Austin By Morning by Alexa Padgett

Author:Alexa Padgett [Padgett, Alexa]
Language: eng
Format: epub

4

Rye

Stepping outside gave me a chance to breathe.

Holy hell. My desire to break that roadie into tiny pieces made little sense. My need to protect Kate, to ensure not just her continued wellbeing, but her happiness? That was insane.

Caveman behavior.

No, worse. It was instinctive. From the moment I’d caught her staring at me, every one of my senses lit to high alert. My body zinged with desire.

I knew desire--Deirdre and I enjoyed an active sex life. Well, until Ike came too early and everything started to fall apart.

But, even when I lived with Deirdre, I could focus on something else. Like my music or my son. The moment I was near Kate, she absorbed all my attention.

Like a fucking black hole.

Right. That’s why I needed to steer clear of her.

I dialed my phone and pressed it to my ear.

“Something’s come up here, and I won’t be back for a while,” I said to the home health provider/babysitter, Beatrice, who I’d hired to stay with Ike when I was involved with this festival.

“I’m here, Mr. Lawson. You just do what you need to.”

“Can I talk to him?” I asked.

“Daddy,” Ike squealed through the phone.

“Hey, bud. So…I’m going to be later than I hoped. I can’t tuck you in.”

“Aw.”

Ike sounded a little disappointed but not in full meltdown mode. I’d chosen Beatrice as his caretaker because Ike liked her better than the three other candidates he and I interacted with.

“That’s why I called. So I could to talk to you before you went to sleep. To let you know how much I love you.”

“You’re not going to be home to read me a story?”

I heard the pout in Ike’s voice, and my heart squeezed. “Of course I have time to read you a book. You want to grab your favorite?”

“Yep,” he chirped.

I waited. Cam hovered about five feet from me.

Thankfully, I had five of Ike’s favorites memorized. I recited the lines about the pigeon and a bus as Ike turned the pages. At the end of the third “book” we read together, Ike yawned.

“I love you, Daddy,” he mumbled into the phone.

“I love you, too, son. Get some good sleep. I’ll be home soon as I can.”

I spoke to Beatrice, for a moment, letting her know I might not be home for a few more hours.

“I set up the extra room, just in case,” I said.

“I saw that, and I’ll probably head that way if it gets to be past my bed time.”

Cam stepped out of his trailer and turned that hot glare on me. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back against the side of the metal. I’d been trying to avoid this very moment.

“I’m really sorry about this,” I said, shoving my hand into my already disheveled hair. I dropped my head to take in one of the world’s biggest musicians making his way toward me. “I’ll get home as soon as I can.”

Cam froze midstride. His facial features froze before settling into a semblance of neutrality.

“He’s a sweet child, Mr.

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