You Had Me At Christmas: A Holiday Anthology(19)
“It’s more of an admiration thing. Those women are so sexually assertive. If I… Never mind.”
“Yeah?” His voice had deepened, his hands cradled her butt. “If you what?”
If I had their perfect bodies. She ducked out of his hold. “I’ll get back to you.”
“You will,” he promised. “Tonight.” He caught her hand. “For now, let me pour you that shot.”
Seth was still standing in the doorway, his back to them and the baby monitor pressed to his ear. As they drew closer, the song on the speakers shut off abruptly. Someone wasn’t happy with the choice. That was the trouble with musicians’ parties—everyone had an opinion on the playlist.
The drummer glanced up, such anguish in his blue eyes that Kayla’s steps faltered. But when he saw them, a switch flicked, and there was his brilliant smile.
Jared hadn’t noticed anything. “My wife wants a shot. Care to join us?”
“I’ll pour.”
“Is something wrong?” Kayla asked him.
“Nothing a shot won’t fix.” Handing her the baby monitor, he led the way to the kitchen.
Curious, she lifted the monitor to her ear, but all she heard was Dimity reading Maddie a story. Whatever Seth had reacted to, it hadn’t been the story of Sleeping Beauty.
Chapter Eight
Jared woke up with what felt like a fractured skull, and Maddie in the bed again. What was this, groundhog day?
“Baby girl,” he croaked when she beamed at him. “We talked about this.”
“Mommy swapped with me cause you snored, Daddy.”
He couldn’t remember coming to bed. “Okay, but you sleep in your own room from now on.”
“Mommy lets me sleep in her bed when you’re not here.”
“She does?”
“Sometimes.” Maddie obviously figured he’d verify her story. “She says she needs a cuddlebug when the bed gets too big.”
Now his heart hurt, too. “How often is that?”
She shrugged.
“Maddie girl, can you please get—”
“My present list!”
“Water,” he gasped. But she was already gone. He closed his eyes, then jerked awake again a few minutes later when his daughter bounced on his chest, looking at her calendar.
“One, two, three…”
The rocks in his head rolled loose and crushed his few remaining brain cells. With a groan, he stilled her wriggling body. This was why he rarely got drunk. The hangover wasn’t worth it.
“You smell like a Sharpie, Daddy.”
He took a second to process. Solvent. Right. “Please get Daddy a glass of water.”
“Mommmmmy!” she hollered at the top of her voice. Jared shoved the pillow over his head. “Daddy wants a drink’a water.”
He was still trembling when Kayla arrived, balancing Rocco on her hip and holding a glass of iced water. His son was using a bottle of Advil as a rattle. Thank you, God.
Moving Maddie to one side, he propped himself on an elbow and groped for the water. “You are my one and only truest love.” He drank the water in noisy gulps.
“Dada?” His son held out his arms.
“His diaper?”
“Clean.”
“Good, because I’m barely holding the water down.” Putting the glass on the bedside table, he accepted his son. “Give Daddy the drugs.”
Rocco swung away. “No!”
“I thought of something to write on my present list.” Maddie slid out of bed and ran. Seeing her go, Rocco wriggled to get down.
Kayla confiscated the Advil, set their baby on his feet and he was off, following his sister.
Shielding his eyes, Jared peered up at his wife, who was looking remarkably fresh and pretty. “I turned off the stove, right?”
“Everyone said the pasta sauce was delicious.”
“Those bastards. Now you’ll have to take my word for it.”
“Honey, I believe you.” Unscrewing the lid, she handed him two tablets.
“Kiss?”
“Anywhere but the mouth.”
As he picked up the glass, Jared managed a weak smile. “Damn, I was hoping for tongue. Did we have crazy monkey sex last night?”
“What do you think?”
“That I was carried to bed, but not by you?” He swallowed the pills, chased them down with water.
“Good guess.” She kissed his forehead. “Sleep. I’ll keep the kids away.”
“You are a goddess among…something…” Handing her the glass, he collapsed on the pillows.
“Think you’re up to getting the Christmas tree this afternoon?”
Dimly, he remembered promising something of the sort. “Yes, we’ll get the tree.” He was determined to prove he could put his family first. I’m not falling at the first hurdle.
“You might have other things to do, Grammy nominee.”
“No, today is tree day. Just…” Gingerly, he replaced the pillow over his aching head. “Give me a couple of hours.”
When he resurfaced, it was ten a.m. He showered, dressed and checked his messages. Dozens. Phoning Dimity, he gave her all his passwords on social media. “I’ll phone my parents, but please be me everywhere else,” he begged her. “I’ve got to buy this Christmas tree.” I’ve got to show Kayla I’m reliable.