Baby Daddy Wanted (Crescent Cove 5)

“I’m not.”

“You’re a shitty liar, son.” Gideon took another swig from his cup. “Let’s get this done. I don’t want to charge them for another day of labor.”

“You sure we can get this done in a day?”

“Why you and Lucky are here. If anyone can do it, it’s the three of us.”

I sighed. That was the truth. We were the quickest and most precise ones on the

team. The good thing about a time limit was that meant Lucky didn’t have time to make a lot of smart-ass comments.

I jumped up on the wide, sturdy branch and climbed the tree to start ripping down the plywood nailed to an inch of its life.

Slowly, I smoothed my hand down the bark. “Dad didn’t know what he was doing,” I whispered to the tree. “We’ll fix you up and you can give their little boy years of fun.”

“Are you talking to the tree?”

I flushed at Lucky’s voice. “No.”

“I think you are. You’re made to be one of the famed dads of Crescent Cove. What the hell is taking you so long to talk to the current baby mama chaser?”

My molars clicked together. “Can’t we just work?”

“Well, you’ve been dancing around the cute baker for weeks—hell, for over a year now. What the hell is taking you so long?”

“Why do you care? You’re flirting enough for the both of us.”

“I mean, I’ll take her up on the offer to bang one out for a chance to get a few of my swimmers to hit the bullseye. Hell, I probably have a few kids out there anyway. Not like it’s a big thing to me.”

“Keep your unwrapped shit away from her.”

“Aww, Moose. You keep giving me the death glare like you’ve got laser beam super powers, but don’t do anything about it. Besides, I’m clean as hell, young Jedi. I just know my light saber has some extra strength prowess.”

Way to mix your metaphors, douche.

“So, get in the ring,” he continued. “She says she’s not into the whole family values part, but just look at her. She’s already got the baking part down. Bun in the oven and she’s on her way to going for housewife of the year.”

I jumped down to the grass, my boots crunching through the first leaves that had come off the trees. I crowded into him. “First of all, have you even heard of the word feminism? Do you even know what you’re saying? And second, keep talking about Veronica like that and we’re going to have a problem.”

“What are you going to do, Boy Scout? Have your big brother arrest me?”

I pushed him back three steps. “I grew up with three brothers. I can take care of myself, son.”

“Hey!” Gideon’s voice cut through the crackling air. “Take a corner, guys. What the hell?”

I stepped back, but my hands were still fisted at my sides.

Lucky grinned and shook out his mane of hair. “Man, it is easy to push your buttons, Moose.”

“You think it’s funny?”

“Look, I might not have a mama, but I’m not a bastard.” He shrugged and tugged a water bottle out of his front pocket where he kept one at all times. “Just trying to get you to move shit along. Someone’s going to snap her up.”

“You?”

He laughed and took a sip. “I mean, I could, but I wouldn’t. We’re friends-ish. I wouldn’t be that much of a dick. I’m an asshole, but I don’t poach.”

“What do you call the last few weeks?”