Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“Ox, he’s one kid. You got him four cars?”
I shrug. “I have three and a bike.”
“He’s turning one. I can’t imagine sixteen,” she murmurs the last part under her breath.
“If his mom will let me, I’ll get him his first set of wheels then too.”
She gives me this little smile. I go to ask her what it’s for, but AJ comes stumbling out of the room, rubbing his eyes. When he blinks them and looks around, his face lights up. He finds me and comes running.
“Hey, big guy,” I croon as I lift him into my arms. “Happy birthday.”
He claps his hands and smiles at me. I look over at Kid. “You sticking around to eat?”
“Nah, I’m going to head out and let you guys have your guy time. I don’t think he’s here to see me anyway.”
I laugh as AJ snuggles into my side as he moves from my lap to sit next to me. “Bye, Ki,” he sings and waves at her.
“See,” she snickers. “Call me if you guys need anything.”
“You’re on shift tonight, right?”
“Yeah, but call, I’ll duck out and answer.”
“Cool.”
***
“That was good, wasn’t it?” I say as AJ scarfs down his fourth slice of pizza. Granted, I did cut the slices in half for him.
He looks back at me happily, showing off his tiny little teeth with sauce all over his face. He claps his hands together and nods.
“Finish up and I’ll give you a bath and get you into your pajamas.”
I stand and start to clean up some before grabbing another slice. It’s been a good day. We went over to Pit’s, where my brother insisted I keep the Power Wheels, so AJ couldn’t open them without him. Well, that might have been Skittles’s request because she souped up the cars and made them custom for him.
I get the feeling I’m going to be an uncle soon. Skittles wasn’t the only one who looked at AJ as if she wanted a kid of her own. I caught Pit eyeing her as if he couldn’t wait to get started.
Which is why I packed AJ up after the guys arrived and we cut his cake. Coming back to my place, we spent the rest of the day in the pool. I’m taking him to Sky Zone tomorrow. I can’t wait to see him go crazy in there.
“Fini, Da-da, baph time,” he sings after swallowing his last bite.
I freeze with my half-eaten slice of pizza halfway to my mouth. I drop it back on my plate and swallow hard. Did this kid just call me Da-da? I don’t even know what to say.
I’m not sure if his mother has a boyfriend who’s around. I haven’t met her, so I don’t know how she would feel about this, but as his eyes sparkle as he looks up at me, I don’t have the heart to tell him I’m not his dad so he shouldn’t say that. It’s not like he cursed or something.
I dust my hands over my plate. “You can call me Ant, buddy. We’ll work on that before you go home. Is that cool?”
“Da-da.”
I groan. Every time he says it, I feel like I’ve been punched in the chest.
I purse my lips and stand to pick him up and get him in his bath. My mind is all over the place as I get an energetic one-year-old undressed and into the bathtub. I’ve never seen a kid so excited for bath time.
He’s splashed around so much, there’s more water on me than there is in the tub. My shirt is soaked by the time I have him settled and his hair soaped up. I chuckle as he closes his eyes and groans while I massage his little scalp.
“Feels good, little buddy?”
He looks up at me with that big smile and his dimple pops. I blink a few times. In this moment, he could pass for me in an old picture I have. My mom took it while my dad washed my hair.
I shake my head clear. My wife is the only woman I’ve ever gone bare in. I hadn’t been fucking around the time this little guy would have been conceived, had I? I count back in my head.
“Nah, I’d kill Lex,” I scoff.
She’s the only one I had sex with anywhere near the time he would have been conceived. However, my breath catches in my throat as he bends his neck and I run my hand through his curls. The birthmark at the nape of his neck right at his hairline comes into view.
I have one that looks similar. I gently tug his head back and stare down into his face. He looks back at me questioningly. I grind my teeth and shake the thought off.
Pulling out my phone, I dial Kid. “Don’t move, AJ,” I command and stand to pace the space.