Bare Skin (Skin Deep 5)

She growled at him and then reached a hand out for the infant seat Calland was holding. “Here. Trade me.”

She took the handle in her hand and hefted the carrier up as she smoothly transferred her daughter to Calland and then turned and walked inside, taking my baby with her.

“Is kidnapping a family trait?” I muttered under my breath, following her inside.

I heard Calland laugh softly behind me, but he didn’t comment. I think he was too busy responding to the rambling babbling of his niece.

Before I’d even made it to the living room, Emma had taken Kaden out of his seat and was lounging on the couch, the baby propped up on her knees as she talked to him.

“And just who might you be?” she asked, gently tickling his belly, which earned her a gurgling laugh.

I smiled and answered. “Kaden. His name is Kaden.”

“Well, he’s a handsome little guy,” she said, smiling up at me. “I didn’t know you had a baby,” she continued, lightly.

“I can’t imagine that Calland’s talked about me much. We’ve only known each other three, four days.”

She winked (again, must be a family trait). “We knew about you the day he met you.”

My eyes widened comically, though I tried to hide my reaction.

She took pity on me, though. “A group of us, well them, because Luke and I were home with a sick baby…but anyway, they were at Griff’s the night he saw you. Matter of fact, everyone was telling him that you’d probably shoot him down without a backward glance, maybe bust his balls a little in the process. At least that’s what the consensus was when Leah told us about you. She’s the only one, other than Allie, I think, that saw you. No, wait! Chloe saw you, too.”

I winced a little. “I did shoot him down. Tried to, anyway. He’s quite persistent.”

“There’s hope for you, yet,” she said, laughing. She turned back to Kaden as Calland collapsed in the chair behind me, Everly clutched to his chest. She was blinking up at him, her lips stretched in the cutest, biggest grin.

He caught me watching and laughed. “She’s the cutest little sh-”

“Calland!” Emma yelled, scowling at her brother. “Don’t you dare. You already know what happened yesterday.”

She looked up at me. “Sit down, take a load off. You guys are gonna hang out for a while, right?”

I shot a look at Calland, floundering for an answer. “Uh…”

“Yeah. We’ll stick around for a bit,” he answered for me. “Gets her out of the hotel room she’s been stuck in since she’s been in town.”

As soon as the words left his lips, a commotion by the door had our attention. It flew open and the three dogs skidded in, their nails scrabbling on the wooden floor as they gleefully chased each other into the house, followed by a very pretty, petite woman holding a little boy.

“Emma, I swear to effin’ God, if your dogs tear through my bleeping screen one more time…” the woman growled, stalking over and plopping the little boy down on Calland’s lap.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Don’t even start with me, woman. You know that Grady is the instigator. I can’t help it that your dog likes to get his father and brother in trouble because he’s the little demon spawn from h-e-double hockey sticks. It must come from his mother’s side.”

She sounded smug, and I could tell that she was trying hard not to laugh, too.

The woman flopped down on the couch opposite Emma, right beside where I’d perched. She casually nodded and said hey to me before she double-taked and stared. “Hey…aren’t you that-” she stopped. “Huh,” she said, smiling and holding out a hand. “I’m Allie and you’re the hot red-head from Griff’s.”

She was very matter of fact about it, and I found myself liking her instantly. Of course, I really was liking Emma, too, and had the fleeting thought that I could be friends with these women. If only.

I nodded, because that’s really the only thing I could do. She didn’t actually pose it as a question; it was more a matter of fact statement.

“Emma’s my best friend, and I live over there.”

She waved vaguely in the direction of the wall, but I guessed she meant the other house I’d seen.

Allie glanced back over to Emma and did another double take as she realized her friend was holding a little one.

“Baby!” Allie crowed, jumping up and crossing the floor to take Kaden from Emma. “Oh my God, he’s so adorable! What’s his name? How old is he?”

“Thanks,” I replied. “His name is Kaden, and he’ll be eight months in two weeks.”

“Aww,” Allie cooed. “I love them at that age. So sweet and cuddly. Then they get really mobile and turn into hell on wheels.” She said it fondly, looking over at the little boy that she’d deposited in Calland’s lap. “That’s my son, Liam. And hopefully, this will be my daughter. But I’m undecided. Boys are easier, but if I have another one, I’ll really be out numbered.”

She rubbed gentle, loving circles on her belly with one hand as she cradled Kaden to her with the other.

“Oh, you’re pregnant?” I asked, unaware of how wistful I sounded.

I only realized it when the women’s gazes turned sharp as they looked at me. “You want more kids?” Emma asked, nonchalantly.

“Alrighty, then. Let’s quit haranguing the poor woman, yeah?” Calland interjected, standing up from the chair with a child in each arm.

“Haranguing?” Allie repeated, her eyebrows raising comically. “Someone’s been reading his word-a-day calendar,” she said, smartly.

“This is me, flipping you off, Allie. You’re just lucky my hands are full,” he sneered, playfully.

Allie sighed. “I’d have a good retort to that, but it just isn’t the same when you have to censor it. Why does my child have to be a parrot?” she groaned.

Emma nodded in sympathy, and from the conversation between her and Calland, I gathered that Everly was in parrot mode, as well.