Taylor crossed his arms and leaned casually against the oven. “What else did Jordan tell you?”
Here it was. The awkward subject that I had been semi-avoiding all week. It had been easy to not think about it while taking care of the baby and trying to get what sleep that I could, but now I was faced with it directly. Taylor was staring intently at me, and I found it difficult to meet his gaze.
“He told me all three of you had crushes on me,” I said. “And that you… Um. That you wanted to…”
I took a deep breath to collect myself. “That you wanted toshareme.”
Taylor smiled softly, and his blue eyes sparkled with mirth. “Yep. That’s about the gist of it.” He held out a hand. “I’m not going to pester you about it, asking if you’ve made a decision or thought about it or anything. But I will say one thing. We don’t want you to agree to anything you’re not comfortable with. You probably feel overwhelmed by all of this, right?”
I chuckled and met his gaze for a moment. “That’s exactly how I feel.”
Taylor shrugged. “That’s all right. Heck, that’s probably the normal way someone should feel about such an offer. Think it over and make a decision whenever you’re ready—whether you agree to it, or decline.”
“You make it sound like I’m accepting a job offer.”
Taylor laughed. It was a light, carefree sound that set my mind at ease in a soothing way. “It kind of does seem like that, huh? It’s new to me, too. That’s why I’m kind of awkward about it.”
You’re awkward about it?I thought.You seem smooth and charming compared to my awkwardness.
A question popped into my head, and I voiced it before I could chicken out: “Do you think you could do that? Share a woman with two other guys, I mean.”
He shrugged. “Heck if I know. IthinkI can. I’m willing to try! Especially for…”
Especially for you, he was about to say. As if I was someone special, someone worth sharing. I had never felt that way in my life before, but for a brief second, I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.
“…especially for the right woman,” Taylor finished instead.
“I’ll be honest,” I said. “I like to get to know a guy first before we… take things further. Usually, I mean. Jordan and I kind of jumped into things, but we had areallygood first date, which made it feel like we had been dating longer. Does that make sense? I feel like I’m babbling.”
Taylor took a step forward and put a reassuring hand on my arm. “You don’t need to explain yourself. I get it. There’s no pressure, so just consider the offer. And in the mean time, we’ll all take care of Baby Anthony.”
I smiled at him, and he smiled back in a way that was totally disarming. Like he reallydidmean there was no pressure on me at all. I could take all the time I needed.
His comment about the baby made me frown. “I haven’t heard any baby noises in a while…” I said.
Taylor furrowed his brow. “It’s definitelytooquiet. Better check on that while I throw a salad together.”
I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Derek was stretched out in the recliner, watching TV. Baby Anthony was asleep on his chest, limbs splayed out in all directions on Derek’s white cotton T-shirt.
My heart swelled at the sight. There was nothing sexier than a big, muscular man with a baby. It was a primal part of my brain, the same part that handled most of a woman’s core instincts. Just like knowing that chocolate was one of the main food groups, that part of my brain told me that Derek would be a good father, and that I should mate with him.
I pushed the feeling down and approached. Derek turned and smiled at me.
“He’s calm around you,” I whispered.
“Yeah.” He looked puzzled. “It’s strange. I don’t think I’ve ever been good around kids.”
I sat on the arm of the couch next to him. “I don’t think it’s strange at all. You’re the one protecting him. Risking your job to make sure he goes to a good home, rather than being tossed into an under-funded system. He can sense that.”
“Maybe. How’s dinner coming?”
“Taylor says the casserole will be ready in twenty minutes. And don’t worry—if you guys have to suddenly leave on a call, I’ll keep an eye on it. Wouldn’t want to leave an oven unattended.”
His lips pursed together and his eyes studied me. He looked like he was trying to decide whether to laugh it off, or scold me for making light of a serious situation.
“I know I’m extra sensitive to fire safety,” he said.
I held up a hand. “You don’t need to explain it. I get it.”