Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Chapter Thirteen
Brandt was getting too domesticated. He shifted around in the passenger seat of his SUV as they approached the air base, both trying to wake up and trying to not get to comfortable with this new arrangement.
“Thanks again for letting me have the car.” Shane parked in the back of the lot, same as he had last time. He was more awake than Brandt had expected considering the early hour. The baby was still in her fuzzy sleeper and had dozed back off in her car seat.
“No problem.” The bigger problem was figuring out whether he should give Shane an affectionate goodbye. It had been several days and this thing between them still defied classification. They’d shared a number of superheated make-out sessions and mutual orgasms, but they each slept in their own beds. He supposed that made them roommates-with-benefits, but he also liked Shane far more than a lot of casual hookups. In the end, he settled for squeezing Shane’s knee. “I’ve already told Hartman I need a ride home. Have a good practice.”
“Thanks.” Shane was headed that afternoon to a band rehearsal for the group he was sitting in with that weekend. He wasn’t sure what the parking situation was in the neighborhood where the band met, so Brandt had volunteered the SUV.
“You think the diva is gonna let you get some reps in?” Brandt glanced back at the sleeping baby. She sure was cute snoozing like that, but when she was awake, she had a way of demanding every ounce of attention they both had to give.
“Hey, she likes it when I sing.” Shane’s smile was enough to make Brandt forget where they were, make him bump Shane’s shoulder.
“Maybe you’re okay.” He was undoubtedly more than passable—simply the humming he did around the house showed way more natural ability than Brandt had, that was for sure.
“Yeah, maybe I can carry a tune.” Chuckling, Shane rolled his eyes. “But I asked Tim—that’s the band leader—about bringing her, and he said his girlfriend will be around if I need a hand.”
“That works.” Brandt couldn’t help the frown though. What did Shane know about these people? Had this girlfriend person ever even held a baby? And since when did he become so cautious? He’d never once had the reputation of being nervous.
“Don’t worry.” Shane returned his leg pat. “I’m not letting our girl out of my sight.”
Our. The word was a lot less scary than it would have been two weeks ago. “Good.”
“But right now, you better hurry. We don’t want you in trouble. Jewel needs you employed.”
“I’m on it.” And he was. Head back in the game. He might have savings, but he did love his job, and the baby hadn’t changed his obligations there. He trusted Shane with Jewel, and honestly, he wasn’t sure who he’d trust more. Shane was there in the middle of the night, sometimes even before Brandt. Shane would take good care of her, even with this band gig of his. And how weird was that? Being all proud of Shane for finding himself a chance to sing this weekend.
Brandt had gone so long with no one to brag on, only his own drive to push him, that this caring was decidedly different. And it went deeper than remembering that Shane would need to eat too and making extra food or taking turns handing off a fussy baby. He cared when Shane seemed a little down, celebrated his good news, and felt way more alive than he had in years, simply from spending time together. He could jump out of a hundred planes, and he’d still be less freaked out than he was over whatever the hell was happening in his life.
Hours later, Shane was still on his mind as he worked with Hartman and some other jumpers on equipment inventory and repair. A number of jumpers, especially younger ones, found this part of the job boring, but Brandt had always taken it very seriously. They were all one frayed connector away from not making it back from a jump. He was known as being good at this, spotting weak points that others couldn’t see, fixing things some would have trashed, but that day his brain kept wandering away from the task at hand.
“What do you think, Wilder?” Hartman held out an older pack. “Think this will hold the season?”
“Hmm. Yeah. Should be good. This kind of fabric can take a beating and not give.” Brandt still studied it closely though, looking for any snags or wear like stretched seams or other weak points. And yet again, his head flitted to the baby, picturing her in a little pack. The sling they’d purchased was serviceable, but too stretchy for his tastes and not quite as long as either he or Shane needed. “Huh. Maybe...”