Baby Daddy Wanted (Crescent Cove 5)

Me? Not so much.

Vee plastered herself to my chest and sighed into my mouth. “Just you.”

I lifted her up as I walked us back toward the house. I set her down just outside the door. “Not sure I like that you handle me, Veronica Dixon.”

She bit her lower lip and slid her hand under my Henley to score her nails lightly along the skin of my lower back. “I think you love how I handle you, Fortress.”

I groaned and dropped another kiss on her smirking lips. “You may have a point.”

“Now let’s eat so we can go home.” She grinned. “Then I’ll show you just how much fun it is to be handled by a Dixon girl.”

“I definitely like that idea.”

Nineteen

Vee

Cabin Fortress: I thought I’d bring home dinner. Save you a night cooking. What would you like?

Two and a half months later

I stared at my phone.

What did I want?

Hmm, that was a good question. Not a particularly hard one either.

I wanted what I already had.

Happiness. Definitely had a butt load of that lately. So much that I usually walked around with a perma-grin. Macy scowled when I got too “love-dippy”, but I knew she was happy for me.

Us. Because we were definitely an us.

Love was another thing I’d always wanted, and I had that in spades. Even if we hadn’t quite said the words. I hadn’t yet, and neither had Murphy. But I knew how I felt, and I was almost positive he was on the same page.

One covered with lots of hearts and initials and fat-cheeked Cupids.

Good thing because Valentine’s Day was only a month away, and this year, I would actually have a special someone in my life.

I also wanted a beautiful home, one spacious enough that I didn’t feel cramped but that also seemed cozy. I had that too. Though I hadn’t officially moved in with Murphy, I stayed over almost every night. His cabin was ours now. He’d told me multiple times to add whatever I liked or to change the décor if it suited me.

So far, I’d just added a few paper mache bats in the kitchen at Halloween that had stuck around. I was too used to a Halloween all year atmosphere at work because of Macy, so making up a batch of lemon-blueberry muffins with beady-eyed bats staring at me from the eaves of the stove just made the place feel homey.

Even if it was January.

I wanted the cutest dog ever known to man, who was currently sleeping on my feet as I worked on the laptop by the fireplace in the living room. Every now and then, he would look up at me adoringly until I leaned down to give him a pat and cooed to him that he was Mama’s favorite.

He was also Mama’s only baby, but whatever. Latte enjoyed being loved on as much I appreciated the cuddles.

I rubbed the slight ache in my lower belly. Especially today.

I had to go to the bathroom, due to far too much coffee while I answered emails from new people who had heard about the baby club support group. We’d actually named it Baby Daddy Wanted and set up an LLC and all that, at Murphy’s lawyer’s urging.

Yes, my boyfriend had a lawyer, because he already had a gaming company and from what I could tell, money out the wazoo although he wasn’t the least bit ostentatious.

But the baby support group and far too much of Macy’s coffee blend weren’t why I didn’t want to go to the bathroom.

I didn’t want to know if I’d gotten my period—again. But I was almost sure I had.