James (Resisting Love #3)(27)

“Hello Ryder,” I say cheerfully.

“So you remember me baby girl?” he drawls.

“You’re famous, how could I forget?”

“James Steele is Jye’s father. I honestly didn’t see that one coming,” he says dryly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Ry,” I say in all honestly.

“Well, I hear you’re happy now, that’s all that matters to me,” he says in the gentlest tone.

“When do I get to see you?” I ask him.

“Come over and see me anytime, baby girl. Bring that beautiful boy of yours,” he tells me

“Okay. Give my love to Lexi,” I say.

“I just gave her my love, as a matter of fact,” he says with a snicker.

“Yeah, ewww, Ryder,” I deadpan.

“See you soon, Sash,” he says.

We both hang up and I place my phone on the floor, taking a deep breath and sliding under the water. We finally got all my belongings moved in, and I told James to take the pole out of the living room. Kade and he both took it down together, mumbling things like ‘end of an era’ and ‘we’re getting old’. I was trying to hide my laughter but failed miserably.

I resurface the water, reluctantly draining the bath and getting out. This house has so much room, James turned one of the bedrooms into a wardrobe for me. One whole room as a wardrobe. He even fitted it with storage and cupboards for everything. I am seriously spoilt.

I dry my hair and body and then dress in a pair of black tights and a loose black top. I head into the kitchen and pour myself a juice, frowning when I see a message on the answering machine. I hit the button.

James, its Nancy. You’ve been trying to call me?

Beep.

Who the hell is Nancy?

***

James

It’s two AM when I finally get home. I check on Jye in his room, before heading to our bedroom. Sasha is fast asleep on her stomach, dressed in some ridiculous onesie thing that Layla bought her. She looks seriously comfortable though, that I’ll admit. I strip down to my boxer shorts and jump in next to her, exhausted and wanting nothing more than to hold her.

I love having her and Jye to come home to. It’s perfect. I kiss her on the back of her neck, tasting her skin. She's so flawless to me, so amazing. I could watch her all day, her every move, her every smile. Fucking beautiful, every inch of her. I hum in pleasure as I take in her peach scent, before wrapping her in my arms and falling asleep.

I wake up and almost scream when the first thing I see is Jye’s face, about a centimetre from mine, his eyes so like my own, wide and unwavering.

“Good morning,” I say, my voice raspy from sleep. Jye grins and shows me a scribbly drawing he’s done.

“I love it,” I beam, earning myself another grin.

“You had two visitors yesterday,” Sasha says as she walks into the room.

“What? Who?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“Two girls. Looking for you or Kade. I don’t think they cared which one they got either,” she says dryly.

“Sorry,” I say sheepishly. Sasha mutters something under her breath, about ‘having standards’ and then hands me a cup of coffee.

“Thanks,” I say gratefully.

“How was last night?” she asks.

“It was good. The woman is at The Safe House, and there were no issues.” I explain to her the events of last night, loving that I can be honest and truthful with her.

“Okay. I gotta head to work,” she says as she puts on her sexy black shoes. I admire the curve of her waist in the tight skirt she’s wearing.

“Looks like it’s just me and you, little man,” I tell Jye. Sasha finishes getting ready, kissing both of us before she leaves. I take Jye into the kitchen and put him in his feeding chair. Sasha said I should cut up some fruit as a snack for him, so I pull out a banana, pear and some strawberries, and begin cutting them up.

After his snack, Jye is seriously grubby, so I give him a quick bath before heading outside with him to play. Having been absent in his life in the beginning, I’m never going to take being a father for granted. I know the most important thing you can give a child is your time, so I intend to spend as much time with Jye as I can. I know I can offer him financial security, for which I’m grateful. I already opened a bank account for him, and a certain amount will go into it every month. Let’s just say Jye is going to have an amazing car for his sixteenth birthday. The thought makes me smile.

After an hour and a half of playing, I lay Jye down for a nap. He falls asleep the second I put him down, tired from all the running around we did outside. I don’t think I need to work out either, having gotten more than enough exercise chasing Jye around. I make coffee and walk over to the answering machine when I see there's a message left on there. It wasn’t new so Sasha must have checked it. I cringe when I hear Nancy’s voice, instantly deleting the message. Fuck. What if she asks me who Nancy is? I don’t have it in me to lie. Evade, yes, straight out lie, no.

I call Nancy back and talk to her for about ten minutes, before heading into my office to do some business. I check on Jye at twenty minute intervals, just to make sure he’s okay. I’m on the phone with my accountant, when I hear a noise coming from Jye’s room. I quickly tell Keith I'll call him back, rushing to his room. I can’t help the curse that slips out of my mouth when I see what he’s doing.