The Stud Next Door

by Kendall Ryan

  Has Wolfie ever held Marley? Has Wolfie ever held a child, period?

  I watch in awe as Penelope passes Marley off to the gentle giant, who nestles the baby girl comfortably into his arm, keeping her head supported and her attention engaged. Penelope sighs happily, leaning against his bicep as they each offer a finger to Marley’s eager hands.

  “What do you think? Do you want one of these?” she teases, but I can hear the genuine curiosity in her voice.

  I’ve never thought of Wolfie as a dad, but it kind of makes sense. The protectiveness, the no-nonsense attitude, the tenderness beneath all that rough exterior . . . He’d be a wonderful dad.

  “I’m open to it.”

  The hint of a smile on Wolfie’s lips mirrors Penelope’s full-blown grin. Their happiness is contagious, and soon we’re all grinning like the cast of a Hallmark movie, old holiday decor on the walls and all.

  “Ready?” Connor squeezes my hand, and my heart says bah-thump loudly in my chest.

  “Yeah, but . . . are you sure about this?” The question catapults out of my mouth despite my best intentions.

  Connor sighs wearily, the hard line of his lips telling me he’s in the exact same boat. The worry boat. We haven’t left Marley in the care of friends for more than an hour before. There’s really no knowing what to expect.

  “It’s not like I asked Caleb to watch her,” Connor mumbles with a half smirk, his eyes twinkling with humor.

  “Okay, true . . .”

  “We have the guide you sent us, Jess,” Penelope says with a reassuring smile. “We’ll take good care of her.”

  Connor quirks an eyebrow at me. “Guide?”

  I shrug sheepishly. “Yeah, just the basics. Bottle temperature, diaper protocol . . . you know.”

  “She typed it all up in a Word document,” Penelope says with a grin.

  Connor just smiles and pulls me into a tight hug. “How about we get going then?”

  “Yes. Go, go.”

  Penelope shoos us down the hall, where Connor helps me into my coat and slides his arms into his own. After promising her that we won’t be back until ten p.m. at the earliest, Connor and I are out the door and cruising down Lakeshore Drive in no time.

  Car rides have always been a time for thinking, and this one’s no exception. With my fingers intertwined with Connor’s, my eyes glaze over as we thread through the nighttime tapestry of streetlamps and headlights.

  It’s wild how half a year can pass in the blink of an eye and sweep up everything that was once so true for me, replacing it with a whole new perspective on life. I went from nomad nanny with lofty ideals of saving the world to busy career woman with a tangible mission and dirty diapers to boot in barely any time at all.

  As for creating a home with Connor? Well, it’s been nothing short of a dream. He’s so kind and thoughtful, and a freaking king in the sack. Living with him is like rooming with my best friend, my teammate, and my lover—all in one. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

  Connor squeezes my hand. “What are you thinking about?”

  “Hmm. I guess I’m thinking about how crazy it is that we met.”

  “Crazy how?”

  “I mean, did you expect to find your child’s nanny in the upstairs apartment of your neighbor’s house? Or did you and the Wilkeses have a secret you aren’t telling me?”

  “No,” he says with a chuckle. “I promise I wasn’t part of the screening process. I didn’t see you coming at all.”

  “Oh?”

  “Nope. And I certainly didn’t expect to fall in love with you.”

  “Oh, psh. You’re telling me that the desperate dad in you didn’t fall in love with the nanny on sight that day? That sweaty, red-faced Jessa didn’t steal his heart?”

  “Oh, she did.” Connor ]draws my knuckles to his lips to brush soft kisses against them. “He just didn’t want to admit it yet.”

  “Well . . .” I sigh happily, looking out the window. “I’m glad we’re us now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Not the desperate dad. Not the hot mess of a nanny. Us.”

  “A unit,” he says. “A team.”

  “A partnership.”

  “A comedy duo.”

  I laugh. “Is this a new game? How many ways can we say we’re together?”

  “Oh, I’ve got more if you do.”

  The rest of the car ride is a pleasant back-and-forth of jokes and general silliness. When we arrive at our dinner destination, I’m still recovering from his latest one-liner when I look out the window and catch sight of the green neon sign.

  I gasp, my hand flying over my heart on instinct. “It’s the bistro.”

  “Yeah,” Connor says, his winning smile giving me all kinds of goose bumps. “I figured . . . we don’t get a lot of time off. We could try something new, risk a little disappointment, or we could do something we’ve done before, because we know we like it.”

  “We do like it,” I say, drooling at the memory of the delicious casserole we ordered last time. “And we know the wine is affordable.”

  “Right. So, that sounds like a yes to me.”

  Connor pulls the car around the block and grabs a ticket at the entrance to the dimly lit parking garage, an unspoken promise that we’ll be taking our time tonight at the familiar bistro. When we park, I turn to Connor with an honest question.

  “Does this make us boring old people?”

  Connor laughs, and the sound is so wonderful that I find myself unbuckling my seat belt so I can lean across the car console and press an adoring kiss to his full, smiling lips. He sighs against my mouth, threading his fingers through the hair at the back of my neck to prolong the moment.

  “I guess I don’t mind being boring with you,” I whisper breathlessly the moment our lips part. “And this time, I brought a coat.”

  “Why does that matter?”

  “Because there are no cheeky sex seminars to attend after we’re done with dinner and tipsy on merlot,” I sing in my best sultry voice, waggling my eyebrows and walking my fingers up his chest with each word. “So we’re gonna walk to the lake.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Connor chuckles, guiding his thumb down my cheek to caress my lower lip. “But let’s make one thing clear before we head in.”

  “What’s that?”

  Connor pulls me into him by the coat lapels, capturing my lips in a steamy, spine-tingling kiss that leaves me panting for more . . . for absolutely all of him. And when his kisses wander from my mouth to my cheek to the sensual line of my neck, I know for a fact dinner will be delayed.

  “Life with you, Jessa McClaine, will never be boring.”

  EPILOGUE

  * * *

  CONNOR

  The candle-lit hallway just outside of the reception hall is oddly comforting at a moment like this. Inside buzzes the chatter of dozens of guests. Inside promises hours upon hours of what is required to be one of the most memorable evenings of our lives. But inside also lies a whole lot of pressure.

  But outside, with Jessa nestled deeply into my arms, is comfort. Serenity. She plays with the thick platinum band on my knuckle, the very ring she slid onto my finger not an hour ago, witnessed by all of our friends and family.

  I pull her hand to my lips, brushing them against the jeweled engagement ring and a thinner, daintier band of her own. It’s a stolen moment, one that will surely end as soon as the wedding party finds us. With the ceremony done and pictures taken, it’s all I can do not to whisk Jessa back home for our first night together as newlyweds.

  But that will come later. First, we have to get through the reception.

  “Are you ready?” she murmurs, tipping her chin to look up at me.

  God, she’s so beautiful, her makeup natural and simple, with only a bit of blush to accent her already rosy cheeks. I graze my fingertips across her temple, careful not to undo the hard work of the hair stylist who finessed all of Jessa’s thick, unruly hair into an intricate knot of curls at the nape of
her neck.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I whisper, kissing her forehead with a tenderness I reserve for the two most important girls in my life—this incomparable woman in my arms, and the little cherub just inside those doors, currently being cared for by her mom. My heart is filled to the brim with gratitude to whatever higher power decided to make me so damn lucky.

  Soon, voices echo down the hall, and I give Jessa a squeeze. And just like that, it’s time.

  Our wedding party reappears, consisting of the men of Frisky Business, Penelope, and two of Jessa’s friends from college. I would bet money that Maren and Scarlett have already made themselves and many other guests comfortable at the tables or the bar as our wedding-planner power duo.

  Someone cues the DJ and the music begins, ushering in the whole party, pair by pair until it’s just Jessa and me stepping over the threshold. The guests clap and cheer when I twirl her around, her lacy white gown billowing out around her. The introductions pass in a blur of toasts and speeches, either sweet and silly, depending on the speaker. Of course, the buffet is a hit, but not nearly as much as the open bar turns out to be.

  Caleb jogs by me with two old fashioneds in his hands, a conspicuous bottle of wine in his suit pocket, and a wide-eyed expression on his face.

  “I’m gathering rations for the rest,” he says, panting as he gestures with an elbow to the corner of the room where the rest of the Frisky Business family has wandered. “Did you know the bar closes at ten? Gotta get ’em while they last.”

  “Yes, I know the bar closes at ten. I helped plan this wedding,” I call after him, but he’s already gone.

  I watch my friends welcome him back with light applause as he distributes the drinks around the circle. The men lift their old fashioneds while Penelope, Maren, and Scarlett pop open another bottle of stolen wine. The sight of these familiar faces, flushed with the warmth and happiness of mutual celebration, fills me with a deep satisfaction.

  Watching my friends, I’m considering giving up on my rotation of greetings and well wishes and instead spending the rest of the night with my preferred crowd. But not until I can locate Jessa and steal her away from chatty uncles and awkward colleagues.

  Just then, a hand snakes around my waist. Speak of the angel herself.

  “Hey, mister, got a minute?”

  I grin, lacing fingers with my wife’s. My wife.

  “I think we’ve determined that you can have all my minutes from here on out.”

  “Hmm.” She hums contentedly, leaning her head against my bicep. “Will you come with me to spend a little time with your daughter? She’s getting grumpy, and I think Beth is going to take her home before it gets to be too late.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Marley’s biological mom, Beth, and Jessa have become close since she moved in with me. There’s some sort of understanding between them that goes beyond the fun they have teasing me for my little fatherhood blunders. It’s the connection between two compassionate humans who see a lot of themselves in each other.

  “Da-da,” Marley cries, squirming in Beth’s arms when she catches sight of me.

  Beth rolls her eyes with a smirk, passing our daughter off to me. “She’s downright sick of me now, I’ll tell you that much.”

  While Jessa laughingly consoles Beth, I spin my baby girl around, earning about a million giggles. Her curly hair is pulled into two tiny pigtails, and while she’s still not great at walking, she’s already such a strong and healthy child. It’s uncommon to have one’s child present on your wedding day, so I don’t take the privilege lightly. I nuzzle my nose into her cheek, eliciting another bout of shrieking laughter.

  “I love you so much, Marley girl,” I whisper against her soft hair. “More than you’ll ever know.”

  About ten minutes later, Beth leaves with Marley, and before long, the lights dim and the dancing begins.

  Jessa dances with her stepdad, who keeps her laughing from pretty much the first step until the last. I dance with my mother, who spends the brief five minutes worrying about when Penelope will get married to that nice, stoic man she’s been carting around to family gatherings lately.

  Our own slow dance goes off without a hitch, despite my stumbling feet betraying me at the rehearsal. I’m pretty damn sure the only reason I don’t make a complete ass of myself is just because I’m so distracted by the exquisite woman in my arms, who whispers the steps to me between reassuring kisses.

  It wasn’t rehearsed, but Jessa doesn’t mind one bit when I dip her at the end of the song, pressing a less than family-friendly kiss to her neck in front of God and all our guests. The guys are a few drinks in by this time, their hooting and hollering inspiring a loud reaction from the crowd.

  Finally, it’s time for the bouquet toss.

  Jessa pretends to line up her shot before spinning around and tossing the flowers wildly over her head. Much to my shock, it’s Scarlett who catches the damn thing, staring at it like she’s caught a live grenade. Maren and Penelope cheer, wrapping their arms around the reluctant winner and squeezing her tight.

  Meanwhile, my focus is on Hayes, Wolfie, and Caleb from their seats at a nearby table. Maybe it’s the lighting playing tricks on me, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Caleb so pale in his life.

  “I’ve always wanted to do that,” Jessa says, running full tilt into my arms.

  I hug her tight, lifting her slightly so her feet dangle in the air for a second.

  She groans happily. “Oh, that’s nice. These shoes are trying to kill me.”

  “How about I give you a nice, long foot rub in the tub when we finally make it home tonight?” I murmur into her ear, letting my lips tickle her skin. “I’ll snag some of that leftover cake, and we can finally drink that bubbly we’ve been saving in the fridge.”

  Jessa pulls back, just far enough to kiss me hard on the lips. “Marry me.”

  “Done.”

  “I love you.” Her grin is as infectious as it is lovable.

  And I’m as lucky as I am smitten. “I love you too.”

  Later, after many dances, well wishes from relatives, and even more stolen kisses with my new bride, guests slowly trickle out of the exits toward their cars and Ubers. The staff makes quick work of the mess. The lights, the decorations, even the tiny little placards for name inserts all get packed away into boxes for another night, another wedding. Jessa hugs Penelope, Maren, and Scarlett good night while I shake the hands of my business partners and friends.

  Something still seems off about Caleb, so I clasp his hand and pull him in for a bro hug.

  “Do you have a sec?” he asks when I pull back to clap him on the shoulder. “To talk.”

  I glance at Jessa, who catches my eye and reads my mind instantly. She shoots me a wink as if to say good luck before turning back to her friends.

  “Yeah, man, what’s up?”

  “I don’t even know where to start. It’s about Scarlett.”

  Okay. Unexpected plot twist, but I roll with it, giving him a nod. “Of course.”

  He gestures me over to a terrace that’s semi-private, and we step out onto it.

  “So, what’s going on?” I meet his eyes, trying to rack my brain and think if I’ve seen anything unusual going on between them. I haven’t. Though I guess I’ve been pretty wrapped up in my own stuff lately, so I really haven’t been paying attention.

  With a deep sigh, he runs one hand through his rumpled hair. Then he begins.

  I listen as Caleb fills me in on his sudden and growing feelings for his friend Scarlett. Honestly, it’s all so unexpected, for a moment I’m speechless.

  “Say something, dude,” he grumbles, clearly annoyed with me.

  “Sorry.” I raise one hand. “I’m just processing.”

  Jessa chooses that moment to appear beside us and grins when she sees me. “There you are.”

  I lean over to give her cheek a kiss. “Sorry I disappeared. We’re just talking for a second.”

  She looks b
etween Caleb and me, her brow crinkling. “Everything okay?”

  I nod. “Just some guy talk.”

  Caleb clears his throat. “You might as well tell her. I’m sure you will anyway.”

  I chuckle. “You sure?”

  He shrugs. “You’re married now. I basically think of you guys as one person anyway.”

  This pulls an uneasy laugh out of Jessa. “Okay, now you’re worrying me. Is something wrong?”

  Caleb shakes his head. “No, nothing’s wrong.”

  I take her hand, smoothing my thumb over her knuckles. “Caleb was just confiding in me about his feelings . . . for someone.”

  “Scarlett,” Jessa says with a smile.

  “How did you know?” Caleb asks, his voice slightly strained. “Was I that obvious?”

  “No,” I say at the same time that Jessa answers, “Yes.”

  We all chuckle, and Caleb shakes his head.

  “I noticed you being a little extra . . . attentive toward her. That’s all,” Jessa says with a wave.

  “And do you think Scar would . . .” Caleb runs one hand over the back of his neck.

  “Be down with that scenario?” Jessa asks. “Heck yes, I do. I think she feels all kinds of things for you too that blur the friend zone.”

  Caleb’s answering grin is huge.

  I clap one hand on his shoulder. “Listen, buddy, as much as we’d love to stand out here all night and dole out relationship advice, we’ve kinda got a wedding night to look forward to.”

  He nods solemnly. “I hear ya. You two kids go have fun. Go make Marley a baby brother or sister.”

  Jessa laughs. “No way. Not yet anyhow. Work is crazy right now, and she’s still so young.”

  I take her hand, nodding. “We have time.”

  It’s one of the first conversations Jessa and I had when she moved in—about our future and what we both wanted. More kids was one of the things on both of our lists. But we both decided there was no rush, and we would take our time over the course of several years.

  “So, should I go talk to her?” Caleb asks.

  “Yes,” both Jessa and I say at the same time, laughing.