8. Joss

Chapter 8

Joss

Even though I was tired from getting up in the middle of the night, I hopped out of bed as soon as my alarm went off at six so I could shower and pump before anyone else was up. Torin was still asleep when I went to check on Bella. She was quietly moving around in her crib, so I got her changed and fed and brought her into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Torin had assured me that he ate a standard diet with the exception of tree nuts, and they weren't aware of any food allergies for Bella, even though he'd been erring on the side of caution. But he basically gave me the green light to cook anything I found in the house. That made it easy.

After digging around for a few minutes, I decided on an egg frittata with broccoli and cheese. Not too fancy, but it would keep well if he slept for a few more hours.

Bella was a good baby while I was occupied. She chewed on her fist and then clamped her fingers in her tag blanket. I put it over her lap as she watched me around the kitchen. As soon as I had the coffee going, Torin walked in wearing basketball shorts and a snug T-shirt. Although they were slightly more rounded than sharp, Torin had muscles bulging from his chest down to his abs and throughout his arms. As fit as he was, I might have mistaken him for a professional athlete.

The universe certainly gave with both hands when he was created…

"Good morning." I only allowed myself a quick once-over before turning back to the cabinet and grabbing a mug for him. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please. It smells great."

"I added a dash of cocoa and cinnamon." I looked over my shoulder at him. "I hope you don't mind."

He shook his head and shrugged. "Not at all. Sounds delicious."

"It's my favorite." I poured him a mug then turned to face him. "Sugar?"

"No, thanks. I wanna taste that recipe of yours before it gets buried under sweetness." Torin went straight to Bella and pulled her out of her carrier. He held her at arm's length as he looked at her outfit then back at me with a grin. "This is cute. Was it in her closet?"

"Yeah. I hope it's okay to put it on her. There are so many things in there with the tags on them that she's gonna grow out of soon, so I figured she might as well wear them once."

He wrapped his arms around her as he held her to his chest. "Good idea. I mostly keep her in onesies and pajamas, so I haven't done a lot of exploring in her closet."

"She's got some good stuff in there, Daddy. We'll show it all off for you while we can."

Torin's breath hitched as he looked at me. I wasn't sure if I had crossed a line, but as he slowly exhaled and swallowed, I figured he wasn't upset. "Please do. I don't want anything to go to waste, so definitely open up things that are still in the package and dress her in anything that'll fit. Oh, that reminds me." He opened the far drawer in the kitchen island and pulled out a credit card. "This was Stacy's card, but you can use it until I get one in your name. Any shopping or supplies you need to buy for the house or for Bella put on this card. You can just tap it at most places, but if they require a signature, just scribble something."

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest. "You want me to forge your dead wife's signature?"

He rolled his eyes and huffed as if I were being difficult. "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad, but I want you to feel free to buy whatever we need. This is the easiest way to do it. I can give you one of my cards, but it's the same thing. You'll have to write my name instead."

I shrugged and reached for the card. "Yeah, okay. Thank you. I don't mind doing the grocery shopping and taking care of other chores if that helps you out. Just let me know what you need, and I'll keep a running list as well."

He put Bella back in the bouncy seat and then finally took a sip of his coffee. Torin inhaled the aroma after his first sip and then took another. "This is really good. Tastes like…Christmas."

I grinned widely because that was my thought as well. "I'm glad you like it. Is there anything in particular you need me to do today? Bella already ate, so I was thinking I could take her for a walk in the stroller while you get some work done. Or we can just play here. What's your usual day like?"

Torin scoffed and then took another drink. "Everything you just said sounds a million times better than our usual day, so feel free to go for a walk or play in her room. She doesn't do much, so if you just put her on her play pad, she can entertain herself for a while. She's just starting to roll, so be aware that she's not always where you put her when you turn back, but she doesn't get far."

I chuckled as I imagined that tiny baby rolling throughout the house. "Well, she liked when I read to her, so we'll probably do that." I remembered an ad I saw recently and pulled out my phone. "Actually, I think the library does storytimes every day before lunch. Maybe we'll go do that."

"Yeah. That sounds fun." Torin bit his lip and looked away as if suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Maybe he wasn't ready for me to leave with her. That was fair. I was basically a stranger. "Never mind. We don't have to go anywhere. We'll be fine to just stay here and play. I don't mean to be taking over so quickly. I just wanna make your life a little easier, but we can work up to outings."

He quickly turned back to me and shook his head. "No, it's not that at all. I trust you, Joshua." He held my gaze as he reached for Bella's foot and rubbed the bottom of it. "I've always trusted you, Joshua. I was just thinking it might be fun if I could go with you. But I don't want to make you feel like I'm hovering."

I smiled. "She's your baby, Torin. You're allowed to hover. And if you have time, that would be fun. In fact, if you'd prefer to take her on your own, I don't mind hanging back and maybe doing laundry or whatever else needs to be done so you can have some bonding time with her."

He considered the offer but then shook his head. "No, I want you to take her. Let me know what time you're gonna go, and if I can get away from work, maybe I can join you. If not, you guys can go and have fun. I can whip up some soup or sandwiches for when you get home."

Now I really wanted him to come. As dangerous as it was for me to play house with the man I'd always hated to love, some of that hatred was melting away, and I was remembering why I fell for him in the first place.

I took one more sip of my coffee then left it on the counter and pulled Bella out of her seat. "You hear that, Bella? Daddy wants to go with us to storytime today. Let's go play on your mat for a little bit while I see what time we should get there." I couldn't resist glancing back at Torin as I left the kitchen to take Bella to the living room where her floor mat was set up.

His eyes were locked on me, but low, like he'd been checking out my ass. When he looked up and realized I'd caught him, I couldn't help smirking as I left the room. Just because Torin was now straight, didn't mean he couldn't appreciate the memories of when he used to own my ass back in the day.