5. Felix

CHAPTER FIVE

felix

“So? How was it?” I ask as I plop down on the couch next to Henry, who’s feeding Hazel. He looks over at me with amusement. He’s still dressed in the black gym shorts I brought him this morning, along with his purple Price Gym tank top that shows off the colorful tattoos on both his upper arms.

His arms are a little thin, but there’s some definition there, and I can’t help but stare a little. “Everyone was really nice,” he says quietly, continuing to feed Hazel.

I showed him around this morning and tried to keep an eye on him today. He did a good job. Not really a talker, but he’s so damn good-looking, he definitely caught a bit of attention from everyone trying to engage him.

And not to mention the baby he had strapped to him most of the day. Talk about engaging. Hazel is a hit. But the women flipping their hair and eyeing Henry, making a point to ask him all sorts of questions, weren’t in it just for baby snuggles.

No. They see the same raw beauty I do when they look at him, with his wild sandy-blond hair, full lips, and intriguing soulful eyes.

Hazel falls asleep almost instantly when she finishes her bottle. I watch as Henry places the bottle on the table and brings her up to lie against his chest. He looks over at the box that was delivered while we were at work, which I brought in when I walked him upstairs.

“What is that?”

“Hell if I know. It’s your delivery,” I say as nonchalantly as I can, but I know I’m not fooling him. I may have gone a little crazy on Amazon the other day, but I couldn’t help it. They make cool shit for babies.

“Probably from the same person who left diapers and wipes here the other day.” He quirks an eyebrow at me. I look away with a grin on my face.

“I wouldn’t know.”

His face only falls more, looking slightly defeated, which is so not what I want. “You don’t have to do this stuff for me, Felix.”

I don’t want it to seem like a big deal. He doesn’t owe me a thing. I have a little extra money, and I have a friend—albeit, a really new friend—who needs some help. I don’t see the problem with that. So I roll my eyes and pull out my cellphone to order some dinner. “I don’t. It’s all for Hazel.”

He smiles and smooths his hand over the back of her hair. “What are you, some sort of secret billionaire? Adopting homeless families around the city and spoiling the hell out of them, whether they want it or not?”

I chuckle. I like when he jokes. He’s so damn quiet. I like this side of him. Opening up for me slowly. “Yup. You caught me. I just hang around the gym and look for people to help. I love playing the fairy godmother.”

“Right.” He snorts and then walks Hazel over to his bed, arranging the pillows around her and laying her flat on her back. Walking back into the living room area, he goes to the box and opens it. “Seriously?”

I finish the dinner order and walk over to him, seeing a couple of outfits for Hazel, a cool baby-swing thing, and a few other things arrived. Yay for Amazon Prime.

“Wow. That’s pretty cool,” I continue the charade. He just shakes his head at me, pulling everything out.

“We’re fine. I have enough clothing for her already.” He doesn’t. He really doesn’t. I helped him wash some onesies this morning during a lull at the gym, and holy shit, the kid can go through outfits. He said he just did laundry a couple of days ago, but he had nothing left to dress her in.

“It’s no big deal, Henry.”

“But you don’t know us. We just met.” He sounds confused as he looks over at me, like he’s waiting for an answer, but I don’t have one.

I can’t explain the immediate magnetic pull I felt toward Henry and Hazel when I met them. I just know I want to make it better for them. This man has clearly seen a lot of bad things, and I want to show him it can be better.

I grew up with a happy family. With parents who loved and accepted me and also taught me to help others when I could. To pay it forward and all that, so that’s what I try to do.

“Look, I have a rainy day fund, okay? And you’re the stormiest cloud I’ve ever met. So it totally works.”

He frowns at that, all grumpy and cute. But he grumbles under his breath and then thanks me before setting up the swing and removing the tags from the new clothes. “I’ll pay you back.”

“Not necessary.” I flop back down on the couch. “Unless by payback, you mean giving me some information about my best friend.”

He scoffs, sitting down next to me. “There’s nothing to tell.” His voice is quieter now, and I sense some kind of heartbreak I don’t like coming from him.

“There’s always something to tell.” I look to where Hazel is passed out, milk-drunk with her hands up above her head, and then back to him. “Her mother?”

A grim look passes over his face as he takes a deep breath, offering a quick answer. “Not in the picture anymore.”

I want more information than that, but the tension in his jaw right now tells me to move on. “Your parents?”

His expression grows even darker. “Never really in the picture.”

Okay, wrong direction. For once—I swear, it’s the first time in my life—I don’t know what to say next.

“Look.” He stretches out his long legs in front of him. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, and I still have no idea why you’re so helpful, but there’s not a lot to my story. I just want to do right for Hazel, and that’s it.” His eyes meet mine. “Please don’t buy anything else, okay?”

I clear my throat, my focus stuck on his deep voice, and grimace. “Okay, but there might be one or two more things on the way.” He starts to argue, sitting up a little straighter, and I hold up both my hands in a placating way. “But no more after that.” For now.

He doesn’t look pleased but just nods, looking away from me as a knock sounds at the door. I get up and grab the food before he can yell at me for that.

I mean, this is still me being subtle. I need to know he’s okay. And not just him, but that sweet baby girl too. It’s over-the-top and crazy, I know that, but I’m a fixer. Always have been, always will be.

I may not know what’s drawn me to this man, but I’m not someone who argues with fate.