Willow and her eighteen-month-old sister, Keara, and Jagger, we had learned to lean on each other for support and babysitting. It was our turn to watch Payton’s kids while they went to look for a new car.
Willow was a planned baby. It happened just months after we were married, and we were ready for a family. Our goal had been to wait until she was in kindergarten to try again, but plans didn’t always hold true. Keara was just like her momma. She was an observer, always watching those around her and was sensitive to their feelings. She hardly ever cried and loved to cuddle.
Emilynn and Jagger went to the same school, and while he was nearly three years older than her, they still were great friends. Payton had hit the New York Best Sellers list with her latest book and Ryder had been the editor. They were living the high life but stayed humble and made sure they had time for each other and the family.
Tristen’s wife learned that she would never be able to carry a child again. They were currently looking into adoption to give Jagger a little brother or sister. Jagger was growing up to be quite the surfer. He’d already been in three competitions and placed in one of them. Many mornings, Tristen, his wife, and son would get up at dawn and drive down to the water to catch some of the best waves. They were the most laid-back of the bunch.
As for Stella, she was happy being a stay-at-home mommy and now ran a cake business from the house. She could bake and decorate while the kids were playing together or napping. She had recently finished a wedding cake for one of the top pop singers around and was in several magazines because of it.
We learned a few months after moving to San Diego that Dylan had talked his way out of any jail time and was on probation for six months. Sophia, however, didn’t fare so well. After months in court, the judge ordered her to ten years with the possibility of parole after six years. Victor had been the mastermind behind the attacks, but it turned out that Sophia not only knew of his plan, but had also helped him with the logistics. We hadn’t visited her once.
Graham and Tyler visited us every couple of months. They had talked about maybe moving down here as well, but nothing had been decided. They were both in serious relationships and I hoped the best for them. Matt and Trevor still Facebooked with me, but we had grown more distant. I understood, though. They had their lives, and I had mine.
Stella and I were happier than ever. I knew this was what I always wanted in life but never quite knew how to get there. Stella was my answer. She was my one and only. Looking around at my friends and their kids, along with my two little girls and Stella on the floor playing, life couldn’t be any better.
“What are you thinking about, babe?” Stella asked me as I came to sit next to her. She had her hair in a messy bun and had on workout shorts and a peach V-neck shirt that made her chest look amazing. Every time we looked at each other, I swore I fell more in love.
“Really, about how far we’ve come and the struggles we’ve battled. I couldn’t imagine our life being any better than it is right now,” I told her as she scooted between my legs, and I wrapped my arms around her.
“I think we finally got it right. We’ve surrounded ourselves with people who love us.”
Whew! Three books done. I still can’t believe it, and without the amazing support from my readers, bloggers, and friends, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Y’all have become my second family and not a day goes by that I’m not grateful.
Thank you for giving me a chance. This might be your first book of mine to read, and if so, go get to know Payton and Tristen’s story, too! I know I never said Tristen’s wife’s name but that was on purpose so as to not spoil anything.
This series has become my baby and you’ve all seen me grow through my writing. There’s a little bit of me in each of my characters, and I’m so, so, so honored to have shared it with you.
Other Books By Leighton Riley
Sinfully
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KVLMSI0
Regretfully
