Have My Baby (Crescent Cove 1)

“Oh fuck,” I muttered, my heart slamming in my ears.

“Seth? Goddammit, Seth.” Even Ally shouting into the phone couldn’t distract me from crossing the room to the bathroom.

I stepped over the threshold, my eyes bugging out at the sheer number of bubbles flowing everywhere. The tub was full and the bubbling water was still rising, and in the middle of it sat my little girl, her hair wet, and her eyes wild.

“I can’t turn it off, Daddy,” she shrieked as I moved forward and did the honors, barely managing not to curse a blue streak. I pulled the stopper up, rather amazed that Laurie had thought to put it in, and waited while several inches of water flowed down the drain. Her assorted Care Bears and other toys floated in what was left.

Laurie squealed in dismay. “My bubbles!”

“Yeah, well, my bathroom floor. Why are you in here? You were supposed to pick out clothes and get ready for a bath, not start it yourself.”

“Seth! You better answer me, you jackass! Is she okay?”

Somehow I smiled in the middle of chaos. That was the gift Ally had given me since the first day we’d met.

Once the water was at a much more reasonable level, I put the stopper back in and brought my phone to my ear. “Your god-daughter chose to nearly flood the bathroom instead of waiting for me to start her bath.”

Laurie popped halfway out of the water, her little face screwed up in annoyance. “I do it myself.”

“Oh really? And you did a fine job.” I braced my fist on my hip. “I’m going to let out some more of this water and—”

“No. Bubbles. I like it.” Laurie crossed her arms and glared. “Is Ally coming over?”

“See?” I said into the phone. “Did you hear that? The princess herself just requested you.”

“Don’t be mean to her. She just likes her bubble baths.”

“Fine. She couldn’t have waited five minutes for me to get up here and start her bath for her?” Spying the almost empty bottle of Cookie Monster bubble bath on the side of the tub, I sighed. “And maybe not finish off the bottle of bubbles in one go?”

“There’s some left. It needed more,” Laurie said stubbornly, plopping back down in the water and sloshing a small tidal wave over the side.

“Women,” I muttered.

“Sorry we’re such a trial to you manly sorts,” Ally said, but the dry humor in her tone made the year Laurie had just chopped off my life worth it.

“Daddy, out.” Laurie stuck out her chin. “Private now.”

“Say what?”

“Daddy, private now!” She flung a handful of soapy water at me and I backed into the other room, casting a glance at the ceiling.

“She won’t let me stay in the room for her bath.”

“Since when?”

“Ask her. So you gonna come over or what? My bathroom tiles will thank you later.”

“Daddy,” Laurie called. “Shut

the door, pweese.”

“Did she just ask you to close the door?”

“She sure did.” And I was doing it—partially, though it was damn sure staying cracked so I could keep an eye and both ears on the situation—because hell if I knew what was protocol at Laurie’s age.

I’d been unsure about continuing to help with her bath as she grew older, but sometimes Ruth, the nanny, wasn’t there to help. I was her father, for fuck’s sake. It was my job. But if Laurie felt ready to do it on her own, I supposed I could give her that space.

Especially if Ally could help make sure my daughter—and my bathroom—survived intact.