Page 75 of Hollywood

Totally.

Completely.

Why would I want some pretty girl when I had an even prettier guy?

The thought made my head spin, and I missed a step, nearly spilling the crate packed with cobs of corn all over the concrete floor.

Because for the first time in my life, I wasn’t fighting my feelings for a man. I wasn’t struggling to reconcile them with who I was. I wasn’t wishing I could be straight.

I was looking at a beautiful woman, and I didn’t want her. Not when I could have Holly.

CHAPTER 17

Hollywood

The baby monitorcrackled with sound. A moment later, a shrill voice jolted me. “Da! I wake!”

Tex groaned quietly and nestled deeper under the blankets. I hurriedly reached out to turn down the volume. He’d gotten home after one in the morning, crawled into bed, and whispered into my ear that he needed me. Every part of me had woken up at those few words, and when he slipped under the blanket to take me into his mouth, I wasn’t entirely sure I wasn’t dreaming.

Having Tex like this was still surreal. My blood warmed at the memories, and I forced myself out of bed before I was tempted to wake him. Ruby needed me, and Tex needed to sleep while he could. Besides, I wanted to get over to the rehab center with enough time for Carrie to see Ruby before her scheduled therapy session at 9 a.m. The place was pretty strict about keeping to a schedule.

I dressed in sweats and a T-shirt and headed for the roomI shared with Ruby—or at least used to. I hadn’t slept in my bed since last weekend. Ruby was already out of bed.

“Potty!” she said urgently.

I took her into the bathroom and helped her onto the toilet—because she refused to use the potty chair. “I use REAL potty!” she’d insisted while squirming with urgency.

I praised her as she finished. “You’re getting so good at that, Ruby! We might have to get you big girl underwear soon.”

Her eyes went wide. “Big girl?”

“Yep! You barely need diapers, huh? You use the potty like a big girl.”

“Ruby’s a big girl,” she said proudly.

I was secretly proud of myself, too. Just a week ago, helping Ruby with the potty had terrified me. Tex was so confident that I often let him take the lead. But I’d helped Ruby like a pro. Like a real-ass dad.

I got her dressed, settled with a bowl of Cheerios and some cartoons, and hopped into the shower. I kept it quick and skipped my usual styling routine. I didn’t want to leave Ruby too long or risk her waking up Tex.

I glanced at my towel-rumpled hair in the mirror and shook my head. Good thing I’d already gotten my man. There was a time I wouldn’t leave the house without a solid hour spent waxing and shaping my hair. Now, I was barely running a comb through it and rushing to get dressed.

When I got back to the living room—dressed in jeans and a blue polo—Ruby was exactly where I’d left her, though she was gnawing on her bunny rabbit pretty fiercely. I retrieved some cold yogurt from the fridge, grabbed the oral numbing gel, and joined her by the sofa.

She was through the worst of the teething—no more fever, thank goodness—but her gums still bothered her intermittently.Aiden’s advice had gone a long way to soothing us all, though.

“Want some nice cold yogurt?” I asked her.

She reached for it eagerly. It helped that she really liked it and had only had a few Cheerios for breakfast. I gave her the cold treat, tucked the gel in my pocket for later, and when she’d finished eating, I helped her pick out an outfit and get dressed.

We were nearly ready to go when a knock came at the door. When I opened it, Joyride stood on the porch, bags under his eyes, hair a greasy, unwashed mess.

I blinked. “What are you doing here?”

He lifted a drink carrier. “I got coffee at Mug Shots. Even got Ruby a little cocoa.”

“Okay…”

He bit his bottom lip. “I, uh, just needed to get out of the house. Thought I’d stop by and get my Ruby fix. I could take her to the park?”