Page 71 of Hollywood

“You don’t drink coffee?” Tex asked.

I fidgeted, wishing we could get back to talking about Ruby, but it was good that Aiden didn’t seem worried, so I picked up my mug and sipped.

“I’ve got an energy drink in the kitchen,” Knight said, waving a hand toward Aiden. “Carry on.”

“Give me a sec.” Aiden stood and went down the hall. He came back with latex gloves on his hands. “Okay, I think I know what’s going on here.”

Aiden sat down beside me and pulled Ruby’s chin down so that her mouth opened. He slid a finger in to feel around, and Ruby instantly clamped down.

“Ow. Yeah. I feel her two-year molars coming in.” The tendons in his wrist flexed, the only sign he was moving his fingers. Ruby relaxed her grip on him, but he didn’t withdraw as I expected. Instead, he rubbed her gum, then switched to the other side of her mouth. “Feels good, huh?”

She gave a little sigh.

Aiden withdrew his fingers. “She’s teething. It’s totally normal.”

Tex nodded. “I thought that might be the problem.”

“Yep. You called it.”

“But she’s almost two and a half,” I protested. “Shouldn’t she have them already?”

“Not necessarily,” Aiden replied. “Some kids don’t finish teething until almost three. It varies.” He shrugged as if that was the end of the discussion.

I frowned. “But she’s in pain…”

“It’s uncomfortable, yeah. The fever is low, so no need to worry there. You can give her some baby Tylenol. You can purchase some numbing gel at any grocery store, but don’t overuse it, okay? A cool washcloth she can chew on will work really well. Feed her cold foods like yogurt and that’ll help soothe the gums, too.”

“No teething rings?” Tex asked.

“Well, you can, yes. Those work too. Whatever you do, you want it chilled but not frozen. It’ll help with the inflammation of her gums.”

“Thank you so much,” I said. “I was freaking out.”

Tex squeezed my arm gently. “You’re a good dad.”

I exhaled. “I hate the thought of going to work, though. Maybe I should call in?”

“No, I got this. We can go buy supplies before you have to be at the barbershop. We’ll get Ruby comfortable and you’ll see she’s okay before you have to leave, okay?”

I sighed. “Yeah, okay. If you’re sure you want to hold down the fort with a fussy toddler all day.”

“Hey, it’s why I’m here.”

Aiden looked between us, a small smile playing aroundhis lips. “He sounds like he means it. I’d take him up on it before he changes his mind.”

I chuckled. “Good call.”

“I’m glad to see your living arrangement is working out so well.”

Was that innuendo in his tone? Well, he wouldn’t bewrong, but I wasn’t sure Tex was ready to tell everyone we’d hooked up. The man could barely handle the thought of being with me a few months ago. I didn’t want to shove him out of the closet before he was ready.

I stood and shifted Ruby onto my hip. “Yep. Tex is great with Ruby,” I said, averting my eyes. “Thanks for making time to see us.”

“Sure,” Aiden said. “Anytime.”

CHAPTER 16

Tex