Daddy in Disguise (Crescent Cove 7)

While I couldn’t fault that logic, I had to admit curiosity at what she was getting at. “Do you think he won’t be happy about the news?”

“Oh, sure, he’ll be happy, but if I tell him, he’ll be even more happy because then he won’t have to worry about, you know, sibling rivalry. Toby hates his brother. He tried to kill him with a plastic phone once.”

“Um…” I hoped she was being metaphorical. “So, you’re sure you’re okay with this? I know we haven’t had much time together just you and me and your dad, but the baby won’t be here for ages.”

“I thought it took nine months. Only elephants are longer.”

There wasn’t much chance of slipping anything past this child, that was for sure. “Yeah, but that’s a while. We’ll do lots together before then. And you’ll have fun with him or her, I’m sure. I mean, I loved my brother to pieces until he betrayed me, but honestly, brothers and sisters are the best.”

Pretty sure I wouldn’t be winning any parenting awards this year. Or ever.

“I’m excited. I will teach her everything she needs to know about dealing with Dad. You, I’m still figuring out.” With that, she exited the car.

So, according to Dani, we were having a girl. Or else she was decreeing it so since boys sucked. Right now, when I was hungry enough to salt my car bumper and eat it for an appetizer, I couldn’t claim to disagree.

I followed her up on the porch and we went inside to go through the loot I’d gotten at the craft store. Thank God bats seemed to be popular for the spooky types all year now, since they were kind of out of season. It helped that the store was ginormous and stocked basically everything.

“I have an idea,” Dani said a little while later, tilting her head. We were surrounded by bats and hard hats and garland and other Christmas doodads. “Let’s spell out baby with the extra bats. Or…we could dress up Trick in a baby outfit?”

“Definitely the first.” I cleared my throat. “Speaking of surprises, guess what? Trick is having kittens.”

“Really?” Dani shot onto her knees and clasped her hands, her face glowing with utter delight. “Can we keep them? Please, please, pretty please?” She crawled over to me and hugged me, making me laugh as she rained sloppy kisses all over my face. “Please, please, pretty please. I’ll clean their litter box and play with them and brush them, and I’ll let them sleep in my bed and—”

The front door opened and Gideon stepped in, smelling of sawdust and with white paint flecks dotting his dark hair. He stopped dead to take in the chaos we’d begun to unleash in the living room.

“What is this I just heard about cleaning litter boxes?” He narrowed his eyes at Dani. “You have two cats now. You don’t get more.”

Dani made a face. “You’re not supposed to eavesdrop. It’s rude.”

“You were practically yelling. I’d need earplugs not to hear you.” He gave me a hard stare, and it was probably because he’d injected me with baby serum, but holy crap, he looked hot today. “No more cats. Right?”

Dani crossed her arms. “If we can have more babies, we can have more cats.”

So, yeah, guess that particular feline was out of the bag.

Coincidentally, Trick chose that moment to appear and rubbed against Dani. She gave a loud sniff and picked her up, pressing her face into the cat’s dense black fur. “Let’s go read, Trick.”

“What about the bats?” I didn’t look at Gideon. At least I hadn’t heard his body hit the floor.

Then again, my heart was stampeding so loudly, I was fairly certain I wouldn’t have heard an ax murderer yell, yoohoo, honey, I’m home.

“I’m sure he won’t allow them. Because he’s mean.” Dani flounced past Gideon, and to add insult to injury, Trick swiped out at him with her paw as they passed.

He didn’t seem to notice. I wasn’t sure he was even still conscious. Could someone faint while stand

ing up?

Well, if he wasn’t going to say anything, neither was I. I was good at denial too.

“So, how was your day?”

He dragged a hand down his face. “I’m awake, right?”

“Far as I can tell. Though you do look like an extra from The Walking Dead at the moment.” I rose to greet him the right way, because again, he was super hot.

Besides, he’d already knocked me up. The barn door was wide open, so I might as well explore the pregnancy benefits.

I’d no sooner laid a hand on him that he grabbed my cheeks and searched my eyes as if I was holding back state secrets. “You’re not…she was kidding…you can’t be…that soon?”