Page 69 of Playing Pretend

“There you are,” he said, careful not jostle Braelynn when he sat down beside me. It was late, but I was feeling a little restless, and wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row for the following evening.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I replied, shifting on the brown leather sofa to make room for Caleb. I crossed my legs and tucked my feet beneath my butt. “The seating arrangements are keeping me awake.” It wasn’t a blatant lie, I was preoccupied with the launch party only being a day away, but I didn’t want to tell Caleb what was really keeping me awake. He wouldn’t understand, and then he’d probably fuck me into thinking everything was just dandy. Not that I would have complained right then. Sex had been a ‘no-go’ the week before, and I was pretty sure my edginess was in part due to sexual frustration. Yep, I was horny, and stressed, and those two mixed together simply weren’t beneficial to my emotional or mental state.

“Come on, Brae,” cooed Caleb. “Take the bottle, baby.”

Braelynn turned her head, and put a stop to Caleb’s attempt at sticking the bottle in her mouth. I put all my paperwork on the coffee table, and reached for the little Miss. Braelynn stopped moving as soon as Caleb placed her in my arms, and when I brought her bottle to her mouth, she took it.

I caught Caleb shaking his head in my peripheral, causing my lips to lift into a small smile.

“You’ve bewitched my kid,” he sighed, placing his arms on the back of the sofa. He started playing with a strand of my hair like it was the most natural thing in the world. “It’s the second time she’s wanted you to feed her, and not me.”

“Does it bother you?” I asked. I leaned back, got comfortable, and looked at him. He watched me for a few beats, and then replied, “No, it actually doesn’t. It’s just surprising, that’s all.”

“Why? I love helping you.”

“I know.” His grin was disarming, and damn if the butterflies in my belly didn’t turn into super bats. “But I guess I never really thought about finding someone who would be good enough for my daughter.”

I had no idea how to respond to that, so I turned my attention back to Braelynn.

“Did I say something wrong?” asked Caleb. He lifted my hair from my nape, and started rubbing my neck. I sighed, and he applied more pressure, rubbing the tension away.

“No. A girl can’t argue when a man says she’s good enough for his daughter. It means a lot, that you trust me with her.”

“You know, in most cases whatever is good enough for the baby is good enough for her dad too.”

I bit my lip, and stifled a giggle. “Has anyone ever told you how smooth you think you are?”

“I don’t think I’m smooth, I know I am. Or so I’ve been told.”

“Your daddy needs a lesson on humility,” I told Braelynn. “He thinks way too much of himself.”

“I do not.” Caleb leaned over, and looked at his daughter. “Don’t listen to Kadence, baby girl.”

I lifted my head and quirked a brow. “I think she should listen to me. Do you want your daughter to end up with a man who will do to her what you’ve done to me?”

Caleb’s mouth opened, but he snapped it shut long enough to think about his answer. “Uh, no. I’m the only man in her life, and it will stay that way until…forever. You hear me Brae? Daddy is the only man you will ever need.”

“Good luck with that one. It’s your fault you had such a good looking kid.”

Caleb turned his gaze, his eyes resting on my face. “Oh really? And why is that?”

“Because you’re not exactly hard on the eyes, Caleb.”

He gave me a cheeky smirk. “You think I’m hot?”

Bastard.

With pinched lips, I turned my attention to Braelynn who’d just finished eating and avoided answering. Of course I thought Caleb was gorgeous, but with my luck I would use words that revealed the unfounded expectation that we were more than what we were. I was under no kind of illusion, but I still wanted to enjoy this just a little bit longer.

Caleb felt my discomfort, and dropped it. He took Braelynn, told me to stay put, and took her to bed. He came back a few minutes later, and took his place beside me. I grabbed the paperwork as more of a diversion, but Caleb removed them from my grasp.

“You’re going to be fine,” he said. “The event is going to be perfect.”

I remained quiet, and he added, “I know you couldn’t sleep because you’re nervous, babe, but you don’t need to be.”

I took a deep breath. “What if I fail?”

Caleb cupped my cheek, and I had to admit it felt good to air my fear of failing. “Not possible. You love your job too much to fail. And besides, you can never fail with me at your side.”