And I suddenly knew that he meant every word. I was worried that if I asked, Kye would figure out how to do exactly that.

I really wanted to ask.

“Stop talking. Please, stop talking,” I said, needing to get away from him before I took him up on that offer. I hadn’t stopped wondering if Kye could affect me the way he used to. So far, even him being close to me was turning me on, but I knew that every time I had touched him was worse.

It made me wonder if he felt the same or if the wild way he liked touching me had disappeared like he had thought it would.

“Go ride your bikes and try not to get worn out before she does.”

Instead of dwelling on those thoughts more, I kissed Bailey and told her to behave.

“You, too, Kye. Behave.”

“I always try to behave.”

“Right, try being the keyword there. You both try to behave. I’ll be home in a few hours. Please let there still be a house when I get there.”

He nodded, and they took off, Bailey hitting the gas and the little bike speeding up the slightest bit. It couldn’t be going any faster than a peddle bike, but she had to feel like it was flying. Kye moved alongside her, popping the front of his bike up onto one wheel again and watching as Bailey tried to do the same, but never making it more than an inch off the ground.

I realized that all I had done with letting Kye babysit was give my Evil Knieval daughter a teacher.

THIRTY-EIGHTDAISY

I walked in, already hearing the sounds of laughter coming from the living room.

“Bailey, no, that part tickles,” Kye said, prompting Bailey to laugh harder and continue with what she was doing.

I didn’t think any part of me was ready to see what was happening, though, and when I turned the corner, my feet stopped moving, frozen as I watched.

Neither of them seemed to have heard me and continued on with their game.

Their game being Bailey with a pile of markers, washable thankfully, and Kye on his back, letting her draw all over him.

He laughed again, his stomach shaking, and Bailey threw down a hand.

“Hold still!” she shrieked. “You are going to mess up my drawing!”

His lips pressed together as he tried to stop it, but as Bailey scribbled, it got out of control again.

I had never thought much about having my own children, and by the time I had taken over care of Bailey at twenty-three, I never really had much time to think about having any of my own after that, my hands too full with her as a single parent. And with her big personality, it hadn’t grown any easier in the past months.

Now, though, I could only think about walking into a house filled with this type of laughter forever.

“What are you two doing?” I finally asked.

“Tattoos!” Bailey yelled, turning back to Kye, who didn’t seem to mind staying put on the floor.

“Bailey saw some of my tattoos and decided I needed more. Then I showed her the black and white ones and asked for some color. She’s just helping me out. Really saving me time and money, too. Who would have thought I could have just had my tattoos done on your living room floor by a very talented four-year-old?”

“Look,” she yelled, waving me over and holding up Kyes’ hands. She had colored in the letters of my name on his fingers, each one either green, yellow, or red. “I colored them like the flowers.”

“Wow, how creative.” I said.

“What about you, Daze? Need some tattoos?”

“Not today. Right now, I just need some food.”

“In the fridge,” he said, his smiling face watching me.

“You cooked?”

“Not a chance,” he said. “We ordered pizza and luckily, me and Bailey here like it the same way, so I ordered one for us and a different one for you.”

My brows furrowed. “And you remember what type of pizza I like?”

“Cheese and olives is not exactly a hard order to remember. Go on, go get your food. We’re not quite done yet, anyway.”

He laid his head back, closing his eyes and letting Bailey keep working. She seemed pleased to keep going, switching out markers and focusing. It was hard to get her to stay quiet, so that alone was surprising, but that Kye seemed fine with it was equally surprising.

I warmed up my pizza and brought it back to the living room, finally sitting down after working all day on my feet. I didn’t mind my job, but mainly only kept it for the paycheck. I needed something to sustain my life with Bailey, and not many jobs made enough to support a single person with a kid and a house while offering flexible hours.

When I sat back, Kye looked over, his eyes bright. “How was work?”

“Long, busy, exhausting.”

“Do you like your job?”

“Like it? No. Need it? Yes,” I said with a laugh as I took another bite. 

“Just good money?”

“Yeah, enough to get us by fine, and it helps me be able to work when she’s at school or sleeping.”

“I can’t believe what you have done for her. You should be proud, Daze. Really fucking proud.”

“Language, Kye.”

“I think I should be let off the hook this time, considering she’s asleep and drooling on me.”

He was right. I thought she was still coloring, but the marker was in her limp hand, her head down, and she was asleep on his stomach.

I groaned, about to get up, when he held up a hand.

“I got it, just eat.” He grabbed for the marker, sliding the cap back on and carefully lifting her as he got up. She shifted, wrapping around him as he carried her towards the rooms.

He appeared again but grabbed a washcloth from the kitchen.

“Marker all over her face and arms,” he said, disappearing again.