Baby Daddy Wanted (Crescent Cove 5)

“Deal.”

“Wait, I said might.”

“Nope. Meet you at my cabin.” I hung up.

Gideon laughed. “I don’t know what it is about this girl, but she’s good for you. I guess marrying her isn’t the worst idea in the world.”

“Damn straight.”

She made me a better man in every way. And I was going to spend the rest of my life proving it to her.

Half an hour later I pulled up my drive to find Lucky and my dog cozying up like they were long lost pals. I stepped out, my boots crunching on the gravel. I squinted at Latte. “Traitor.”

“I can’t help it if everyone likes me except you, Moose.”

“I don’t dislike you,” I growled.

“It’s okay. I thought it was because I’m naturally loved and you were jealous.”

“God, no.”

Lucky lifted the dog up into the air and made little kissy faces at his scruffy little face. “Nope. It’s just because I was snuggling up to your girl. I told you it was because I wanted to turn the screws, but really it was because she’s the perfect girl.”

I curled my fingers into fists at my sides.

“For you.” Lucky set Latte down to scamper off to chase the squirrels. “That girl is too sweet for me.”

My fists relaxed.

“I’m happy for you, man. Not to mention she makes us bomb-ass lunches since you guys got together.” He slapped my shoulder. “So, let’s get this beast off the truck and get you a wife.”

Gideon laughed and released the tie-down. “You’re something, Lucky. Good thing, Murph is so easy going.”

Murph.

More and more people were calling me that because of Veronica. Not the big, silent Moose who was clumsy and awkward. Not the lonely guy in a cabin anymore.

Between the three of us we muscled the fridge into the back of my garage. I pulled out the slats of ash I’d been working on for the last few weeks. I’d wanted to do a remodel of the cabin the more time I spent with Veronica.

This was just the final step I needed to stop thinking about it and actually do it.

For her.

To change my life so it was ours, not just mine.

“Dude, you are so whipped.” Lucky wiped his brow with his forearm.

It might be the tail end of January, but we’d all worked up a sweat to move the industrial appliance off the truck. I opened the door and set the little black box on the top shelf, then closed it and set the rainbow stained wood against the stainless-steel monster. “Yep.”

“Now about those chocolate bits of heaven?”

I laughed. “How about a beer with them?”

Lucky nodded. “That sounds like a plan to me.”

The three of us polished off a six-pack of beer and Lucky cleared out the leftovers in my regular fridge. He took Gideon home for me and I put my nervy ass in the shower.

Maybe I wasn’t doing enough.