threw his head back and laughed. His deep voice vibrated through the room. “He’s not as bad as you think. You’ll get used to him.”
“What the fuck are you guys talkin’ about?” Aiden’s voice cut in. His loud bark nearly shook the walls and cut through the excitement that radiated off the group surrounding Jack. Even my son quieted at Aiden’s threatening tone.
“Nothing that concerns your pretty little dark head, princess,” Dave teased.
“Fuck off, bro,” Aiden said as his eyes glanced my way.
I averted his gaze and made a disapproving noise in my throat. I had to work with loud, rowdy men, but that didn’t mean I wanted Jack around them. The last thing I wanted was him learning how to cuss at an early age, or any age before sixty, for that matter.
I walked over to the boys and retrieved Jack back from Daryl, sending him a smile as I adjusted my baby in my arms.
“Did he cry?” I asked.
A man in his early twenties shook his head. “I was expecting him to, but he was pretty content with me throughout your interview. He seemed excited about having people around him. I thought he was going to ask for you or something, but he didn’t.”
I pressed a kiss on Jack’s downy head before answering. “We don’t have many visitors. I guess it does get lonely when it’s just him and me all the time. It’s probably why he’s so happy to have people around while mommy’s busy, right buddy?”
Jack merely popped a thumb in his mouth and started sucking. The gesture reminded me it was almost time for a bottle soon. I excused myself and went back to my car for Jack’s bag. I grabbed his already made bottle from inside and handed it to him, all the while ignoring Aiden. He seemed about to bust his pants for being ignored, which I gathered wasn’t something he was used to.
Jack’s eyes started getting droopy, making me realize it was past his nap time. I knew that if I kept him up he’d be grumpy later on. Without sparing a second thought, I cradled him in my arms and started rocking him back and forth. I looked around me and saw male faces staring back at me with soft expressions.
Although Aiden’s face remained passive and blank, he met my eyes and surprised me with his words. “You can bring him up to my office. I have a cot in the closet. I can make it up for him to take a nap. There’s an electric fan there as well, he’ll be comfortable.”
I stood in front of him, with my son in my arms and my mouth gaped open in shock. He was offering to let Jack sleep in his office after what he’d said to me earlier? I shook the fog away from my brain as I continued to stand before him, stunned.
“I don’t have all day to show you shit, so we need to get started,” Aiden said, returning back to his usual dick self.
I pressed my lips in a tight line and followed him up the stairs.
As I watched Aiden make the bed, I scolded myself on being crazy enough to leave my child in an office, being looked after by a gang member. Yes, I’d be working a stairwell away, but still, I didn’t know what was going to happen to my child. I tried to push the worries and anxieties aside as my new boss stepped aside to allow me to place the baby in the makeshift bed. Aiden turned the fan on as put the baby to sleep.
Jack lay on his back, and I lingered longer than necessary, concerned that something might happen to him while in this stranger’s care. After all, he wasn’t just a stranger; he was the president of a well-known gang in Fargo, North Dakota.
“I’ll even put Daryl and Thick on babysitting duty while I show you how to do shit in the shop,” Aiden assured in his usual gruff voice. Although I wasn’t assured at all, and nagging guilt was deeply settled in me, it was sweet of him to do that.
“Alright.” I pressed a kiss on Jack’s cheek before standing up. I caught a glimpse of the weird expression on Aiden’s blue eyes, but as soon as it had come it faded away.
My grumpy boss pressed a