Never Been Ready (Ready #2)(19)

I looked at Leah as she suddenly looked at me. Her hand flew to her mouth, trying to contain the laughter threatening to spill out.

"Oh my God, she's going to be so embarrassed when she gets down here," she whispered.

I hadn't really thought about this aspect of the evening —the fact that I hadn't seen or spoken to my friend in months. He'd been diagnosed with cancer, gotten married, and become a stepfather, and I hadn't called to check-in. He was in a different world now, and I didn't know how to relate. The cancer thing...I was honestly just scared shitless. It had been a dick move, but I just hadn't known what to say. People my age didn't get cancer. That was something we had to worry about when we got older, right? Apparently not. It had been a reality check that I wasn't prepared for, so I'd bailed on him, and now, I had to find the words to say I was sorry. And I had to find them fast because he was coming downstairs.

"Did you hear what I said, Leah?" Clare asked, entering the room.

She didn't see me sitting there, but Logan did. He looked surprised and then a bit of humor peeked through, knowing his wife was digging herself a bigger hole.

"I'm seriously sick of people treating him like —oh shit!" she said, finally noticing my presence.

Logan snorted, and Leah doubled over, laughing, while Clare began to turn a deep shade of red.

"Mommy said a bad word!" Maddie scolded, causing Leah to laugh harder.

"Hey, man," Logan greeted me, "long time, no see."

I arose from the couch, and we did the guy version of a hug with a quick pat on the back before I stepped away quickly. I stood there nervously, unsure what to say to my sick friend. I could see the difference. The loss of hair was obvious, but he'd also dropped some weight, and he just looked tired. He was still Logan though, I realized, so I went with what I knew best.

"So, cancer, huh? That blows."

A huge grin spread across his face along with a bit of relief.

"You're just jealous that I'm still hotter than you," he taunted.

And we instantly fell back into a comfortable place. The water was under the bridge. Men didn't need long, drawn-out conversations for these types of things. A few inappropriate jokes with a good laugh, and we were solid again. Easy.

"Not according to People magazine. Top one hundred, baby," I countered.

Leah started making gagging noises in the background, and Clare immediately began laughing.

Logan grinned. "You've got your hands full with that one."

"So I've noticed."

After what seemed like hours of directions, instructions, and lessons, we were finally handed over the responsibility of watching the child for the evening. I found it hilarious that Leah was reminded half a dozen times to make sure Maddie brushed her teeth, ate dinner, and actually went to bed before midnight. Leah rolled her eyes and nodded, saying she'd done this gig a million times and would make sure Maddie was fed and watered.

As soon as they were out the door, Leah pulled Maddie up in her arms. "Thank goodness! I thought they'd never leave! Ready for some fun?"

Maddie nodded excitedly, and we started the evening with a game of hide-and-seek. It was Maddie's turn to be the counter, and Leah and I were in charge of hiding. Playing this game as an adult was much more difficult than as a child. We were too big to fit in any of the cool places, like the laundry basket or the cupboards.

As I listened to Maddie's voice downstairs, counting from one to sixty, I quickly moved through the house, looking for someplace to hide. Leah was nowhere to be seen, so she'd obviously found her sweet spot. Hearing Maddie hit fifty-five, I dove into the nearest closet and shut the door.

"Ouch!"

"Leah?"

"Who the hell else would it be, Hotshot?" she whispered in annoyance. "You're in my hiding place!"

"Well, I guess it's our place now, isn't it?" I grinned, and knowing she couldn't do anything to stop me due to the enclosed space, I slowly ran my hand under her top, savoring the feel of her bare skin against mine.

"What are you doing? Maddie is right outside that door!"

"Is she? I can't hear her," I whispered in her ear right before claiming her lips with my own.

She moaned as I plunged my tongue into her mouth, caressing every luscious inch. Sliding my hands in her jeans pockets, I pulled her hard against my body, and she gasped.

God, she's so f**king sexy.

Her leg snaked around my hip, and she began rocking her pu**y against my rock-hard erection. Just as my hand moved to the front of her jeans, fully intent on ripping them from her body and f**king her senseless, we heard Maddie giggling down the hall.

"Where are you? I'm coming to find you!" She laughed.

Still breathless and wrapped around each other like our lives depended on it, we burst into laughter, giving away our spot immediately. We managed to make ourselves look presentable before Maddie opened the door and proclaimed herself the winner.

"I can't take you anywhere, Hotshot," Leah said, shaking her head.

I gave her a wink. "I kind of like babysitting."

Two hours, several pizzas, and a living room fort later, we had successfully put our young charge to sleep. Well, Leah had. My duties consisted mostly of standing around and supervising, considering I had no idea what went into the nightly rituals of a young girl. Hell, I didn't even know what a grown woman did before bed. Heather and I had never lived together, and I guessed I didn't care enough to pay attention when we had spent nights together.