Baby Daddy Wanted (Crescent Cove 5)

In shock, I gazed at my surprising defender. Was this really happening?

And here I’d believed he’d think I was ridiculous to undertake this. If he did, he sure was hiding it.

“Oh, yeah, and why are you here anyway?” Andi smirked. “Did she reel in a big fish already?”

I wanted to crawl under the chair, but I couldn’t move fast enough with the sleepy puppy on my lap.

Murphy wasn’t bothered in the slightest. “I’m a friend. All you need to know.”

Damn, Murphy with the comebacks. Hidden sides for the win.

I licked my lips and studied his profile out of the corner of my eye. What other hidden aspects did he have to his personality?

I tried to get the group back on task. “Returning to your original question, Andi, I’d never take advantage of a man and sleep with him to try to get pregnant without his knowledge. That’s hugely unfair.”

“But if they aren’t going to be part of the kid’s life anyway, what difference does it make? Didn’t you ever see the video for that old Heart song?” Andi’s brunette friend—I’d already forgotten her name—snapped her fingers. “You know, the one where they plant a tree in the garden after a hookup on a rainy night and the kid has his eyes but her husband couldn’t get the job done?”

Though that flood of words barely made sense, some of the others were nodding.

“Speaking as a guy,” Murphy said, “which may not be an opinion you want, but I agree with Veronica—Vee—that doing that to someone is cruel. You should always give a person the choice. If they decide they’re fine with being hands off ahead of time, that’s one thing.”

“You’re male. You don’t know what it’s like.” One of the other ladies flicked her fingers in dismissal. “Try being a woman nearing middle age with no prospects in sight and tell me what you think then, okay, Romeo?”

Murphy’s ears reddened, but his voice remained steady. “I’m sorry if my valid opinion tweaks your conscience. Maybe you should think about that.”

Before she could respond, he rolled on smoothly. “Again, as an outsider with a possibly unwanted opinion, it seems to me you all need a list. A way of keeping track of who wants what and where you’re at in the process before you decide what to do about it.”

“So, the present male is taking charge of our vaginas yet again.” Andi’s friend rolled her eyes. “Typical.”

I cleared my throat. “No, I think he’s got a point. Unless we all just want to sit around and drink wine—”

“Coffee,” Macy corrected as she polished the counter.

I had to smile. She never missed a trick, that one.

“We need some kind of way of keeping track in an orderly fashion. Like maybe something in Excel or hell, I don’t know. Anyone have any experience with that?”

“A database.” Murphy nodded. “Sure do. Easy enough to put together.”

My palms grew sweaty as I stroked Latte’s silky fur. Now or never, Dixon. “Maybe we can get together and work on it.”

Some of the women started to rise.

“No, no, not all of you, not yet. Murphy and I.” I cleared my throat again and sneaked a look at the man in question. “I could come over tonight?”

Whoa, bold. I was either a genius or a fool. Possibly both concurrently.

“Sure.” His lips twitched. “But don’t we need some info to compile first?”

Huh. Good point. I was obviously focused on the front end of this proposition and not so much on the back.

Unless it involved me lying on mine.

Hastily, I grabbed the notepad I’d set aside for this very task and gently nudged the dog aside so I could write. Latte slid into the space between my thigh and the chair arm and didn’t wake up, making me laugh and all the others ooh and ahh.

He was a cutie, all right. Almost as much as his owner.

I wrote my contact number on top of the notepad along with a few headings for needed information to get started with. We’d add on as we went.