Fair Lakes Series Box Set - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,158

of events seems right, even if the circumstances are a little unorthodox.

“I’m afraid I’m going to need a lot of help.”

Noticing that Milo’s little cheeks aren’t moving much anymore, I pull the bottle from his lips and set it aside. It’s almost empty, which means he ate almost two full ounces. “Well, how about a crash course in burping?” I ask, adjusting the baby to get ready to pass. “Sit up.”

He does immediately, grabbing for the burp cloth tossed over my shoulder. “Like this?” he asks when he gets it in place.

“Perfect. Now, I’m going to hand him to you. Cradle him against your chest, supporting his butt with one hand, his back with the other.”

Milo whimpers the moment I adjust his position and hand him off to Chase. He holds the baby close, putting his hands right where I told him to. Without being prompted, he starts to lightly tap the baby’s back. “Watch,” I instruct, showing him how to lightly tap from the bottom of his back, slowly moving upward. “My mom always said it helps push the air up and out.”

I can feel eyes on me, and when I look up, they connect with Chase’s. Even through the darkness of the room, I can still see his blue eyes and the gratitude in them. He’s clearly mere seconds away from freaking out, but when he looks at me that way, I feel like we can do anything, as long as we do it together.

That’s a huge revelation, considering a few days ago, I had us comfortably positioned in the friend zone.

“You’re a natural,” I whisper just as a soft belch spills from the baby’s mouth. I giggle, for some reason always responding that way when a baby burps. Probably because it’s so damn cute when they’re that little.

“I did it,” he says, excitement etched on his handsome face.

“Good job, Daddy,” I reply, my gut twisting into knots.

Chase sighs. “I’m not trying to be a dick, Gabby, but I just…I don’t know. I don’t know that I’m his father.”

I move to the side and get the blanket bed ready for Milo. Chase slowly lowers him into the bed, positioning him on his back. His mouth starts to suck, but then he instantly falls back to sleep, his little fists resting above his head.

Chase and I each lie down on our sides, facing the baby sleeping between us. I reach forward and lightly touch Milo’s hand, and I smile when I see Chase do the same. “We can get a paternity test, Chase. In fact, I definitely think you should. But there’s also no denying the shape of the nose and the angle of his chin. You have a lot of the same features. Plus, there’s the fact that she knew you were in St. Louis, right? I remember you went to spend the weekend with your brother, but even I don’t recall anything about a club.”

Or a woman for that matter, but I keep that part to myself.

Sighing, he nods. “You’re right. She knew I was there and when. The timeline is right. And, even though this’ll make me sound like an asshole, I don’t remember their names from that night. It could’ve been Laura or Patti or Stephanie or anything. I wasn’t there for them, you know? I was there to hang out with my brother. He was the one interested in a little fun on the side,” he says, glancing down at the sleeping baby.

“We’ll figure it out, Chase. Don’t worry.”

He snorts. “Right. Don’t worry. I have a newborn in my house, one who’s supposedly mine, and I have to figure out what to do next. I need to go shopping for supplies, I have to try to figure out how to reach his mom, and I have to work.”

“I’ll keep him with me in the office,” I offer, already arranging my schedule so that I can help with the baby. “Plus, Gwen’s not back to work yet. I’m sure she’d be willing to help too.”

A yawn slips from my mouth, causing a single corner of Chase’s mouth to turn upward. “We should get some sleep. We burned quite a few calories before this little one showed up.”

I grin. “We did,” I recall, wishing we could get to that second round already. Unfortunately, though, our night took a drastic turn, bypassing the worse and landing directly in the crazy.

“Good night, Gabs.”

“Night, Chase.”

He watches me as I watch him, neither of us making a move. “You know,