Page 35 of For Your Consideration

I scowled as we stepped out of the elevator. He looked over at me with a cringe on his face.

“Spit it out,” I grumbled.

“Sutton and Q were looking at something on her phone. She saw the photo.” I glared at him as I grabbed my phone and started dialing. “Q said Sutton told her it was fine but she seemed bothered by it.”

“Damn it,” I muttered, the call going to voicemail as I walked to my room.

“Sorry, man,” Jaxson called from behind me as I went inside.

I paced in the living room for a few minutes, looking down at my phone. When she didn’t call me I decided to call again. But it went to voicemail. Again. Even with the time difference she should be home by now.

“Fuck.”

I knew that I could sleep with whoever I wanted. Sutton and I were friends, whatever that meant for us. But I didn’t want her to think that that was the kind of man I was. That this was what I did when I left town. I didn’t want her to think I was unstable or only looking for a good time. I didn’t want her to think she couldn’t trust me. That had never really been me.

I stopped my pacing to stare at the door. I could go next door, get Jaxson to find Iris’s number. He would have it for me in under ten minutes and then I could make sure Sutton was okay but also get her to talk to me. And if he couldn’t, I would be calling the jet and leaving. Tonight.

Dialing the phone one more time, I stood glaring at the door, already planning to go to Jaxson as the phone kept ringing. I took a step, assuming that I was about to hear her voicemail telling me to leave a message yet again since the ringing felt endless.

“Hi.”

I froze mid-step as her voice came through the phone. “Sutton?”

I heard her let out a little laugh.

“You called me.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

“You didn’t answer,” I said as I moved back to the couch and sat down.

“Sorry, Soph and I just got home and she is one grumpy little bean tonight so I was trying to get her settled.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked sharply as I heard her cry from the other end of the phone.

“Nothing, I don’t think,” she said and then pulled the phone away from her ear to mutter something to Sophie.

I didn’t say anything, busy thinking.

What made a ten-month-old grumpy and how could I fix it from where I was?

“I can hear your frown from here,” she chuckled on the other end.

I let out a grunt and before I could decide what to say my phone started ringing. I pulled it away to see the Facetime request from Sutton. I answered it as quickly as I could. Sutton had her hair pulled back with a scrunchie and hardly any makeup on.

The woman was fucking stunning.

“I thought this might help you believe me.” She moved to sit in a chair beside Sophie’s highchair. I could see both of them with how she was holding the phone. Sophie’s face was red and it looked like she had been rubbing her eyes and crying. “Better, Grizzly?”

I ignored the nickname, even though it kind of made me want to smile. “Hi, sunshine,” I said as I watched Sophie, who had a frown on her face. “Why are you grumpy tonight?” She started squawking and slapping her hands on the chair.

“She was like this for Iris today too, apparently,” Sutton said as she brushed her hand over her head.

I loved watching her with her daughter. They were so connected and Sophie looked at her like she had hung the moon. I was starting to understand the feeling.

“That’s no good, sweet girl,” I said as Sophie seemed to notice the phone. She squawked again and reached toward me. Which warmed my heart. “You aren’t supposed to be grumpy. You’re too sweet.” She babbled some more, like we were having an actual conversation. “You have to be nice to your mum.” Her frown started to fade and though I couldn’t see her feet, it looked like they were kicking.

“I’ve been trying to get her to stop screaming for an hour and one Facetime call with you and the frown disappears.” Sutton shook her head. “She probably knows she can’t beat you in the frown department,” she added with a smile.

“I own the frowns, sunshine, you need to keep smiling.” But even as I said the words, I smiled softly at her as she picked up the toy on her highchair and started shaking it, still babbling.