Daddy's Angel (Montana Daddies 7)

“Donkey?”

She snorted. “Right. I could just imagine a donkey running around the sterile house I grew up in. The lawns were manicured, no weeds dared to grow in the garden. A donkey? No.”

“A goldfish?”

She shook her head.

Jesus.

“How can someone be allergic to a goldfish?” he asked.

“She said I’d just get sad when it died, and she couldn’t deal with that.”

What a cow. His poor baby. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Not your problem.”

“Would you like a light on?”

“Um, yes. If you could turn on my lamp then switch off the main light, please.”

“Of course.” He turned the lamp on, creating star shapes over the walls and ceiling.

“You like stars, huh?”

“Yes. They remind me of the time that Caleb’s family took me on vacation with them,” she said sleepily. “It was my first real family vacation. Oh, my parents took us on holiday. But it was all for show. They’d take photos with us that they could use to show off to their friends. Then they’d send us off with the nanny and we wouldn’t see them again. That vacation with Caleb’s family, it was so much fun. We camped out. Roasted marshmallows. His parents spent time with us. And one night, I snuck out and slept under the stars. It was so peaceful. It was one of my happiest memories.”

He kissed her forehead gently, aching for that little girl. He wanted to climb into bed beside her, to hold her in his arms. But even he knew that would be moving too fast. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

“You’ll have many more happy memories. I promise.”

14

She wasn’t quite sure how to act the next morning. He’d repeatedly told her not to be embarrassed by anything that happened between them. But she had no idea how to do any of this. She’d never had a boyfriend before. She’d only had sex once.

At least her cramps were mostly gone this morning. She wandered into the kitchen, following the scent of something sweet and delicious. She came to a stop as she saw Bain at the stove. Dominic was sitting at the island, sipping coffee while looking at his phone. He glanced up and smiled at her.

“Hey, there, sweetheart, sleep okay?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Surprisingly, she had.

Bain turned at his words, running his gaze over her. She stiffened. What was wrong? Did she have toothpaste down her front? Was her top on back to front? Wouldn’t be the first time. Or even the fifth. She didn’t always notice things like that. Which drove her mother nuts.

“What is it? What’s on me?”

His gaze narrowed. “Nothing’s wrong. You look better than last night. Got color in your cheeks. Cramps still bad?”

“Bain!” she protested, not able to even look at Dominic. “You can’t ask me that.”

“Why not? Need to know if you need some Tylenol this morning.”

“I’ve taken some already, thanks. And Dominic’s sitting right there. I’m sure he’s not interested in this conversation.”

She didn’t even want this conversation and it was about her body.

Bain flicked his gaze over to Dominic. “Dominic doesn’t care.”

“But Arianna might,” Dominic said. “Go easy, man. Not everyone appreciates total, brutal honesty.”