When Rafe finally called it a night, he considered going back to Sloan’s, but he knew his dad expected to get some garage-centric male bonding in on Sunday morning. He owed it to Joe not to bail. He climbed into his guest bedroom bed and tried to fall asleep, but thoughts of Sloan had him staring at the ceiling.

Usually after a certain period of time, the families he worked for took up space in his heart. It was natural. He spent a lot of time with people and since his literal job was to take care of them, he started to care about things beyond their schedules and general health. He cared about their interests, their feelings and after a while, he found that you cared about them.

It had taken a while with the Craigs. He was young and raw, and still getting the hang of the whole live-in thing. He did his job well, but he kept an emotional distance. He didn’t expect that working with a family that wasn’t his would bring up strange and unexpected issues around losing his mom. Issues he finally opened up to his dad about. With the Bakers, it only took a couple of months. They were warmer and treated Rafe more like one of their own, which was another reason why turning down their offer to join them in Australia had been tough.

With Sloan and her girls, it had taken a whole seven days. Avery and Addison had taken to him so quickly and they were such good kids, it was impossible not to like them. He’d felt a shift at some point during the week, but he knew his feelings for Sloan had painted the whole situation in a different light. His boys had joked about how he was gonna be left a whole chump when she finally met her second husband, but as the night went on he started to notice a familiar feeling settle in his chest. He was grateful for the night off. But while he needed a break from the energy-sapping experience of having two six-year-olds running circles around him, he actually missed Avery and Addison. In the quiet darkness of his guest room, he missed Sloan too.

There was a physical weight that came with adding new people to his life. If they sucked, it felt like being crushed with a brick, but if they were right, he carried the thought of that person around like something warm and perfectly balanced. And when it was gone, he missed it. Yeah it had only been a week, but Sloan and her kids had carved a nice little spot in his heart. Only time would tell just how much space they took up.

He knew there was almost a hundred percent chance she would be asleep, but he reached for his phone anyway.

If feeling stupid, yet oddly satisfied at the same time were possible, that was how he felt when DELIVERED appeared under his message. He switched over to his sports app and checked the scores from the day, before he switched over to his Instagram to post the one picture he’d taken while he was out with the boys.

I’m up and full of regret.

Rafe wanted to let her know that they did, but he wished she’d been with him. The image of her on the back of his bike, her arms tight around his waist, flashed in his mind. Blood rushed to his cock. He reached into his sweats and adjusted his crotch before he typed out a better response.

He sent her the picture he’d taken in the In-N-Out parking lot. Marcus had insisted that be their first stop after he closed up the shop.

Oh wow. That looks like a lot of trouble.

A picture of Sloan and her friends popped up on his screen. Rafe had gotten the gig through Winnie’s old teacher, but it was weird to see Miss Kato smiling poolside with Sloan. She looked like she’d had a great time. She also looked fucking amazing in the high-waisted bikini she was wearing.

Sloan replied with a shrug emoji.

Rafe couldn’t help but laugh. Sloan rambled even over text when she was nervous.

Rafe started to give her the abridged version of what had happened between him and Maya, but another message popped up before he could finish typing.

Sorry you don’t have to tell me.

Rafe stared at his phone for a few long minutes. He wasn’t so sure Sloan had done that much sobering up.

Now Rafe had questions.

Okay, Rafe was positive she was still drunk, but he didn’t hate that whatever truth serum she’d chugged was working.

Putting his phone back on the bedside table, Rafe let out a deep breath. Clearly, the next time he saw her he had to give Sloan the best dick of her life and then somehow explain why they made sense together. If he could make sense of it himself.

Sleep coughed up no answers. He still had feelings for Sloan and he still had no idea how to approach the situation. He wanted more than a roommates-with-benefits situation, but also didn’t want to rush something that might not be there. All he could do was talk to Sloan and hope like hell they were on the same page. When he went downstairs to fix himself some food, he found Hope in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by a million LEGO pieces.

“Whatcha got going on here?” he asked.

“It’s new. Dad found it for me. It’s the Millennium Falcon with Rey and Chewie figurines.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“We got the royal ship too, from Black Panther. But that one has less pieces so I’ll do it as a cool down.”

Rafe picked up both boxes and looked at the completed designs, and instantly thought about Addison and her puzzles. His mind flashed back to Hope and her first day of kindergarten. She’d been an oddly serious toddler, with an intense imagination. He’d been worried the other kids would think she was strange, but Monica knew she was tough and that she’d find her way. Sure enough, her love of fantasy became legend on the playgrounds and she became popular with the parents who wanted their daughters around kids with such focus.

“I thought you were sleeping over at Brittany’s.” Her fanfic buddy from math class was usually attached to Hope’s hip.

“I did. They dropped me off an hour ago. Church.”

“Oh yeah. That.” Weddings and funerals were only times the Whitcomb crew attended.

“It’s fine. I’m almost certain that in the cross-section of where science and religion meet, the essence that makes up our souls is safe.”

“I like that outlook. I’m gonna grab some food. You eat?”

“Yup.” She was already focused back on the pieces in her lap. That was his cue to leave her to her own devices. In the kitchen, his parents were still at the table, enjoying their coffee.

“I made a bacon quiche. It’s warming in the oven.”

“Oh, I gotta make a quiche this week,” he said to himself as he grabbed a mitt and pulled out the half full pie pan. He needed to pick Monica’s brain for new recipes before he left for the week.

“I saw Donna Demont last night at bingo. She said Kelly got her discharge.” A sharp pain shot through Rafe’s neck at the mention of her name. Kelly Demont has been his girlfriend on and off for a few years when he was a walking ball of pissed off testosterone, ages seventeen to twenty. She reminded him of girls from home. Tough, too mouthy for their own good, perfect for the Army. But their last run-in had been fucked up, for a lack of a better word.

All five and a half feet of her had challenged him to a fight and when he refused to punch her in the face, she offered to fuck the man back into him. He’d tried to talk to her about what the hell was going on, but she wasn’t hearing it. She wrote him later, during her next deployment, and apologized, but they both knew that relationship would never be the same. Kelly was a good girl deep down, but he wasn’t going there. Rafe sat with his food and tried to play it cool.

“Oh yeah? How is she doing?”

“Donna said she’s good. She asked about you.” Monica liked Kelly. A lot. She liked her for Rafe. “She’s thinking about flying helicopters privately. Donna said she’s in therapy too.” That actually made Rafe relax a little.

“That’s a good move for her. She did love being in the air. And the therapy.”

“You should call her. Or text her. Send her a tweet or a snap.”

Rafe snorted and almost choked. “I don’t know.”

“Well, if you’re not interested in starting things up with Kelly again, I saw Donna Smith last night too. She said Jennifer just broke up with that electrician she was seeing.”

“Baby, he can find his own dates,” his dad chimed in.

“I know. I just like to hand pick his dates for him. It’s my right as a mother. They move out, but I reserve the right to meddle in their love lives forever—until I get the right amount of grandchildren. And then I meddle in their lives.”

“I—” He didn’t need to lie to his parents, but he didn’t need to tell them the whole truth either.

“At the moment, my interest lie elsewhere, but my best to Kelly and Jennifer, and their moms.”

“There’s something going on between you and the doctor,” his dad suddenly said, like he’d just found the last clue between him and solving the crime of the century.

“There is… a mutual interest.”

Monica shrugged and let out a sigh. “Well. She’s a wonderful girl. He could do a whole lot worse. Extremely bright, of course, and she’s got a kind heart. I picked that up right away. Plus, her kids are well behaved, so she’s got that in check.”

His dad put down his tablet and adjusted his reading glasses. “You want my two cents?”

“You know I do. They’re worth their weight in gold.”

“I am wise. Figure it out now. Let her know what you want, what‘cher thinking. The longer you wait, the more complicated and involved it’ll get and then she’ll give birth to two more kids and you won’t know how to tell her you were only asking for directions to the break room.”

The air in the room stopped moving as Monica leaned forward so her whole upper body was practically over the table. She tilted her head to the side and her mouth hung open. She looked back and forth between Rafe and Joe. The standoff lasted for what felt like a few weeks. Joe even picked up his coffee and took a long swig. Rafe knew better than to laugh. This was their game and he didn’t want to egg either side on. He edged back a little and kept his mouth shut. Finally his dad’s lips tipped up in a smirk.

“Fine. I had it pretty damn bad from the moment I saw her and I had to beg her to go out with me.”

“I mean! There is no need to lie, Joe!” Monica said at the top of her lungs before she sat down hard in her chair. She sucked her teeth before she turned her to attention to Rafe. “I agree with your no-good daddy. Be good to her, but be up front. If you think you want something more or something serious, tell her. There’s no point in playing coy. Not in this economy. Not with this administration. Don’t jerk her around, Rafael.”

“I won’t.”

“I mean it.”

“I won’t!”

“I know she’s got the nice house and the nice job and the cars, but the last thing any Black woman needs is a White man making her life more difficult. If you can’t be what she needs and what she wants, you leave her the hell alone.”

“You have my word.”

“I don’t need your word. She does. Your daddy may be a damn liar, but he takes great care of me. I couldn’t ask for a better man. Even if he’s full of shit.”

Joe stood, making a dramatic show of setting down his tablet, and walked over to Monica. She pretended to fight him off as he planted kisses all over her forehead and cheeks for a few seconds before she caved and kissed him on his lips. Before his mom passed away, Rafe thought his parents had a good relationship, but looking back, his dad and his mom were more like two people dedicated to keeping a roof over Rafe’s head.

They never fought, but they were never like this. His dad had real affection for Monica, even when they were giving each other shit. They made a damn good pair and Rafe realized then, no matter how long he stayed working for Sloan, he still had to move on with his life and he didn’t want to go through that life alone.

Rafe stopped at Target to grab a little something for the girls’ first day of school, and more condoms, then headed back to the house. He expected all three of them to be on the floor in an exhausted heap after wash day brought them to their knees. Instead, he was drawn upstairs by the unmistakable sounds of laughter and Beyoncé.

“Hey!” Sloan said when he stepped into the hallway. She was sitting on the floor outside the girls’ room, her phone in hand.

“You survived,” he said.

“Xeni found a braiding salon on Wilshire that takes walk-ins. Got their hair washed and braided for a wonderful price. Then we went out to dinner. There’s a chicken quesadilla in the fridge for you.”

“Thanks. Uh, what’s all this then?”

“Couldn’t decide exactly what to wear on our first day, so the only logical solution was a fashion show.”

“Makes sense.” He peered around the doorway and sure enough, they’d set up all of their toys and stuffed animals to mimic the audience at a high-end runway show.

“Are you ready?” Avery yelled over the music.

“Oh, we’re ready.”

Avery jumped out from behind her door, wearing a tutu over leggings and a bathing suit, with three t-shirts around her neck. Her hair was wrapped in a silk scarf covered in unicorns, protecting her fresh style.

“Oh, I love it, darling!” Sloan laughed. “You’re giving me fashion, fashion, fashion.” Avery walked to the end of the carpet runway, struck a dramatic pose, then turned and strutted back. Addison came next, rolling off her bed in a gigantic wide brim hat that must have belonged to Sloan. She was wearing an Elsa Halloween costume and teddy bear slippers.

“Yes, mama! Work! Work! This is too much fashion.”

Rafe watched, a huge smile straining his cheeks until they ran out of steam and outfits. Sloan announced it was time for bed. He helped get the girls into their pajamas as they told him all about their day and the nice women, Sherri and Tina, who braided their hair. They piled into the bathroom for some routine dental hygiene when Avery tossed out one hell of an inquiry.

“I have a question.”

“Baby girl, I have an answer,” Sloan said as she put away the toothpaste. “What would you like to know?”

“Can Rafe be our daddy at school tomorrow?”

“Uh... I don’t think so, honey.”

“Why?”

“Well...think of us like a team. My role on the team is mommy and Rafe’s is nanny.”

“It’s a very important role,” Rafe added in a weak attempt to back Sloan up.

“Well, you’re a mommy and a doctor. Why can’t Rafe be our nanny and our daddy?”

“Baby, being a daddy is a little more complicated. Plus, you already have a daddy and he’ll be here on Friday,” Sloan replied.

“Why can’t we have two daddies? One that lives with us and one who’s far away? Rafe has two mommies,” Addison said, making it clear that the two of them had already tried to sort this out.

“Rafe’s situation is different, honey.”

“That is correct,” he added.

“You’re not answering my question. You said that there are all types of families. You told us people have two mommies and two daddies all the time. Why can’t Rafe be our other daddy?” Avery said.

“Okay.” Rafe replied, like he actually had answers.

“Okay?” Sloan looked at him like she couldn’t wait to see how he was gonna solve this.

“I’ll explain. So, in this case there are two ways for me to become your daddy. One way is adoption.”

“That’s right,” Sloan said. “We’ve talked about adoption before.”

“It’s when you have a baby that you didn’t grow in your belly, but you love them just the same,” Avery explained.

“Exactly.”

“The other way is that I marry your mom. But there are a lot of steps before that could happen.”

“What are the steps? I want to hear all the steps.” Addison asked, her expression all business.

“Yes, please. This should be interesting.” Whose side was Sloan on?

“Step one: we meet.”

“Check. Go on.” Addison was really sick of his shit.

“Step two: we decide we like each other as more than friends. Steps three through forty-seven involve an intricate process with forms and interviews and off-site visits. I have to prove through another eighty-seven step process that I’m the right husband for your mom and, even more importantly, that I’m the right person to be your dad. You think nannying is hard. Try being a dad!” Both girls giggled at the way his eyes popped wide.

“How many steps is that?” he asked Sloan.

“Uh, a hundred and thirty-four.”

“See, yeah. That’s a lot of steps. I don’t know if we can complete all those steps by tomorrow. But I will be there for you as your nanny, a little bit of light security, snack vendor and driver.”

“Rafe is a part of our family. You see that, right honey? He doesn’t have to be your daddy to be with us.”

“I guess.”

“Now let’s finish brushing those teeth so we can say goodnight! Tomorrow is a new day and it will be a great day!”

Both girls seemed to give up Operation Daddy and focus back on the new school adventures they faced. After Rafe said his goodnights, he left Sloan alone with the girls and went to start some laundry. A while later, she found him in the kitchen heating up a home plate sized quesadilla.

“I think we should talk,” she said, before gnawing on the inside of her lip.

“Yeah.”