Vow of Devotion (Vow Series Book 4) Page 6

  Roman’s dark eyebrows shoot up his forehead and Harper jolts. I stand my ground. I’ve been turned down by everyone else. Roman and Harper will let me take their baby to the damn park.

  “Excuse me?” Harper asks.

  I repeat myself. “I need to borrow your baby. Roman, do you have one of those baby backpack things?”

  Roman grins, shaking his head. “Baby backpack?”

  “You know, those things that you stuff a kid into. You don’t have to hold them, they’re just like strapped to you?”

  Harper nestles Caden closer to her. “You’re not stuffing my baby into anything!”

  Roman cracks up, his arm skimming up and down her arm in a calming gesture. “Yeah, we have one of those. Why do you need to borrow my boy?”

  “He has a name,” Harper mutters, tucking Caden even closer to her. She pulls the bottle from Caden’s mouth and he smacks his lips. He’s fucking cute. He’ll be perfect.

  “I know he has a name.”

  Harper rolls her eyes, sagging against Roman. “Okay. I’ll bite. Why do you want to ‘borrow’ Caden?”

  The quotes around the word borrow are accompanied by another eye roll.

  I hesitate, scratching the back of my neck. “To go to the park.” It’s not a lie. It’s also not the full truth.

  “Are you wanting to use my son to pick up girls?” Her mouth is hanging open as she stares at me. “Seriously?”

  I cringe and shudder. The last word was in a high enough in octave that only dogs should’ve heard it. “No, not girls. One girl. Woman. Singular.”

  Roman laughs again. “Yeah, take Caden.” His face drops into Harper’s neck. “We could use some alone time.”

  “Absolutely not,” Harper says, leaning away from her husband.

  “I won’t let anything happen to him. Caden and I will enjoy some bonding time at the park in the sunshine. It’ll be good. I promise.”

  Roman takes Caden from Harper’s arms and hands him to me. He crashes against my chest, giggling. I run my palm down his back and bounce him.

  “Hey, little man,” I whisper. “I’m gonna need to you to look extra cute today.” He grins and pats my cheek while laughing, like he knows exactly what I’m asking him to do. “Yeah, just like that, little man.”

  “I’ll go get the baby backpack.” Roman chuckles as he walks out of the room.

  “Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m letting this happen.” Harper stands, then walks up to me and jabs a finger in my chest. “If you let anything happen to him, I will kill you myself, Hudson Wells. And if this woman is a prostitute or something, I’ll double kill you and then have Roman hide your body.”

  I press Caden’s head to my chest and cover his exposed ear with my hand. “You let your son hear such violence,” I joke. “I don’t pay for sex. I do just fine on my own.”

  She scoffs.

  “She’s a teacher and a single mom. And so damn beautiful. I’m taking a page from Liam’s book. I’m going to be her friend first, and hopefully she’ll go out on a date with me later.”

  “A date?” Harper asks, raising her brows.

  “Yeah.” I take my hand from Caden’s ear and bounce him in my arms.

  She grins. “This is going to be fun.”

  “What?”

  “Watching someone knock you on your ass. Can I be there when you tell your mom you found someone? She’s going to throw a parade if one of her boys gets hitched.”

  This is probably true. I groan. “Slow down. I’ve met her once. I want to take her on a date, not take her to Vegas and give her my name.”

  Harper’s grin turned into a full-fledged smile. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

  Roman comes into the room carrying a green diaper bag and the baby holder. He puts the bag on my free shoulder and drops the baby holder and a set of keys into my hand. “Take my truck. His car seat is in there. Get out of here.”

  Roman turns to his wife and bends over, shoving his shoulder into her stomach and tossing her over his shoulder. Harper laughs as Roman strides down the hallway.

  “Take care of my boy,” Roman calls out. I shake my head and walk out of the door.

  I got the baby. Now I just hope Ava’s at the park so I can get the girl.

  Chapter 9

  Hudson

  “How the fu—” I glance up at the baby still sitting in his car seat. “Sorry, little man.”

  How in the hell does this thing work? The baby backpack has so many straps I’m not sure what goes where. I thought I had it the first time, but it ended up being upside down. Caden would’ve fallen straight through. I’m pretty sure Harper would serve my balls up in a skillet if I let that happen.

  “Wanna give me a hint, Caden? How does this thing work?”

  He laughs and claps his hands together, spit drooling out the side of his mouth.

  “It’s funny, huh? The big guy can’t figure this out.”

  “Bah. Gah.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  After a few more minutes of struggling, I figure it out. I take Caden out of his car seat and tuck him into the pocket on my chest. My hand braces under his butt and I grit my teeth as I release him, praying he won’t fall through.

  “Told you I’d get it.” I keep one hand braced underneath him anyway, just in case this thing decides to fall apart on me.

  I nab a baseball cap from the front seat of Roman’s truck and pull it down on my head. I start for the trail that leads to the playground and benches, hoping she’s there.

  I’m taking a shot in the dark. My cousins say this is the best park in the area, plus it’s the first weekend since school started. Which I know because a few guys from my crew took Monday morning off to take their kids to the first day of school.

  As soon as I round the bend in the walkway, I spot her. Raw, frantic energy zips through my veins. My body has one mission. My feet pound against the pavement as I speed up. My eyes go right to her. She’s standing next to the wood fort with her hands on her slender hips, staring up at her daughter. Lilly is kicking a pointed toe in front of her, then bringing it down in front of the other foot as she slowly crosses the railing of the bridge. Her arms stick straight out at her sides like it’s a balance beam.

  I grin. Ava’s got a little hellion on her hands. I hope she has some of that same fire inside of her.

  “Ready, Caden? I need you to work your magic, buddy. Turn on that charm. Your dad got your mom with that swagger of his. Show me some of that, kid.”

  Her melodic voice drifts over to me as I get close. “Lilly, get down right now.”

  “I’m almost there, Mom.” Lilly’s tongue is sticking out the side of her mouth. I stop at the edge of the dirt, watching them together. Ava’s daughter is like a tiny replica of her. The same eyes, blond hair, and sun-kissed skin.

  “Lilly, get down. Right. Now.”

  Lilly huffs and jumps. Ava yells her name at the same time I suck in a lungful of air as Lilly jumps from the bridge to the ground. She sticks the landing.

  “Not what I meant, Lilly.” There’s an edge in Ava’s voice that I haven’t heard before, but I’ve heard it plenty from my own mom.

  “I’m sorry, Mommy.” Lilly’s head turns toward the ground and her shoulders slump forward.

  I slowly back toward the benches, giving them some privacy. Caden coos when I reach the bench and start bouncing him.

  A moment later, Lilly takes off running back toward the fort. Ava is crouched on her knees. She rubs a hand along her forehead. Her shoulders heave once on a deep breath before she stand and turns toward the benches.

  And freezes.

  A bright flush creeps up her chest and neck. I don’t take my eyes from her as she makes the decision to walk over. My smile grows with every step she takes.

  “Are you a manny?” Ava props a hand over her eyes, blocking the sun.

  “Nope.” My face feels like it’s going to split in half from my grin. I’ve been quick to smile and laugh my entire life; I chase every good ti
me I can find. But with just a sentence from Ava, I’m having the time of my life and smiling in a way I didn’t know was possible.

  “You just happen to have a flock of children at your disposal?”

  I shrug. “Something like that.”

  Caden turns his head as much as possible in the carrier, craning to see Ava. When his eyes lock on her, he starts gabbing in his baby language.

  “I think someone wants to meet you.” I incline my head to Caden.

  Ava’s eyes drop from mine to the excited baby strapped to my chest. She gasps and rushes forward to the little amber-eyed guy. Caden is Roman’s twin with the exception of his eyes. That whiskey color comes straight from Harper. They’re shocking against Caden’s olive skin.

  “Oh my gosh. You’re so handsome.”

  I swear Caden smirks.

  Ava chuckles, stroking his cheek with the back of her finger. “Is this your move?”

  “My move?”

  “To get me to go on a date with you.” Ava curls her hair behind her ear. I have the urge to reach out and feather the strands between my fingers. Would it feel like silk? How would it feel wrapped around my hand while I’m buried to the hilt inside of her?

  I give her a sheepish smile and shrug. “No date, but I figured you couldn’t say no to being my friend if I had this little guy as my wingman.”

  Ava stares at me, her eyes bouncing back and forth between mine. “He is hard to resist.”

  The “he” in that sentence is meant for Caden, but the warmth that fills her eyes gives me hope that she secretly means it’s me who’s hard to resist. I lift Caden’s hand and clap it against my own. “Nice job, little dude.”

  Ava chuckles. “Friends?”

  “Yeah, friends.”

  Ava turns her eyes back to the playground for a minute, scanning the vast area until they lock on her daughter, and then back on me. “Okay,” she finally says.

  “Let’s get a drink together.”

  Ava laughs. I take in every part of her while she laughs—her shaking shoulders, arched neck, and bouncing tits. “That sounds like a date.”

  I shake my head. “Friends go get drinks together. I go get drinks with my friends all the time.”

  After another minute of silence, I decide to add a little bit more to my offer. “Coffee. Tea. Lunch. Anything, really.”

  Ava straightens her spine, rubbing the palms of her hands down the tops of her thighs. “I’ll have to find a sitter.”

  Carmen’s face immediately pops into my mind. She’d be thrilled. It’s two wins in one. “I know someone who will do it. She’d love to watch your daughter. Anytime you want, really. She loves kids.”

  “I’ll have to meet her.” Her teeth run over her bottom lip. Her stare is fixated on her daughter playing on the monkey bars.

  “Consider it done. Whenever you want, I’ll set it up.”

  “I haven’t found a sitter since moving here, so I really appreciate that. Who is she?”

  I gesture toward the bench. When she sits, I take the spot next to her, leaving hardly any space. I’m going to be her friend and hope that it will turn into more, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on her. Ava’s breath hitches when our knees graze each other. I know she’s feeling what I’m feeling. I just need her to admit it.

  “Her name is Carmen. In short, she’s my housekeeper, but really she’s like my second mother. She’ll jump at any chance to take care of kids. So will my mom, but I thought it might be too soon for that. We’ll save meeting the parents for another time.” I wink.

  Ava gives me a weak smile before sighing. “Hudson.”

  I squeeze her hand gently. It takes every ounce of willpower I possess to remove my hand from hers afterward, but I manage. “It was a joke. Honest. We’re friends. There’s no meeting the parents happening here.” I nudge her with my elbow.

  It works. Her face brightens again and her posture relaxes. “Do you think Carmen would come to my apartment?”

  “I’m sure she would. Where do you live? I can set up a time for y’all to meet.”

  “I live in the Bridgestone Apartments, not far from here.”

  “No way.” I throw my head back and laugh. “That’s where Carmen lives. This is even better.”

  Ava’s eyes are bright and excited as her smile widens into an open-mouthed grin. “Are you serious?”

  “Yep.” As cheesy as it sounds, the stars are fucking aligning. Fate is stepping in. Kismet. Whatever I want to call this, it’s happening. “How’s later this afternoon?”

  “Sure,” she says.

  After Ava gives me her apartment unit and contact information, I fire off a message to Carmen, asking her if she’d meet with Ava and Lilly and possibly babysit. Just as I knew she would, she’s ecstatic at the thought of helping someone out.

  “So, when we met, I told you I’m a teacher. You didn’t tell me anything about yourself. What do you do?” Ava sweeps her hair to one side, exposing the long column of her neck. I hone in on that spot, desperate to get a taste of her. My gaze slowly slides up her neck, to her lips, mimicking the trail I want to trace with my tongue. I put my hand on the back of Caden’s head, reminding myself I have a baby against me and I cannot get hard right now.

  I cough before meeting Ava’s eyes. From the mirth dancing in them, she knows the thoughts racing through my mind.

  “I co-own a construction company with three of my brothers and my dad.” My teeth grind together. I’ve never uttered that sentence with so much bitterness. Most of the time, I’m happy to talk about it. Not after this week. Materials have been disappearing.

  I didn’t notice at first.

  Camden dropped in one day “just because.” He was the one to discover that half a pallet’s worth of drywall was unaccounted for.

  Yesterday, an entire delivery of brick up and vanished. I was questioning Cesar, one of my crew, when Dane popped up behind me and heard about the missing brick. Within twenty minutes, I’d received a call from my whole family—minus Maddox, who couldn’t give a shit about our projects.

  “Three of your brothers?” Ava’s brows arch high over her eyes as she mouths wow.

  “Yeah, I have four, but one didn’t join the family business. He’s a detective for the APD.” Pride for Maddox swells in my chest. He rose in the ranks of the department quickly after he returned from serving our country. The rest of my brothers are bastards though. No feelings of pride for them.

  The divide between us is new and only started when I bought into the company.

  “Did that upset your dad?” There’s a subtle hesitation in her voice.

  I wave my hand. “Not at all.”

  When Caden lets out a snore, my eyes lock with Ava’s and we chuckle. He fell asleep against my chest a few minutes ago. There’s a wet spot forming beneath his drool, but I don’t give a rat’s ass.

  “When do you need to get the little guy home to his parents?”

  I take a peek at my watch. “Soon. Harper is probably ready to send out a search party. Roman might need some more time though.” I smirk.

  “More time for what?” Her brows are pointed down and her head tips to the side.

  “When I left, Roman had just thrown Harper over his shoulder and was marching to their bedroom.”

  Ava’s hand claps over her mouth and her breath hitches again. I’m coming to really like that little hitch. When she removes her hand, her voice comes out slightly raspy. “I thought that only happened in books.”

  I suppress the groan that wants to break free. My cock hardens with the promise of the things I would do to Ava, for Ava. I’d carry her caveman style and fuck her all over my house. I bite my tongue to cover the groan that almost slips free with that thought. My voice is strained. “Nope.” I look right into her eyes. “That doesn’t only happen in books.”

  “Oh,” she breathes, her bright blue orbs glued to mine.

  “Mommy, I’m hungry.”

  Our connection breaks as our heads swivel to
ward Lilly. A streak of dirt is smudged on her sun-stained cheeks.

  “Lilly, remember Hudson? And this little guy is Caden.” Eyes matching Ava’s pin me to my place.

  “Hi,” Lilly says, grinning.

  “Hey, blueberry.” The nickname just slips out. Ava’s eyes remind me of a bluebonnet field, and Lilly’s color matches. A bluebonnet and a blueberry. Lilly giggles.

  “Ready to go, sweetie?” Ava asks Lilly.

  She nods and waves at me.

  Ava gives me a wave, too. “Bye, Hudson. I’ll see you soon.”

  Soon as in tomorrow.

  Chapter 10

  Ava

  I set a bowl of orange slices on the table in front of where Lilly is working on her homework. She has to complete an art project depicting her summer.

  I pick up the scissors and the picture of a giraffe we printed at the library earlier.

  “A new friend of mine is coming over soon.” I slowly trace the giraffe’s skinny legs with the blade of the scissors, making the cut as clean as possible.

  “Okay.” Lilly’s tongue is poking out the side of her mouth as she draws a swimming pool with a little girl waving in the middle of the water.

  “She might watch you sometimes if I need to go out.”

  “Why can’t Susie watch me?”

  I put down the scissors and rub her arm. She hasn’t broken down about this move. Perhaps she’s young enough to just bounce back from the change. But a breakdown could happen at any moment, set off by anything. “We live too far away.”

  “Will I see Susie again?”

  Susie and I met in college and quickly became friends. She was a recently divorced empty nester and I was a new mom barely in my twenties. My old friends slowly drifted away after I found out I was pregnant. No college freshman wants to hang out with a screaming baby.

  I related more to fifty-year-old Susie than to my college-grad friends.

  “Of course you’ll see Susie again. She said she’d come up for your birthday. She just won’t be able to babysit you.”

  I brace for tears, but none emerge. She shrugs and goes back to coloring. “Okay.”