Worth the Wait (Picking up the Pieces #4) (11 page)

“I was being a dick, and I’m really sorry you had to overhear that. I didn’t mean it, Kenzie.”

I had no idea what to say so I at silently as he continued.

“I’ve acted like a bastard because I couldn’t get what I want—”

“What do you want?” I interrupted.

He looked at me curiously, his head tipped to one side. “You, Kenz. I want you. How can you not see that?”

I opened my mouth to reply but nothing would come out.

“I guess I just wanted you to know that I was sorry, and if you’re still willing to be friends, I’d really like that.”

“Wow, this is…uh. I gotta say this little conversation was unexpected.”

“Well, what were you thinking was gonna happen? A fight to the death?” he joked.

I let out what felt like my first laugh in days. “With how things have been going between us, something like that.”

He flashed me his panty-melting smile and stuck his hand out across the table for me to shake. “So, what do you say? Friends?”

“You sure you can handle being just friends?” I asked tentatively, only then realizing how badly I wanted him to say yes. The fact of the matter was, I really and truly wanted to be friends with this man. I couldn’t explain it, but for some reason, I wanted desperately to keep him in my life.

“I’ll try my best, beauty. I promise. And I also promise to keep my inner asshole locked up tight.”

“Now, don’t go making promises that are impossible to keep,” I joked with a smirk.

“Ouch. Don’t leave me hanging here, sweetheart.”

I reached across the table and took his hand in mine, giving it a firm shake as I tried to ignore the electricity that zinged through my body at just a simple touch.

“Friends.”

“Good,” he said once I’d pulled my hand back and tucked it into my lap, unconsciously rubbing where his work-rough fingers had just been. “Now, friend, want to tell me why you’re so exhausted today?”

I let out a sigh as my shoulders slumped. “The twins woke up in the middle of the night with some sort of stomach virus. I kid you not, it was like something out of a scary movie.” I watched with humor as he cringed at my description.

“Sorry to hear that. They gonna be all right?”

“Yeah, they’ll be fine. I just have to keep them out of daycare for a few days. I was able to get a sitter today, but I’ll have to take off tomorrow to stay home with them, which sucks because I really can’t afford to lose a day’s pay.”

I didn’t know why I was being so forthcoming with Brett, but it felt good to have someone to talk about it with. It was like a weight being lifted, being able to get the stress off my chest. But his response was the very last thing I ever expected.

“I can watch them for you tomorrow.”

I gave a surprised laugh. “What?”

“Seriously, I can watch them. I’m great with kids, and I’m my own boss so missing a day of work is nothing.”

“Brett, that’s sweet, but I don’t think so. I mean, they don’t really know you and we only
just
agreed to be friends. Letting you babysit my two sick toddlers will send you screaming for the hills. Trust me, they’re a handful on the best days. When they’re sick, it’s a whole other story.”

“It’ll be fine, trust me,” he told me with a sincere grin. “I know I only met Cameron and Callie for a few minutes the other day, but I have to tell you, you’re kids are kinda great, Kenz.”

“Thanks,” I smiled sweetly at the beautiful compliment.

“And Lizzy can totally vouch for me. I’ll take great care of them. I promise. And if it makes you feel better, I can stop by your place tonight and really introduce myself. Come on, beauty; it’s a win-win.”

I sat, uncertain, for several seconds as I studied his expression. Everything in my gut told me he was completely sincere.

“Okay,” I finally relented. “Come by tonight and if it goes well, you can babysit for me tomorrow.”

“It’ll be great, beauty, you’ll see. I’m awesome with little rugrats.”

“You have a lot of experience with kids?”

“Well…” he paused before saying, “not really. But with my sparkling personality, I can win anyone over.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, Lord. You’re in trouble.”

“How you feeling, babies?” I asked my little ones after getting home from work and releasing the sitter for the night. Cam and Callie were both lying on the couch watching
Bubble Guppies
, each had their head at opposite ends with their tiny feet tangled together.

“Better,” Callie told me. “I haven’t frowed up anymore.”

“My tummy still hurts, Mommy,” Cameron said with a little pout.

I reached up to brush a flop of brown hair off his forehead. “I know, sweetie. I got you some ginger ale to make your tummy feel better.” I handed him the cup so he could take a swallow. “Mommy has a friend coming over tonight to meet you guys. He wanted to introduce himself. He’s gonna stay with you tomorrow while I’m at work.”

“Is he nice?” Callie asked seriously.

“He’s very nice, honey pot. You’ll like him a lot.”

Leaving them to watch TV, I headed into the kitchen. Cam and Callie still couldn’t really stomach much to eat, so I kept their dinner light and bland, letting them eat on the couch this one time.

As I finished cleaning the kitchen, there was a knock at the front door. I wasn’t prepared for the way my heart lurched in my chest at just the thought of Brett, so I tried to push it to the back of my mind and went to let him in.

As soon as I opened the front door, my mouth grew dry at the sight of him. His light blue, long-sleeved tee hugged all those delectable muscles, reminding me of how good his body felt against mine. His low-slung jeans did amazing things for his tall, toned legs, and his hair was a shade darker from being damp, like he’d just gotten out of the shower before coming over.

“Hey there, beauty.”

My gaze shot back to his face. The way his lips tipped and his eyes crinkled with humor told me I’d just been busted checking him out.

“Uh…” I cleared my throat and tried to get my bearings. “Yeah, hi. Um, come on in.”

I heard his quiet chuckle as he walked past me and into my apartment.

I led Brett into the living room and grabbed the remote to put the TV on mute. “Hey, guys, I want you to meet my friend Brett.”

“Yous the giant from the grocewy store,” Callie said as she stared up at his immense height.

Brett smiled sweetly at the twins and squatted down so he could be eye to eye with them as they lay on the couch. “Yep, that’s me. Your mom told me you guys weren’t feeling well. I thought maybe these would help to cheer you up.”

He lifted up a canvas bag, which in my disgraceful perusal of his body just moments earlier, I’d somehow missed. He reached in and pulled out a stuffed bunny wearing a princess dress and crown, handing it over to Callie before reaching back in and pulling out a superhero action figure for Cameron.

I tried desperately not to melt as my kids’ sick little faces lit up at their new toys, but God, it was hard not to when the man was being so sweet to the two people who mattered most to me in the world.

“Your mom also told me I could stay here with you tomorrow while she’s at work if you guys were cool with that.”

“You want to babysit us?” Cameron asked.

“Are you kidding?” Brett responded enthusiastically. “Heck yeah! You’re the coolest kids I’ve ever met! I’d love to get to spend the day with you guys.”

Don’t melt, don’t melt, don’t melt
.

Christ, the man was killing me!

“Will you bring cookies?”

Brett looked down at Cameron and gave him a little wink. “Let’s see how your tummy feels tomorrow, little buddy. If you’re feeling better, we’ll play it by ear. Sound good?”

Brett held his fist up, and like it was the most natural thing in the world, Cameron bumped it with his own. It was so damn cute to see that I totally let the whole cookie thing slide.

Brett stuck around for a few more minutes before finally telling the kids to get some rest and he’d see them in the morning. I walked him to the door and stepped out into the breezeway with him, leaving it opened a crack so I could hear just in case one of the kids needed me.

“You didn’t have to bring them presents, but thank you. It was sweet and they loved them.”

“No problem.” His deep, gravelly voice dropped low as he stepped in close to me. “Like I said, I really like your kids. Tomorrow will be fine, you’ll see.”

“I can’t begin to pay you back for this—”

He pressed his finger to my lips to stop me.

“Nothing to pay back, beauty. I’m happy to help. Now, go get some sleep. You’ve had a long day.”

The gentle press of his lips to my forehead caused me to sigh and lean into him. But before I could do anything I’d later regret, Brett pulled away, shooting me a wink and that beautiful smile of his before turning and walking away.

There was the teeniest, tiniest, just slightest possibility that I might not have known just what I was getting myself into with my offer to babysit for Kenzie. When I arrived at her apartment and watched her flitting around like an anxious hummingbird, quickly rattling off a long-ass list of rules and emergency contacts, and the phone number for poison control, I’d ignorantly thought to myself
yeah, I got this
as I took in the two angelic creatures quietly sitting at the kitchen table, eating their breakfast.

I’d pushed Kenzie out the door with a “You have nothing to worry about,” feeling overly confident that the twins were always so polite and serene.

Yeah, not so fucking much.

Things had started out so perfectly. We’d watched some whacked-out movie about talking Legos or some such shit—side note, if I had to hear that yellow fucker singing about how everything is awesome one more damn time, I was gonna lose my shit. The kids were feeling better by lunch time so I decided to stray from their premade meal of bland and tasteless that Kenzie left in the fridge and ordered a pizza. Watching their hazel eyes, so much like their mom’s, light up like I’d just told them I was Santa was probably one of the best feelings I’d ever had. Of course, the whole pizza thing went down after I’d had a very long, very thorough talk with them about the importance of the buddy code—which was the term I’d come up with for keeping a secret because I was brilliant like that. Buddy code specifically stated that Cameron and Callie could each get
one
slice of pizza for lunch if they promised it would stay between us. What Kenzie didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, and it was just pizza after all. No red-blooded American kid could truly thrive without pizza. That was in a manual somewhere for sure.

About thirty minutes after lunch, Cameron upchucked like he was dispelling every ounce of fluid from his body. Seriously, I’d never in my life seen anything like it. And if I was being honest, I gave that poison control number some serious thought. Luckily, after that nightmare, he seemed to be all right. Once the puke show was over, it was naptime. And it couldn’t have come sooner because I was wiped. I could only host so many tea parties—Callie’s idea—or be an evil ninja—Cameron’s idea…okay, my idea—and deal with a truckload of puke without needing a breather.

I tucked the kids into their tiny beds and made my way back into the living room, remote in hand, totally prepared to watch something that wouldn’t make my balls shrivel up into my stomach. Princess Elsa was hot and all, but I couldn’t help but want to strangle the icy wench after the eleventy-billionth “Let it go”.
Woman, we get it!