Suit (The Twin Duo #1)(37)

“A belt,” I called to my reflection. I walked to my closet with something thin and sparkly in mind. My weight shifted from my sore leg and my fingers grazed the few belts. Humph, I didn’t like belts. I didn’t have much to choose from. Nothing that I had in mind, anyway. An idea hit me and I flicked my gaze toward the dresses. “Ouch,” I said, grimacing from the sudden pain in my neck. After a moment of searching, my gaze located the perfect dress. A strapless one.

The smell of bacon tickled my nose as soon as I opened my door. I knew for sure that I didn’t like meat. The stench irritated my stomach, and for a moment I thought I might need to turn around and go back to the bathroom. The opened door on my right kept me from it. Rowan’s room. I curved up my lips in an instant smile, but only for a second. Her bed was unmade and empty. The giggling from the next room brought back my smile.

I peeked my head in first, seeing them both below the polka-dotted comforter, laughing with a stuffed giraffe.

“Good morning, girlies.”

Rowan and Ophelia quieted and turned to me. “You look pretty, Mommy,” Rowan commented.

“Ahhh, thank you, baby,” I said as I lumbered toward them.

“I like your lips,” Ophelia also complimented.

“Thanks, Phi. You girls ready to hit some home runs?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the queen-sized bed. Lucky girls. I never had a bed until I moved in with Mrs. Porter.

Wait. What? Who the hell’s Mrs. Porter?

“I’m going to hit a ball in the hole.”

“Oh, yeah, youth golf,” I said while my hand brushed a lock of hair over her shoulder. I was irrevocably in love. “Let’s go brush our teeth, so we can get ready. Daddy’s making breakfast.”

“I don’t like Daddy’s breakfast,” Rowan admitted.

I giggled and patted her leg. “I’m not sure I’m any better,” I confessed.

“Yes, you are,” Ophelia assured me with a bobbing head. “You’re way better.”

“I might need some help remembering how to do it.” Both girls agreed to help with the cooking, revealing proud smiles and nodding their heads. I rushed them toward the bathroom to brush their teeth. Joy swelled in my heart. Besides the fact that Paxton was a dick, and we had some sort of fucked-up something going on between us, I felt amazing. And I was in love. In love with the most precious little girls on earth.

I picked out a cute little blue-jean skirt with a purple shirt. Funny characters in different colors. The top had pink glitter letters that read, Inside Out. I had no idea what that meant, but it was cute. I giggled with the girls when I heard Rowan tell a joke as I passed the bathroom.

“Why did the bubblegum cross the road?”

“Cause it stucked to the chicken’s foot,” Ophelia replied with the quick, correct answer. “I already knowed that one.”

“Rats.”

I walked into Rowan’s room, scooping up a stuffed animal with ease. Hardly any pain at all. I opened her closet, caught off guard. I’m not sure what I’d expected. I mean, they weren’t twins or anything. Hell, they didn’t even have the same mother. Why did I expect them to be in matching outfits? Nothing in Rowan’s closet matched Ophelia’s, and that bothered me, but why?

“What are you doing?” Paxton asked from the door.

Caught off guard, I swung my gaze toward him, his expression wary. Just like mine had probably been when I found out my girls didn’t wear matching clothes. “Helping out. I’m getting their clothes.”

“They’re playing ball. Uniforms. They’re on the couch.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course.”

“Are you wearing lipstick?”

“Well, I have a lot of it. I assumed I always wore it.”

“No. Never. Not unless I made you.”

“Oh, well I better go wipe it off, then.”

Paxton couldn’t hide his reaction. He smiled. A genuine smile. I saw it with my own eyes. He strolled toward me, quickly replacing the grin with a smirk. Even in the short time I knew him, I could tell the difference. The smell of his cologne reached me before his body. Intoxicating.

“What’s this?” He indicated the makeshift belt. His fingers lightly slid over the sparkling studs while his eyes lingered on my breasts.

“I borrowed it from another outfit. It needed something.”

“I like it. Glad you’re going to be with me.”

I frowned, perplexed no doubt, taking over my expression. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, it’s a compliment.”

“Mom! Mom! Rowan won’t give me my shirt. I’m number five. Mom!”

“I’ve got it. Let’s eat. We need to get going,” Paxton said close to my lips, right before he kissed me. Tongue and all. He retreated when Ophelia screamed again.

“You kiss me a lot,” I said, eyes holding his.

Paxton didn’t respond to that. He gave me a peculiar glance and walked away.

I stared after him. Well, mostly his ass. Paxton could wear jeans. Damn, could he ever wear jeans. I shook my head, wondering what the hell was wrong with me—besides the fact that my brain wasn’t right. Puzzling emotions mixed with a longing, and I knew it was for him. There was something there. We did have some sort of pull toward each other, bigger than what Paxton had thought. I didn’t know how I felt about that.