Of course before I filed that paperwork, I had to actually do a paternity test.
I hadn’t answered Gina’s question last week about if the baby’s biological mother knew I was a cop. I couldn’t even give her that much credit. I’d deliberately been vague about who I was, although I’d told her where I lived. Crescent Cove was notorious in some circles for our baby boom, especially in New York State, so I’d wanted to be honest about my hometown in case she didn’t want to take the risk.
Maybe now the Cove’s reach was spreading. I had brought bottled lake water on my trip. I rarely disputed such seemingly impossible theories these days. I had the baby to prove it, even if we hadn’t done the deed in the town proper.
She hadn’t earned her parental rights, but that was only part of why I wanted to make sure she had no ties to the kid. The rest had to do with the woman who was trying her hardest to give my little girl an incredible holiday, even if she wouldn’t remember it later on.
But deep down, Samantha would know. The details wouldn’t be clear, but she would understand she had a home. A foundation. And yes, even a family.
Co-headed by an often clueless dude who would still do his very best to take care of the ones he lo—
Cared about. I cared so much.
I withdrew my keys from the ignition and closed them in my fist. I didn’t want to scare off Bee. Didn’t want to burden her with a child she hadn’t made. But it seemed as if she was choosing her. As if she was choosing us. I didn’t exactly grasp what that meant or what all this would look like going forward, but maybe we could just try.
Just see.
We were so good together. My buddy, John, had made it his life’s work to tease me about finally hooking up with Gina. August too. I hadn’t let myself go there, since I’d never wanted to risk messing up a damn great thing.
But what if that great thing could get even better?
I shifted in my seat. This line of self-questioning was not due to the prompting of my half hard cock, just from thinking about her brushing against me while we gave the baby a bath.
Okay, while she gave her a bath.
Or when we were reheating our late night snack, standing together at the stove, hip-checking each other and laughing.
Last night, we’d curled up on the couch to watch those relentlessly perky holiday rom-coms, and she’d set her socked feet in my lap like she always did. Except this time, I’d wanted to start with my usual foot massage—and just keep on going up her sexy as hell body.
I wanted to touch her. Kiss every part of her and then do it all over again.
Make her come with my name on her lips.
I closed my eyes. Now what the fuck was I going to do about it?
A text buzzed on my phone.
Hey copasaurus, you gonna come in sometime today or just keep your buns warm in the car?
I grinned. If she only knew what was really keeping my buns—and all the rest of me—warm right now, she’d—
What? What would she do if I propositioned her?
In a classy way, of course. I couldn’t just jump on her like some kind of horny bastard who couldn’t keep it together anymore in her direction.
Add in watching her with my baby, and I needed a Teflon shell to keep my dick from tearing a hole in my regulation trousers. I just was not strong enough to withstand Gina singing to my kid while she rocked her to sleep.
And she was texting me again. Even the irritated buzz from her messages somehow had an attitude to match hers.
I couldn’t help smiling again as I read what she’d written.
Hello? I see you out there. I’m looking through the window. What are you doing?
Imagining fucking you unconscious.
That probably wasn’t the way to go, as far as announcing my intentions. Which were what, exactly? I certainly couldn’t quantify them. All I knew was I liked coming home to her—and the baby, even if I didn’t entirely understand how to deal with her yet. I appreciated that Bee had upended her own routine to help. That she cared.
I even liked that she’d made my house into an eye-searing holiday wonderland.