As soon as she walks away, my knees lock, and I fall into Rhys, sobbing.
His arms wrap around me, his chin sitting on the top of my head while he rubs circles on my back.
“He’s going to be okay, Kels. It’ll be over before you know it and we’ll be taking him home.”
“I know,” I sniffle and hiccup against his chest. “He looked so much smaller, and helpless in there. All this big equipment and this little tiny baby.”
“Let’s go sit down,” he offers and takes my hand.
Rhys grabs a box of tissues from one of the nearby tables and hands them to me as we sit over in the corner and wait, me with my head resting on his shoulder and his arm slung over me.
The whole thing takes less than forty-five minutes even though it feels much longer.
The same tech from earlier comes out to get us and leads us back to the recovery room. Reid is groggy but awake and letting everyone know how unhappy he is. His nurse is trying to console him, but when we walk in, she’s more than happy to hand him over to me.
“He is really upset. If we can get him to settle down, you can try to offer him a bottle with a little bit of Pedialyte in it to start.”
It’s hard to do much more than sway back and forth in one spot with the wires and IV still attached to Reid and my efforts are doing little to calm him down. Meanwhile, Rhys is standing against the wall – in his usual ‘bad ass’ stance. Arms crossed over his chest, legs crossed at the ankles, and he’s smirking.
If I don’t laugh, I’ll only end up crying again. That or throwing a blood pressure cuff and Rhys’ head.
“Is something funny?” I give him my best scowl and watch as he tries to fight back an even bigger grin.
“You want me to try?”
“Rhys Mitchell, I swear to the heavens, if I hand this baby to you and he stops crying,” before I can finish, Rhys moves to my side of the room and holds out his hands.
I only want the little dude to calm down, so I give him up along with his pacifier. Rhys lays him against his chest, puts the pacifier in his mouth and runs his hand over Reid’s back. My jaw hits the floor as he falls silent, almost instantly.
“What the f…” I growl under my breath.
Rhys shoots me a wink and smiles. “I have the magic touch.”
“Fuck you,” I roll my eyes and sit down on the edge of the bed.
The nurse flutters back in a short while later with a tiny bottle of Pedialyte and hands it to me. “Go ahead and try to offer him three ounces to start. If he keeps that down, you can offer him half of a regular bottle. Dr. Wyatt said to just take it slow. He’ll be by to check on him after lunch time, and if all is well, you’ll be able to head home. If you need anything, I’m right at the desk, and I’ll be in and out to check on you.” She’s talking to me, but I can see her eyes flutter to Rhys more than once. I can’t blame her, I look at him like that too.
“Thanks.” I offer her a warm smile even though I’d really like to tell her to keep her eyes to herself. And grab Reid’s empty bottle from the diaper bag to fill it with the Pedialyte. “You want to do this?” I challenge Rhys.
“Sass,” he bites back.
I bat my lashes, “You’re the hero here. I thought you’d want to keep up with your image.”
“Jealousy does not look good on you.”
“You sure you don’t know her from somewhere,” I narrow my gaze at him.
He’s not buying it. He shakes his head and takes the bottle from me. “It’s more likely she knows me. Not the other way around. I can’t help it, when you’re hot, you’re hot.”
“If she asks you for a picture or an autograph, I will claw her eyes out.”
“Simmer down.” He grins and takes a seat in the middle of the hospital bed, leaning back.
We’re waiting for the doctor to come in and discharge Reid when my friend and Reid’s favorite babysitter stops by to check on us.
“Hey, you. I was on break and figured…” her voice cuts off as she pulls the curtain open and her eyes widen at the sight of Rhys. “Well, holy shit. This is the hottie that fathered my favorite boy.”
I lean my head back and sigh. “Crystal. Really? Why can’t any of my friends be normal?”
“I’m Crystal,” she offers Rhys, her hand, and he shakes it. “You’re Rhys, the hot cop. That would be how I know your name, not because Miss Tight Lips over here told me anything. There is no denying the resemblance now though,” she takes a breath and looks at me. “Jeez, you could have told me Reid’s father was back in the picture.”
May the floor open up and swallow me now.
“You’re all nuts. All of my friends are fucking nuts. I’m so glad you came to check on us, and fawn all over Rhys.”
“Hey now, it’s not my fault you caught me off guard. You could have told me the viral hot cop was your baby daddy.”
“Crystal! For fuck sake.” Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Rhys barely holding himself together. “You really live for embarrassing me.”
“It’s because I love you. Now,” she walks over to Rhys.
If she touches him, I’ll kill her.
I hate all of them. I hate my friends, and I hate that Rhys makes me want to kill my friends, especially those friends who I love and trust so much.
“Let me see this little cutie before I have to get back to my floor,” she swoops Reid out of Rhys' hands and swings him on to her hip. For the first damn time since he came out of surgery, he smiles, at Crystal. “Did they treat you good, buddy? Did they give you a popsicle? I bet they didn’t. Aunt Crystal should go get you one. Shouldn’t I?” Reid laughs while I shake my head.
She goes on talking nonsense to him like she likes to do. Meanwhile, Rhys moves over to sit in the chair beside me while Crystal has her moment.
When she hands Reid to me and leaves, Rhys nudges my elbow.
“That was fun.”
“Tons. I’m sorry. First Katie flashes you, Zoey as well…Zoey and Crystal…I swear she’s normal. She’s a nurse in the Pediatric ICU. She’s usually the one who watches Reid. She was the one who was with him the night I…” I pause and clear my throat. “The night I left the signing early to come home. He had a bad ear infection that night too.”
“Kels. It’s ok. We’re ok.”
I don’t have time to analyze his words because the doctor comes in right after, ready to check on Reid one last time and give us all the follow-up instructions.
This parenting thing, its mind blowing. I mean, sure I’ve been around my niece and nephew but doing it with your own kid? Learning as you go? Totally different experience.
Reid is the most resilient dude ever. In my biased parental opinion.
The day after his surgery, he’s pretty much back to normal. The only time he gets fussy is when one of us tries to put the antibiotic drops in his ears, and that’s only because he’s itching to get back to what he was doing, like trying like hell to crawl across the room.
I’m sitting in the living room with him now, watching him doing his own thing on his play mat on the floor. I can’t help but laugh when Lucy tries to walk by, and Reid rolls over and starts rocking like he’s going to take off after her. It’s even funnier when she stops and watches him, waiting to see what he’ll do next.
When she comes over to me and hits me with the puppy dog eyes, I know I’m about to let her get away with whatever she wants.
She nudges my hand, and I reach out and rub her head. She uses that as permission to stand on her back two feet with her front paws on the couch. I look behind me quickly to see where Kelsey’s at then pat the cushion next to me.
“Don’t tell,” I whisper as she gets comfortable and puts her head in my lap.
Reid blows raspberries in our direction and tries to scoot in our direction. Lucy lets out a sigh.
“Hey, you can’t be mad at him for wanting to hang out with his best friend,” I tell the giant fur ball.
“Who are you…” Kelsey’s voice calls out from
behind me.
Busted.
“Rhys.” Kelsey hisses. “Lucy!”
I almost feel bad for the dog, her voice for me was much nicer.
“Hey, leave my buddy alone. We’re cuddling.”
“On the couch that she’s not supposed to be on.”
“I don’t see why not. She’s clearly comfortable.”
“Rhys.”
“Kelsey.”
“Are you going to let Reid do whatever he wants too? Is that how this works?”
“Reid’s allowed to sit on the couch, just so we’re clear. You can’t give him a pillow and tell him to sit on the floor.” I pretend to be very serious.
Kelsey fights back a chuckle, “I think you like her better than me.”
I reach out for her, and she takes my hand, letting me tug her into my lap now that Lucy has jumped back down and sulked over to her bed. “Hmm, you’re awful jealous lately. I think I like it,” I tease as I kiss her neck.
“Not jealous.” She tries to deny it.
“If you say so. Do you want to come home with me Friday? You can stay a few days then I’ll bring you back here for Reid’s follow up.”
“You want me to come and stay with you for a week?”
“I do. You’ll see how wonderful it will be living with me full time.”
“I’m not moving in with you.”
“You are.” This woman is foolish if she really believes that she’s moving to Tallahassee and not moving in with me. “Not negotiable.”
“Not how things work. You’re not the boss of me.”
I raise my brows, “That’s the best comeback you’ve got.”
“Rhys Mitchell, I am not moving in with you.”
“Ever?” Playing hardball now.
KJ throws her hands up in frustration, “You’re impossible to deal with.”
“You tell me that you don’t want this. Tell me you don’t want the three of us to be a family. Say the words, and we’ll keep on doing what we’ve been doing, but I’m not going to play nice anymore. Instead, I’ll be chasing you so hard that you won’t know what hit you.” The words that are flying out of my mouth are not even a shock to me.
I didn’t plan to come here this week and get this deep into things with her, but I heard her talking to her real estate agent earlier, and I wanted to put it all out on the table.
“Right, like kissing me senseless. Fucking me into submission, continually waking up feeling that I’ve been fighting. Got it.” She mumbles, her words barely audible, yet I heard them loud and clear.
“Stop fighting it. Let’s see what happens when we both stop fighting it.”
“Rhys, I’m not saying I don’t want any of that, but I’m thinking practically. We have a child together, what happens if this ends horribly?”
“One, it’s not going to. You and I have something that is worth exploring, and I’m willing to work hard for it because of Reid and because of you. Two, if things don’t work out between us, then I keep doing what I’ve been doing. Think about it though, things run better when we’re together.”
“Are you doing this out of obligation?” She straddles my lap, so she’s looking in my eyes.
“Nope,” I answer confidently. “I’m doing it because I love Reid and I love you.”
“You love me?”
I wrap my arms around her waist and place a gentle kiss on her lips. There’s no urgency. It’s sensual and soft. “Yes, crazy girl. I think I’ve been in love with you since I pulled over to help you with a flat tire and you dropped a box of squishy dicks all over the highway.”
She lets out a laugh that feels like a breath of fresh air. “They did not end up all over the highway, just the side of the road,” she playfully slaps my chest.
“I really hope you did not tell people that was swag for your Hot Cop…or Not book. It’s really misleading.” I playfully lift my hips and rub against her.
Kelsey leans forward and rests her head on my shoulder, her arms wrapped around my neck, one hand tangling with my hair. “I love you too,” she says softly, and I swear my Goddamn heart leaps out of my chest.
“One more thing, Kelsey.”
She lifts her head and looks at me, “What else, Rhys?”
“You need to know that, I forgive you. Wholeheartedly. When I told you at the hospital that we were ok. I meant that too. I was too hurt and irate at the time to stop and think about your reasons. We make the best choices we can with all the information we have at the time. You thought you were making the right choice. I get why you think I may not have been a stand-up guy. I’ve let it go. I forgive you, and I want you to forgive yourself. Can you do that for me?”
Her body trembles as tears stream down her face and I’ve got to hold back my own tears. She’s let this shit eat at her for far too long. I realize now, after the way she acted at the hospital, she needs this. I needed to give her the words, letting her know I forgave her, and in a way, she needed the permission from me to forgive herself too.
“I’m so sorry. So damn sorry,” she cries harder and leans back into me.
“I know you are. And I’m telling you that I forgive you.” I let her cry and get it all out, once her sobs have quieted, I do the one thing I’m best at and try to bring humor back to the situation. “So, you’ll be moving in with me?”
Her laugh tickles my neck, and I know I’ve accomplished my goal.
“I’m serious, Kels. Shit, we can try finding a place together first – if you’d rather not move twice because eventually, we’re going to need something bigger than my two-bedroom condo. If the timing doesn’t work out, stay at my place until we find something we both want.”
“Let me get used to the fact that you love me first, okay hot shot?”
“It’s hot cop.” I nip her collarbone gently.
“I can’t even with you. Let’s go make dinner and get little man ready for bed.”
“And after that?” I tease.
“I’m going to bed, Rhys. To sleep.”
“We’ll see,” I give her ass a smack as she moves off me and picks Reid up off the floor.
Spending more than two days with Rhys is a whole new ball game. One where I get more sleep. I know for a fact that I eat healthier. I’m feeling less stressed, and my body aches in very delicious ways. The routine we have on the weekends that he’s here rolls right into every day, seamlessly. Now more than ever I can see us doing this life together.
Rhys’ forgiveness plays on loop in my mind, and I think deep down, I can forgive myself too. I owe it to both of us. And when Saturday night rolls around, I’m ready to take him up on his offer to come to his place – live in his world for a little bit too.
“So, you’re really going to do it? You’re going to go stay at his place for a week?” Zoey asks me over the phone while I pack the rest of our bags for the next eight days.
I think this will be the real test as to how things are going to go, especially if I’m moving into Rhys’ space. That’s a really big if. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
“I’m thinking of it as a vacation. Or maybe a trial run for real life?”
“Kelsey, real life? Seriously. It doesn’t get more real than having a baby with someone.”
“Whatever. Are you still good to come by and check on the place while I’m gone?”
“Yes, woman. I’ll come by and check on the place. What time are you dropping my puppy off?”
Rhys wanted to bring Lucy with us, but I felt like it was too much. Zoey’s all too eager to keep her for me. Both, my children love Zoey – the furry one especially. “After breakfast. He’s got to work Sunday night, so he wants to get back to his place and help us settle in beforehand.”
“Ooooo, girl, you’re going to get to see him dress up in that sexy as fuck uniform every day. I’m already jealous! Maybe he can, you know, call for back up and have Smitty visit. So, you can snap a picture for me to drool over!”
Horny. Teenaged. Boy. That’s Zoey.
“No thanks. Smitty doesn’t really do it for me. I prefer my men much taller.”
Rhys would choose that moment to step into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. “You two seriously better not be talking about Smitty again.”
“I wasn’t!” I mock offense. “Zoey. I’ve got to go.” I tell her quickly and end the call with her giggling in the background as Rhys stalks toward me. “She’s got it bad.”
“I do too,” he teases.
“I knew it! I knew you had a thing for Smitty! That’s pretty hot come to think of it.”
“Really, Kelsey?”
“Hey, he’s not really my type, but there’s no denying that he’s a good-looking bloke,” I giggle as I back around the side of the bed and away from Rhys. Just before he reaches for me, I jump up on the bed and stand in the middle of it.
“You’re standing on the bed like a child.”
“That’s a great observation. Why, yes I am.”
Rhys shakes his head. “Okay well, while you jump on the bed like a five-year-old, I’m going to get dressed for bed. Is all your shit packed for tomorrow?” He asks as he nonchalantly drops his towel.
I’m pretty sure I heard him ask a question, but I don’t remember what it was now. I’m too busy staring at his hard frame, the way his muscles flex as he moves around the room like a Greek god.
Yep, it’s getting hot in here.
There’s absolutely no shame as I let out a frustrated groan when he covers his gorgeous skin with his boxers.
“Do you plan to get some sleep or are you gonna stand on the bed all night?” he looks up at me.
“Sleep? What’s sleep?” Not thinking, because – duh sexy Rhys standing in front of me in gray Calvin Klein’s, I plop down on my ass. And squeal when the bed makes a loud noise that slightly resembles wood snapping. “Well, that’s not how I imagined breaking the bed. In my mind, it was much sexier.”
Hot Cop (Too Hot To Handle Book 1) Page 15