Have My Baby (Crescent Cove 1)

So, yeah, his current mission to steer me into Babytopia by way of his very impressive master bedroom had me ready for first place in track and field at the other end of the county.

Which was impressive since my idea of running generally consisted of dodging Sage, Amber, and Jean on National Pancake Day at the diner. Pretty much the only day every waitress was working.

“Okay, where are those plates? I’m starving.”

I blinked out of my rambling musings. Honestly, there had to be something in the air.

I met Sage in the kitchen and pulled down two large bowls from the cabinet I hadn’t quite emptied out. I had to dig through two boxes to find something to eat with.

A serving fork and slotted spoon for vegetables would have to do.

Sage laughed when I handed her the spoon. “Remember when I moved into my place and couldn’t find the silverware?”

I flipped over a bucket and pulled over a box to serve as a makeshift table. “God, yes. We scoured your apartment. We even left the house to go to Target and buy another set.”

“Mom called to let me know the box was still sitting under the kitchen table.”

“Heaviest freaking box too.” I stopped at the kitchen sink and washed my hands and arms with soap.

“Of course it had to have all my silverware and pots.”

I turned around and leaned against the counter as I dried my hands. “It took two of us to get it up those stairs.”

“And then it busted twenty feet from the door.” Sage transferred a hea

lthy portion of the gravy-slathered chicken into my bowl. My stomach roared in reaction. She laughed and put on another spoonful. “Might need to zap it.”

I took the bowl and shoveled a dumpling into my mouth.

“Guess not.”

I grinned around a bite. “So good.”

“So are you going to tell me what’s up with Seth?”

I choked on a bite and stood to grab my Coke Zero out of the fridge. “Nothing’s going on.”

“Yeah, I believe that as much as Mitch’s promise of a Friday night off.”

“You get one?”

“Yeah, first Friday of never followed by when hell freezes over.”

I laughed and took a longer sip of my soda before sitting back behind the cardboard palace. I forked in a regular-sized bite and chewed slowly.

“While I appreciate you not talking with your mouth full, I’m not reframing the question.”

“He’s my best friend, Sage. It ain’t happening.”

“What isn’t?”

“Us. We aren’t happening.” That wasn’t what I’d meant to say at all, but Sage took the ball and ran with it as if I wasn’t talking crazy talk.

“Yeah but you’re simply biding your time on the sidelines. From what I’ve seen lately, he’s finally gotten his hormones engaged.”

That was the problem. He was only acting on an unexpected case of hormones and some misplaced sense of duty. Laurie wanted a sibling and Seth never knew how to tell his daughter no. At least not about this kind of thing.

And he knew I loved that little girl as much as he did. Dirty pool with a side of emotional blackmail.