The House Mate (Roommates, #3)

Max

I stared at the file in front of me and realized I’d read the same line a dozen times and was still no closer to comprehending it than I was when I’d started.

Fuck.

This whole thing with Addison had me in knots, not to mention the drama that had ensued afterward with Jenn.

Restless, I tapped my fingers on my desk and wondered where to go from here.

I knew where I wanted to go. My thoughts instantly drifted back to the other night with Addison. She’d been amazing. Responsive, sexy, and every curve of her body made my cock throb just thinking about it. More than that? I liked her. Really liked her. She got my sense of humor, and we got along so well.

Which was why I was still feeling stunned that she’d basically given me the brush-off.

I picked up a pencil and started absently drawing cubes on the manila file folder.

Addison been almost chilly when she’d basically told me last night that it had been a mistake. It sure as shit hadn’t felt like a mistake to me, though. Then this morning, I’d thought about talking to her. Telling her what had transpired between Jenn and me after she’d gone to bed, but she had refused to even look at me aside from wishing me a quick and not very convincing good morning.

A knock on the door scattered my thoughts. I looked up to see Tiffany standing in the doorway, a smile pinned to her lips.

“Hey there, boss man. How are things?”

I shrugged and smiled back. “Fine, how about you?”

Her grin dimmed and she stepped into the office, closing the door behind her.

“Who do you think you’re fooling, Max? You never doodle like that unless something is bugging you. Did I do something wrong?” Her brows knitted together in puzzlement, but I shook my head.

“No, not at all, it’s just. . . .” I wasn’t sure of the protocol here, but I could definitely use a woman’s perspective, and the brief little thing between Tiffany and me hardly classified as a relationship. Surely, since she was my friend and assistant, it would be okay for me to get her take on this whole mess. “Jenn came over last night.”

Tiffany’s eyebrows shot high as she sank into the chair across from me with a gasp. “Jenn Jenn? Your ex?”

I nodded grimly. “Yeah. It was super awkward. She didn’t tell me she was coming, and I think her showing up like that out of the blue upset Addison.”

Tiffany’s eyes narrowed and she stared at me speculatively. “Why would that upset Addison?”

The question caught me off guard. Why, indeed? If Addison didn’t care about me, and the other night had been a mistake, then it should have been a relief if she thought Jenn was coming back around. Unless she was really just that upset about the potential of losing her job. Not that I could blame her. Dylan had only been in my life a short time, but already, the thought of losing her felt like losing a limb.

“It’s complicated,” I said finally. “And I’ve got a meeting to go to that takes precedence over my personal life. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. What’s up? What did you need from me?” I asked, eyeing her expectantly.

Tiffany seemed to hesitate, like she wanted to say more about the subject, but then finally nodded. “I just wanted to remind you about the meeting, and let you know that I ordered lunch from Benito’s for you guys to have in the conference room.”

“Thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful that at least one thing in my life hadn’t turned to shit overnight. Tiffany was a good employee and was always looking out for me.

She waved off my thanks and stood. “If you ever need to talk or blow off some steam, Max, I’m here for you. We can grab a drink . . . and talk. Just remember that.”

She backed out of the office and closed the door behind her, leaving me staring after her.

That was strange. The phrase blow off some steam had been one she’d used once to refer to what had happened between us a couple of years back. I was sure it was unintentional, but the way things were going, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had one more complication on the horizon.

I set down my pencil and picked up the folder, intent on getting through the rest of the day focused on work. If I didn’t get my head together, I wouldn’t have to worry about Addison at all because I wouldn’t be able to afford a nanny or that house.

The next few hours flew by as I dived headlong into work. When I finally came up for air just before quitting time, one thing had become abundantly clear to me.

Not even a full day had passed since Addison and I had talked, and I missed her already. I couldn’t let this stand without at least trying to get to the bottom of how she was really feeling.

• • •

On the ride home, I thought of all the things I could say to Addison, but when I walked in the door a few minutes later, those thoughts flitted away like leaves on the wind.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

The place was trashed, toys and sippy cups everywhere. Smears of what looked like chocolate-please, God, let it be chocolate-were on the living room wall, and a puddle of milk was spilled on the tile in the foyer.

“Hello?” I called, the very beginnings of fear starting to pulse through my veins.

What if Addison had fallen and gotten hurt? What if the baby had been by herself all day and I didn’t even know it? Here I was all caught up in my own drama, and I hadn’t even checked in on them. But my fears were laid to rest a few seconds later as Addison rounded the corner with Dylan in her arms.

“Hi,” Addison said dully. Dark smudges were under her eyes, and her hair was caked with tiny ring-shaped noodles. “Someone is having a hard day today,” she whispered.

Almost on cue, Dylan let out a bloodcurdling scream that rent the air.

“Teething, I think.” Addison shouted to be heard as she tried to rock the screaming, stiff-with-rage baby in her arms. “Nothing has been helping.”

I set down my briefcase and reached for Dylan. She quieted and came to me easily, snuggling close. The second I started to relax, she sank her three teeth into my neck. “Son of a-” I bit back a string of curses and tugged her away, holding her aloft in shock.

She stared back at me in full demon-baby mode, completely unapologetic as she stuffed her fist into her drooly mouth.

“Yeah, sorry. I guess I should’ve led with that,” Addison said, pointing ruefully to twin teeth marks marring her collarbone. “It’s not pretty. I was about to put her into the bath with some lavender oil to calm her.”

Dylan’s bottom lip started to quiver, and my gut gave a squeeze of sympathy. Even demon babies needed love. I held her close again, but not quite as close as last time, and kept my guard up. “Why don’t you go relax for a while, and I’ll do the bath, okay?”

Addison looked like she was about to argue, but then her eyes went suspiciously glassy and she nodded. “Yeah. I think I’ll feel better once I have some tea, and maybe do some yoga or something.”

She turned and I watched her go, feeling helpless and heartsick all at once.

How had my perfect little life gone to shit so fast?