Bright and early on Monday morning, a faint knock-knock-knock sounded at the door right as I finished feeding and changing a very irritable Stevie.

Was he already here?

Cursing under my breath, I glanced at my phone to check the time as I cradled Stevie with one arm, struggling to hold her steady as she writhed and fussed against me.

Sure enough, it was 9:00 am sharp.

I swore again.

Apparently, the military had made Gray punctual as fuck, and his timeliness wasn't working in my favor this morning. Neither Stevie nor I had slept well the night before. I was suffering from severe brain fog and probably looked like a legit zombie with my unkempt, lopsided ponytail and the dark circles under my eyes. I had hoped to take a shower and tidy up the apartment a little more before Gray arrived, but, now, it seemed, he would be barging into my life whether or not I was ready for the intrusion.

For the coming two weeks, the three of us would be living under one roof. I had taken the first few days off from work so I could stay home and help Gray get properly acquainted and situated with Stevie.

My nerves started to twist and knot again.

Our co-parenting arrangement was meant to be platonic, it had been born out of necessity, but the thought of spending the next fourteen days with Gray—trapped together inside my tiny apartment—sent fleets of butterflies flitting through my stomach. It stressed me out, and what worried me most was the fact that my emotions were beginning to feel less like dread and more like anticipation.

Another slew of knock-knock-knock's rapped at the door, louder and more urgent than before. I then heard a soft 'ding' on my phone. I glimpsed my screen.

It was a text notification from Gray.

I'm here.

Feeling harried and all out of sorts, I rushed to open the door while Stevie whimpered in my arms.

Anxiously, I tried to soothe her, "What's wrong, Vie? Tita mommy is here, don't cry, don't cry, please don't cry..."

Even though Stevie had a belly full of milk and a clean diaper on, her whimpers soon escalated to wails. My mom warned me that babies were extremely sensitive to their surroundings and tended to mirror their caretakers' vibes. Poor Stevie was probably picking up on my frazzled state, and it was obviously messing with her mood.

I took in a shaky breath and released the puff of air slowly. I needed to calm down, for Stevie's sake, for my sake, and unlocked the door, clumsily, with my free hand. The door swung open.

On the other side, Gray stood before Stevie and me. My gaze flitted over Gray, all six foot plus of him—

Light eyes. Dark skin. Looking way too good for my liking. A medium sized duffel bag hung across his broad shoulders and chest, which probably contained clothes and toiletries for his stay. The black T-shirt and denim jeans he wore outlined his muscled frame in a way that left little to the imagination. He was no longer mine to ogle, but I felt drawn to him, nonetheless.

Stevie continued to flail in my arms.

Gray frowned. "Everything okay, Gracie? Stevie looks..."

I coughed and averted my gaze, realizing, then, that I had been gawking at the man this whole time like some horny, foggy-brained weirdo.

God, I needed to get some sleep so I could get ahold of my hormones—and my sanity!

I recovered from my stupor to finish Gray's sentence, talking loudly over Stevie's red-faced cries, "Like we had a rough night?"

He shot me a look of sympathy, wincing. "Something like that..."

"Wanna come in?" I offered.

Gray stepped inside, and, immediately, his large frame seemed to suck up all the space in my humble 700-square-foot, one bed, one bath abode.

Awkwardly, I asked, "Have you, um... eaten... yet?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Gray paused before prompting, "What about you?"

"Not yet."

His eyes widened with concern. "Do you want me to take her for a bit so you can have some breakfast?"

As though on cue, my stomach rumbled in response. I blushed sheepishly. "That would be amazing, actually. I'm starving."

He grinned. "Hand her over, then. Daddy's on duty now!"

My eyes grew large, too.

Daddy.

This was the first time I heard Gray refer to himself as a father so eagerly. My heart swelled with an emotion that I didn't want to examine up close, but it made me smile and smile and smile.

I transferred Stevie over to Gray. He appeared to be a little nervous, definitely on edge, but he held her like a pro, and she soon grew calmer as he rocked her while walking round and round the living room. I hustled into the kitchen, quickly spread some cream cheese on a bagel and scarfed it down with some coffee.

Once I was done, I hurried back to Gray and Stevie. They had since moved on to a new activity. They were now sitting together on the living room rug. Gray was bouncing a very giggly and delighted-looking Stevie on his lap, contorting his handsome face into an assortment of silly expressions to amuse our sweet girl.

My heart melted at the sight. I steeled myself against the warmth and the glow. For a moment, there, I felt as though we had become a happy little family—glimpsing into what-might've-been if Gray and I never broke up—and the what-if's fueling this delusion left an ache in my chest once the reality of our situation set in.

Stevie wasn't our baby. She was Lydia and Gray's baby.

Clearing my throat, I inquired brusquely, "Hey, Gray? Do you mind watching Stevie for a few more minutes so I can jump in the shower?"

His dark eyebrows rose with interest. "You, uh... wanna.... shower? Oh, uh... sure, of course. Go right ahead. Stevie and I will play out here. Take your time."

"Thanks."

"Hey, Gracie?"

"Hmm?"

Uncertainty flashed across his features. "I—"

I eyed him expectantly. "Yes?"

"Nevermind. Go shower. We can talk later."

Uh-oh.

What did he want to talk about?

I furrowed my brow. "Okay, I'll be out soon. We can talk, then."

He smiled and nodded. Stevie gurgled and cooed happily in his arms.

As I turned away, from the corner of my eye, I caught Gray sneaking a glance in my direction. There was a sad gleam in his eyes that looked very much like—

Yearning?

Heat bloomed within me.

Pretending not to notice the effect he had on me, I fled to the bathroom and locked the door behind me, but I suspected my escape would only provide a temporary respite.

The tension between us would continue to flicker and flare. It wasn't going anywhere. I could ignore the pull between us this time, but I didn't know if I'd be strong enough to ignore it every time from here on out.

As I stepped into the shower stall and turned on the water, a troubling thought crossed my mind—

No matter how many boundaries I put in place between Gray and me, already, I knew, these next two weeks were going to be tricky as hell to navigate.

✦

Many thanks to for her help with this chapter! Lub you, girl!