7. Colton

Chapter 7

Colton

"Put a dollar in the cuss jar, Uncle Colton!" Riley shoves the glass jar in my face with a big smile.

"Seriously? How is this jar so empty? I'm pretty sure I filled it up the last time I was here. Once it's full, I shouldn't have to keep adding more." I plant my hands on my hips and glare at her.

"Oh, I put it in the bank! Mommy said it was time to put all that money in a safe place. She took me to the bank and they let me open up my very own account. I already have over four hundred dollars, Uncle Colton! Isn't that awesome!"

"Oh, yeah. So cool." I roll my eyes as I fish my wallet out of my back pocket. I know she's not going to let up until I give her a dollar.

She waits patiently with her palm open. She grins up at me no matter how much I grumble about this not being fair. As soon as I slap the bill in her hand, she clamps her hand around the money and shoves it into the jar.

"It was nice doing business with you." She pats my arm and runs away before I can grab her.

"I appreciate all the money you give her. Such a good uncle," Sky coos.

"You do realize it costs me more to come here for dinner, than to go to Maverick's. And I could get dinner and drinks there, still saving me money."

"Hey, I'm not the one saying naughty words." Skylar grins. "I learned my lesson after the first fifty dollars."

"At least my money is going to a good cause, I guess." I sigh.

I truly don't care about the cuss jar, but I'm always going to give them a hard time about it. I love Riley like she's my own daughter and I'd happily give her twenty bucks every time I saw her, but she loves teasing me with the jar. So, I put on an act and pretend it annoys me.

"Can you hold Duke while I finish making dinner? Tucker's still in the shower."

"Yeah, no problem. I like this little guy better than the bad word police. He's not trying to shake all of my money out of my pockets yet. Right, buddy?" I hold Duke in my arms, loving how he's finally starting to respond to my voice.

He smiles up at me with a big toothless grin. He's adorable with his sandy brown hair and big blue eyes. I haven't figured out if he looks more like Skylar or Tucker. He's got Skylar's big eyes, but the color is closer to Tuckers. And his hair is somewhere between Tucker's brown and Skylar's blonde hair.

"You look good with a baby in your arms," Skylar says as she moves around the kitchen.

"You do too. What's it like knowing there's this little human who depends so much on you?"

"Colt, it's amazing. I love him so much. Like even though I'm being woken up constantly, I don't mind. I know it sounds crazy, but I never got to do this with the baby we lost, so I'm trying not to let anything upset me. Sure, I'm tired and wish I could sleep through the night, but I'm so happy to have him, I'll take all the negatives as long as I still have him smiling up at me every night." She smiles at her little boy.

"Damn, now I feel like an asshole," Tucker grumbles as he steps into the kitchen.

"Why?" Skylar stops what she's doing and stares at him with a crease between her brows .

"Because I was just complaining to Colt today about how tired I am. This is harder than it was with Riley."

"Because you're old now." She grins.

"You're the same age as me, sweetness." Tucker kisses her temple and wraps his arms around her waist.

"Yeah, but this is the first time I've ever done it, so I have nothing to compare it to."

I don't miss the sadness that sweeps over Skylar. The loss of their baby is never going to stop hurting her. It altered her life in a way I'd never imagine and she'll never forget it.

I glance down at Duke and wonder what it would be like to have my own baby. To have a wife stare up at me the way Skylar does to Tuck. It sounds pretty nice. If only I could find someone to share my life with.

"When are you going to have a baby?" Tuck raises a brow in my direction.

"Well, I know the medical community has made a lot of advancements over the years, yet I still don't think it's possible for me to have a kid all by myself, so… Never?" I smile at Duke as he tugs my finger into his mouth and bites down. "He is kinda cute though."

No sooner are the words out of my mouth does Duke spit up all over my shirt. I grimace at the milk covering my favorite tee and hand him over to Tucker who's laughing .

After stripping my shirt over my head, I take Duke back and stuff my shirt in Tucker's hands.

"Go wash that. I just did all of my laundry; I'm not doing a shirt by itself and I'm sure you have wash to do." I point in the direction of the laundry room and Tucker chuckles.

"I think we always have a hamper full of clothes waiting to be washed," Tucker says as he disappears down the hallway.

"I can take him if you want. I don't want him to spit up on you again." Skylar holds out her hands, but I shake my head.

"I'm not afraid of baby puke, Sky Sky. I just don't want to have that shirt sitting in my hamper for the next week. It's gonna smell by the time I do my laundry."

"Alright, but when you don't want to hold him anymore, just let me know."

I open my mouth to give her a smartass response, but the doorbell rings. I frown in the direction of the door. Who else is coming?

"Do you mind getting that? This is going to burn if I walk away and I doubt Tucker heard the bell. "

"Yeah." I shift Duke to my other arm and head towards the door. When I swing it open, a slow smile spreads across my face.

I haven't seen her in a few days and she's looking mighty fine tonight. I'd love nothing more than to date her, but Skylar will have me by the balls if I hurt her. It's not a chance I'm willing to take, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the beautiful woman in front of me.

Her long brown hair is pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head. She's wearing a black sweater and buffalo plaid leggings that clings to every curve.

She lifts her gaze and my smile falls. Her eyes are red and her makeup is smeared the smallest amount. She's definitely been crying.

What is going on with you, Leslie?