Have My Baby (Crescent Cove 1)

“Daddy!” Laurie’s giggle filled the room.

“Sorry.” He turned and did the same to his daughter, you know, without the tongue part though.

My system had little time to readjust from the highest highs of touching him, and sleeping with him all night, and now to domesticity. It was all so jarring. For so long we’d made sure to keep things platonic. I’d been careful not to allow our interactions in front of Laurie to be too familiar and now it seemed like ever boundary was gone.

Was it just my imagination?

Or maybe I just wanted it that much.

“Ally, we need to start making the pancakes.”

“Right.” I blinked out of my stupid overthinking moment and grabbed the bananas on my way by. I dumped all the fixings on the counter and went to work teaching Laurie how to make banana pancakes.

By the time we were done, we both were covered in flour and my arms were dusted in cinnamon. The three of us soon figured out a system for the pour, flip, and finish of each silver dollar pancake.

Seth stole a kiss when I passed him the cup of Nutella.

“Hey. None of that.”

He leaned down with a smile and nibbled at the corner of my mouth. “Was just getting the bit of chocolate there.”

“Uh huh.” I flicked out my tongue to find he’d actually been telling the truth.

“Now, don’t tease a man. I have other things I want to do with that tongue.”

My stomach jittered and my heart pounded. Before he could lean down again—and God, did I want him to—Laurie yelled from the dining room for the chocolate spread.

“Coming,” Seth said against my mouth.

“Not yet.”

His smile slid from sweet to calculating. “Oh, I’ll fix that soon enough.”

“Daddy!”

I laid my hand against his chest. “Go on. We’ll finish later.”

“Oh, you will. Again and again.”

I swallowed as he backed through the swinging door. I quickly washed my sticky hands and grabbed the bacon to follow him when I caught the telltale colors of our high school on an envelope stuffed in the napkin holder on the counter.

I set the bacon down and slid the card out. Seth’s bold checkmark was the first thing I saw. I scanned upward and my stomach pitched.

Reunion.

God, how could it be ten years already?

Ten years and I’d done absolutely nothing.

I dropped the invitation and had to curl my fingers into my palm. For God’s sake, they were shaking.

Seth pushed his way back into the kitchen. “What’s taking you so long? Your pancakes are going to be ice-cold.”

I looked up at him.

“Hey. Are you okay?” He rushed forward and slid his hand along my hip.

“Fine. Just gotta get the bacon.”