“I didn’t want to say anything, but I shudder whenever I hear about the guys letting Poppy play on the floor over there.”
I nod slowly. “That would make two of us. Maybe you could loan me a mop? I have a feeling I’m gonna need it after tonight’s party.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Are you planning to take her back to your place tonight? It’s pretty loud over there.”
Just more shit I haven’t considered.
I close my eyes and let my head drop forward. “Honestly? I hadn’t planned that far. If I had, I would’ve asked the guys to party somewhere else. God, I feel stupid.”
After an awkward silence, she pats my arm. “A baby is a lot to deal with. You’re… you’re doing your best.”
I give her a weary smile. “Thanks. I’m trying.”
“Hey, look on the bright side. You won your game.”
My lips tilt up higher. “We did.” My eyes do a quick sweep down her body—snug t-shirt, sweatpants, fuzzy socks. Her hair is in a high ponytail. She shouldn’t look so sexy while she’s vegging out, but she does. Her tits strain at the thin fabric. In this light, I can almost see her nipples. “Did you happen to watch my game?”
She glances away. Nibbles her lip. Shrugs. “I might have caught some of it.”
“Hmm.”
The fact that a stiff breeze can turn me on right now reminds me of how long it’s been since I’ve gotten laid.
Glancing around, I look for Poppy before I do something stupid like hit on the one person who’s saving my ass right now.
“I put her down in my room.” Gabby tilts her head toward the front of the house where she cracks open a door. I set the pizza on the coffee table and follow her.
A sliver of light falls on my daughter who’s curled up like a little burrito in her pack-and-play.
“How do you get her to sleep in that thing?” I whisper. I’m lucky I could throw today after cradling her on my body all night.
We sneak back out into the living room. “I held her a lot today or wrapped her to my chest when I was doing homework, which is probably what you ended up doing last night, right?”
“That kid was glued to me.”
“Because we both reassured her, I think she’s feeling less clingy. So… good job.” Gabby gives me a soft smile, and I have the strongest urge to kiss her.
I blow out a breath, desperate to put myself in a firmly platonic frame of mind. “Are you hungry? I brought your favorite.”
She’s quiet for a minute. “You remember my favorite pizza?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. We shared a few of these back in the day.” I lift the top off the pie. “Pepperoni, black olives, and mushrooms.”
“I thought you didn’t like mushrooms.” She eyes the food and then turns to me.
“Someone convinced me they were good on pizza.” I don’t mention it became one of my favorites as well.
“I did not know I had the power to affect your world view.” She laughs and grabs some paper plates before tossing slices on both and handing me mine. She trots back into the kitchen to grab us a couple of sodas and settles onto the couch where I join her.
On the TV, some National Geographic program is on. “Still love to geek out, huh?”
She pushes her glasses up and smiles again. “Some things never change.”
“Where are your roommates? You have two, right?”
Her smile disappears. “One’s out, and the other…” She shrugs again.
“Bree told me you guys are enjoying your Brit lit class.”
Her eyes light up. “It’s so good. We read A Room with a View last week and watched the movie, both of which I love.” She lets out a sigh of contentment.
For some reason, it feels like she’s finally letting her guard down. Being with her like this makes my whole body warm, like I’m standing next to the sun. It’s the weirdest fucking thing I’ve ever experienced. I was exhausted when I got here, but being around her gives me a burst of energy.
I swallow, remembering how close we were back then. “Pretty sure you’re the only reason I passed freshman composition.”
When her eyes meet mine, I know that was the wrong thing to say for some reason.
“Let’s not stroll down memory lane, okay? It’s not fun for me.” She sets down her food. “Look, I’ll help you with Poppy as much as I can, but I don’t think I can do this.”