in public.”
Reagan
laughed. “We’ll have to see about that.”
Three
Trey
buried his face in the sleeping baby’s neck and inhaled deeply. He wasn’t sure
what it was about the scent of baby powder that made him feel so at peace with
the world, but he could lie there on the bed with little Malcolm sleeping on
his chest for hours. He pressed a kiss to the soft fluffy black hair of the
perfect human Brian had created with his loving wife and rubbed the baby’s back
while Malcolm slumbered, completely unaware of how cruel the world could be. It
didn’t bother Trey that the reason he was babysitting his godson was so Brian
could fuck Myrna senseless. Well, didn’t bother him much. He supposed new
parents needed alone time more than anyone.
Ethan
came out of the bathroom rubbing a towel over his short black hair. Steam from
his shower billowed through the open door behind him. He stopped when his gaze
landed on Trey.
“Now
isn’t this homey?” he said with a twisted smile, before scanning the room. “Didn’t
I hear Reagan come in?”
“She
took one look at this precious baby and ran off to help that nerdy chick find
something to wear after the concert.”
At
the sound of Trey’s voice, Malcolm stirred, shoving a tiny fist into his mouth
and sucking. Within seconds, he went still again, relaxing against Trey’s
chest.
“You’d
like one of those of your own, wouldn’t you?” Ethan asked, nodding toward
Malcolm.
“Hell
no,” he said, but his swelling heart didn’t agree. “This is enough baby time
for me.”
Ethan
sat on the edge of the bed next to Trey and gently stroked the soft fluff
covering the baby’s head. Malcolm’s hair always stood on end no matter how much
any of them tried to flatten it.
“He
sure is cute,” Ethan said.
“He
looks like his father.” Trey grinned down at Malcolm’s adorable sleeping face,
which resembled Brian’s a little more every day.
Ethan’s
hand went still on Malcolm’s head and he stood, going to an open suitcase for a
shirt.
“Reagan
doesn’t want kids,” Ethan said.
The
hard edge to his voice made Trey squint at his broad back. Had he said something
to offend him?
“I
know,” Trey said quietly so he wouldn’t disturb his sleeping godson. “We don’t
have any business bringing a child into the world. Not when we’re involved in
such a complicated relationship.”
“I’m
not stepping aside so you and Reagan can play house.” Ethan’s motions as he
jerked his shirt on over his head made Trey think he was angry. Or upset. But getting
Ethan to talk about his feelings was damned near impossible.
“No
one asked you to step aside. I’m one hundred percent committed to both of you.
Aren’t you happy?”
“Yeah,”
Ethan said gruffly as he strode across the room, disappearing into the suite’s
living room.
“I
think something’s bothering him,” Trey said to Malcolm, who gave the fist in
his mouth a few sucks before going still again. “Can I lay you in your basinet
while I try to get him to talk to me?” Trey inched toward the edge of the bed
and slowly rose to a sitting position. Malcolm’s face twisted in displeasure,
and he released a loud cry of protest. Trey sighed in resignation and reclined
back into the nest of pillows, patting Malcolm’s diaper to get him to settle
again.
“Ethan,”
Trey called. “Can you come here for a sec?”
After
a moment, the tall dark hunk appeared in the doorframe. “What?”
“I
think we need to talk—”
Ethan’s
strong jaw hardened. “Later. I have somewhere I need to be right now.”
“Where?”
Ethan’s
gaze flicked down to the baby cradled against Trey’s chest. “Somewhere.” He turned
away.
When
the suite’s door banged shut a moment later, Trey took a deep breath and released
it in a frustrated huff. He slapped around the side table trying to get a hand
on his cellphone without disturbing Malcolm. Finding it, he did his best to
send a call with one hand. He could