The Bachelor's Little Bonus (Proposals & Promises 3)

“Sorry I conked out on you in there. Dusty’s snoring put me to sleep.”

She chuckled. “No problem. You’re tired. Where is...oh, here she is.”

She reached down to stroke the cat winding around her ankles. Dusty was beginning to look more comfortable in her new quarters now that she’d been reassured her beloved Cole had come with her.

“I emptied a couple of drawers for you on the right side of the dresser. We’ll have to rearrange the closet to fit your things, but we can do that later. It’s a big walk-in and there’s plenty of room for your stuff.”

“Thanks. I’ll unpack while you call your mom.”

Drawing a deep breath for fortitude, she called her mom as soon as she was alone in the kitchen again. Her mother had plans for the evening but she made time to take her daughter’s call. Stevie barely gave her mom time to say hello before she burst into a nervous speech. Her words all but tripped over each other as she explained that she had eloped with her next-door neighbor and was expecting a child in August and that she and Cole were looking forward to sharing childcare duties and expected to have a long, successful marriage.

Her mother interrupted only a couple of times to ask her to slow down, but she handled the news with typical equanimity. The baby’s parentage didn’t come up, not that Stevie had expected it to with her nontraditional mom.

“So you chose to marry,” her mom said when she finally had a chance to speak. “That’s cool, though you know how I feel about the institution. You’re keeping your own name, right? Holding on to your business and your financial independence? Do you have a prenup?”

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Stevie replied with a wry smile. “It’s a completely modern marriage.”

“There’s no such thing,” her mother replied brusquely.

“You’ll like Cole, Mom. He’s a great guy. And he has a very successful career and owns his own house,” she added pointedly.

“That sounds promising,” her mother conceded grudgingly. “I hope you’ll be happy. And make sure you have a good lawyer.”

“Yes, Mother,” Stevie said with a grin that had to be audible in her voice.

Her mom’s musical laughter came through the phone. “Now you’re just being sassy.”

“Look who raised me,” Stevie retorted affectionately. “You’re going to be such a fun grandma.”

“Oh, God, don’t call me that. Your child can call me Bonnie. Or maybe BonBon. That’s cute, right?”

“We’ll discuss it. Enjoy your evening.”

“Oh, I will. Aloha, sweetie.”

“Aloha, Mom.”

Cole joined her again a few minutes later, pausing in the doorway to make sure the call was concluded before he walked into the room. “How did your call go?”

“Mom wished us well and told me to keep a good lawyer on call. Oh, and she wants to be called BonBon, not grandma.”

He smiled, unoffended by the message. “I have to admit, I’m looking forward to meeting your mother.”

“She wants to meet you, too. Would you like some tea?”

“Sounds good, but I’ll make it. Why don’t you stay off your feet for a while. It’s been a long day.”

At least he’d had the tact not to tell her she looked tired, though she felt a bit bedraggled. “Tea bags are in the pantry, cups in that cabinet,” she said, pointing.

He turned her toward the living room. “I’ll find what I need. Go rest.”

“You talked me into it.”

She told herself she was only going to lie down for a few minutes. She curled on the couch with a throw pillow beneath her head, her legs drawn up in front of her. She was just drifting off when a warm little body settled beside her and a deep, steady purr lulled her to sleep.

* * *

She wasn’t sure what time it was when Cole woke her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s getting late, Stevie. Want to turn in?”