“Would it get you all the way impressed if I say that I am helping plan and set up everything for the wedding?”

“It would make me say that I know your friends’ hectic lives and I assume you got as guilted into it as I did.”

“Ahh, they are good at that. You look good,” he said, looking me over, but his eyes didn’t linger. It should have been a kind thing, the gentleman’s thing to do, but I smoothed out my dress, wondering if I looked as chaotic as I felt. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Busy, but good. You?” I asked, hating each word. The small talk was not anywhere near what I wanted to say. Then again, anything I had to say was a conversation I didn’t know if I was ready to have. He had left, and I still struggled to accept it. Worse than that, I was struggling with the feeling that jumping into his arms seemed like the most natural thing to do. I had never spent over twenty minutes with Kye without touching him, and apparently muscle memory would not let me forget that.

It had been six years.

Six years without a word.

I had to hear about him a lot. Ever since I became closer to the crew, I heard the updates about him constantly. How well his races were going, how ridiculous his stunts were, how good he was doing. I stayed away when he was home, though. He was a superstar and his friends were proud of him, so I tried to never ask them to stay quiet. I had become used to the updates, but seeing him now was something different.

“Busy, but slowing down finally.”

“Wow, never thought I would hear that from your mouth.” At the word mouth, he looked at mine, and I was too aware of how badly I wanted to run my tongue over my lips. As soon as I thought about it, it was a battle to stop.

There was no way I could already have these thoughts about him.

I should be pissed, heartbroken, and angry at him, but my heart was thundering in my chest, forgetting every second of the pain.

Maybe it was because I had barely let Mark anywhere near getting in my pants, even though we had been going on dates for months.

Months of dating and the man had barely made a move to do anything more than kiss me, and I hadn’t asked for more.

Maybe I was just to horny, and standing in front of the man who gave me the best orgasms of my life. That fact still held up to this day.

“I never thought I would, but with how much is changing around here, I think I’ll be around more. I’m still traveling a lot for work, but I’ll spend more time here when I can.”

“So, I might have to see more of you, then?” I asked.

“Considering you seem to be best friends with the crew now, I would say yes. You don’t sound pleased about that, though,” he said with a smirk.

“No, of course, it’s fine. I’m just surprised. And yeah, they’ve been great to me. They somehow came back into my life the moment I needed them.”

“They have that effect on people, always knowing when to be there and how to be there.”

Bailey rounded the corner, running full force. “Hey,” she said, grabbing my hand with a pant, her tone was so serious for a four-year-old. “Hey, we are going outside.”

“You are still in trouble for running off without me, so you are going to wait. I’m talking.” That’s when she looked up at Kye, her eyes going wide. I didn’t think she was scared, having become used to all the guys on the crew, their scowls, and their tattoos, but more curious than anything.

Her eyebrow cocked. “Who are you?” she asked, stepping closer.

I looked at Kye, his eyes wide. I knew he loved his niece and nephew, but I didn’t know how he felt about other kids. One look at him wouldn’t have anyone screaming ‘good with kids,’ but then again, most of the crew looked like that.

He knelt down, reaching out a hand. “I’m Kye, and you are?”

“Bailey,” she said, shaking his hand with her hard little stare, sizing him up.

“Unless something has changed in the last four months since being home, I do not believe I have any nieces that are named Bailey.”

“No,” she sang out, but I didn’t think she actually knew what she was answering.

I laughed. “She’s mine.”

His eyes flew to mine, fear frozen in them. “I did not know you had a kid.”

“Well, that’s complicated. Hey, Bailey, will you go grab Quinn or Scout so we can go outside?”

She was still looking at Kye, though.

“Why do you have her name on your hands?” she asked, staring at the hands he shoved back into his pockets.

“What?” I asked, looking at her.

“D-A-Z-E,” she read out slowly. “That’s how she taught me to write her name when I write it for fun.” She jerked a thumb at me. This little girl’s attitude could fill a room, and I tried to get it under control, but it never seemed to work.

“The attitude, Bailey,” I scolded, knowing her accusing tone was going to come again.

“Like Daisy, but without eeee,” she said, sounding it out. 

“I think I’m going to need some clarification now,” Kye said, looking at me.

“Yeah, me, too. Bailey, please go get Quinn or Scout or Carly. Literally, anyone. I need a minute to talk to Kye.”

“Fine,” she said, crossing her little arms. “But I want to see it again later.”

Kye gave a serious nod. “We can absolutely do that.”

She nodded back and took off, running full force towards the lobby area.

“Slow down!” I yelled.

“I really don’t think you are slowing that one down,” he said, standing back up with a laugh.

“No, I struggle every day with it. That, and the attitude that is bigger than this whole town. I think the crew has rubbed off on her.”

He shook his head. “Why did I not know that you have a child? Way to give a man a heart attack. She looks enough like me I had to do some quick math. Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is?”

“She isn’t mine. Or ours,” I added fast, the words causing a flutter of butterflies through my stomach. “Not how you are thinking. Bailey is four. She’s my sister’s. Was my sister’s. Willow passed away a little over three years ago. It was an accident. My dad was getting too old to keep up with a kid and having some health problems at the time, and I don’t have much more family. I decided to take her.”

“Shit, Daze, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. The crew doesn’t really tell me about you.”

Daze. The nickname I hadn’t heard in years. The one I never wanted anyone else to call me. I had told Bailey about it when she started trying to spell my name, but she really just called me Mom now.

“Yeah, I asked them not to.”

“What? Why?”