The Fix (The Carolina Connections, #1)(50)

One Month Later

This last month was perfect. Well, actually, that’s a lie. One thing I learned is having a five-year-old underfoot is a recipe for constant blue balls. But outside of that, life was amazing. Laney and I spent every possible moment together, and I didn’t know about her, but I’d never felt this way about another girl. I was trying not to think about it too hard and just enjoy. We had to get creative about the locations and times we had sex due to the aforementioned little cock-blocker, but let’s just say her shower got a lot of action—and, luckily, it was considerably larger than mine. I still hadn’t spent the night, though we’d discussed it. She was going to sit Rocco down for a talk this week and feel him out a bit. I knew she trusted me, so I was glad I wouldn’t have to jump that hurdle again.

As for work, Doug and my dad had all but taken over the administrative headaches (although my mom constantly looked over Dad’s shoulder and tried to keep him on a short leash). I was back to getting my hands dirty. If I’d had to conduct one more bid-development or client meeting, my head would have exploded.

I took over as foreman on the Old Oak Ridge project and helped out at a couple other sites during the downtime. I still couldn’t answer the neighbors’ concerns about potential tenants, but Laney trusted my good intentions, and her word seemed to be good enough for everyone else.

Halloween was just around the corner and we were sitting on Laney’s back patio enjoying a perfect fall afternoon. A cool breeze blew in and the sun was starting its descent, coloring the sky that perfect shade of orange. Rocco squealed out in the yard as Fiona chased him up the ladder of his completely amazing and innovative treehouse—if I do say so myself.

“That thing is ridiculous.” Laney shook her head and laughed at me, knowing that I was admiring my own work. I just winked at her. I knew she loved that treehouse almost as much as Rocco did. It had a ladder with safety handles (Laney’s idea) and a split-level design with built-in seating and a table. It also had porthole windows and even a pulley system to haul up important kid stuff. If I had a treehouse like that when I’d been his age I would have charged a cover to everybody who came over to play.

As it was, only Rocco and all of us adults had been inside so far, which I knew still bothered Laney. But I thought Rocco seemed like a perfectly happy kid. He was hardly even doing the nose twitching thing anymore, and he was anything but shy with me.

And the best part? Laney pulled him from that “up their own asses” daycare and he was now in a much smaller program run out of a former teacher’s house. Charlotte’s son went to the same place when she worked at her part-time job, and by happenstance a full-time spot had opened up in the daycare. Laney snatched it up and Rocco was much more at ease with a smaller and less asshole-ish group—my term, not Rocco’s.

We had all gone over to Charlotte’s house last week and I’d seen the two boys playing together. I’d also seen the gleam in Laney’s eyes and could feel her relief. Next step was an invite for Aiden to play in the treehouse, which I liked to refer to as “The Batcave” but Rocco had dubbed “The Fart Fortress.” You can’t win ‘em all. Oh, and in case you’re keeping track, I did indeed apologize to Charlotte for being an asshole the first time we met.

“You know what you need?” I asked Laney as I glanced around the yard.

“Uh oh, what now? You’ve damn near fixed everything in my house and you already have a list a mile long of upgrades you want to make.”

I pretended I hadn’t heard her. “You need a screened-in porch. I bet you’d spend a lot more time out here in the summer if it weren’t for the damn mosquitoes.”

She turned to me, flashing some leg in her cut-offs and making me want to haul her to the bedroom. “Nate, I would love a screened-in porch, but you have got to stop doing all these things for me. You have enough to do with work and you haven’t even started to look for your own place.”

Yeah, about that. It was no mistake I hadn’t started looking for my own place. I knew it sounded crazy, but I was in love with this girl and I was jumping ahead in my mind. It seemed ridiculous to buy a place when she clearly loved this house and I was seeing a future with her and Rocco. And besides, The Batcave was here so there was that. But I knew she wasn’t ready to go there yet, so I kept quiet except for a small “Meh.” It was the most noncommittal noise I could come up with.

“Meh? You’re weird.”

“And you’re pretty.” I leaned in for a kiss.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Gavin’s voice came from the back doorway.

I removed my lips from his sister. I could see things from his perspective—if I had to watch some guy pawing Bailey I would probably feel a little ill myself. Gavin wandered out onto the patio and took a seat next to me.

“I’m going to grab a drink. Anyone need a beer?” Laney asked, rising from her chair.

“Sure,” Gavin and I responded simultaneously as Laney went into the kitchen.

“Is it strange that I’m jealous of a five-year-old?” Gavin asked, taking in the treehouse and the two faces peering out the window.

“If we’re talking about Fiona, I can’t answer that, dude. If we’re talking about the treehouse, I’m right there with you.”

“Definitely the treehouse. I can get laid without pissing my sister off, thank you very much.”