“Who’s Daisy?”
“My daughter.” She took a steadying breath. “Our. Our daughter.”
He was quiet for another long moment. And she’d thought Chad was a man of few words.
“I hadn’t realized she’d been born already,” he said.
“She hasn’t been. I just . . .” God, this was hard. “I named her already; I hope that’s okay.”
“Why wouldn’t that be okay? It’s your kid.”
Technically, it was their kid, but he wasn’t interested. A couple of months ago she’d have been devastated by that news, but now she knew Daisy would have a strong father-figure even if she wasn’t related to Chad by blood. And that was all she’d ever really wanted for Daisy. Not a famous father or a rich father, but a good father who loved her. That he was also supportive of Lindsey was a huge added benefit.
“Do you want to be part of her life?” Lindsey soldiered on. “I won’t try to stand in your way if you do. Or if you don’t.” She had to think life would be easier for them all if he didn’t want a part in Daisy’s life.
“Have your lawyer contact mine about child support,” he said.
“I don’t have a lawyer.”
“Then you should get one.” He hung up before she could utter another word.
She bellowed in frustration and chucked the phone across the counter. Why did everyone assume all she wanted from them was money? Yes, money made things easier, and it was nice to have, but love was more important. Love was always more important. Even if it couldn’t pay the bills.
The scrape of Hawn’s nails on the tile behind her alerted her to Chad’s presence. Talk about love—that dog followed him everywhere. He was already working with Hawn as his first companion dog, though he didn’t plan to give her up. She’s practice, he’d assured Lindsey when she’d gone all blubbery over the thought of saying goodbye to Hawn regardless of how much good she could do for someone who needed her. Chad had told Lindsey that she wasn’t allowed to get overly attached to the first official trainee, a dog that Chad planned to carefully select after the baby was born.
Chad wrapped his arms around her stomach as he stepped up behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. She breathed in his calm and his scent, drew his warmth—both physical and emotional—deep inside her, and sighed.
“The sod’s down,” he said. “You’re allowed to go outside now.”
He truly got off on his big reveals, so he never let her see his partially finished projects. He was like a one-man home improvement reality show.
“I can’t wait to see it,” she said, though she didn’t move from her perch on one of the barstools she’d helped Chad pick out. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his and held on tight.
“Everything okay?” he asked, kissing her ear.
“I finally got up the nerve to call Adam.”
He stiffened. “What did he say?”
“That I should get a lawyer.”
“He’s contesting his paternity?”
She shook her head. “The lawyer is needed to work out child support arrangements.”
“And visitation?”
She swallowed. This situation could get incredibly complicated. “He didn’t mention that.”
Chad released a relieved-sounding sigh and relaxed against her back. “You should use Tina’s lawyer,” he said. “She got a huge settlement from Jacob in the divorce. Her lawyer must be excellent.”
“Daisy won’t need much.” Lindsey would honestly be okay with Adam signing over his rights as a father in lieu of paying child support. She needed to give the option some thought before she broached the possibility with Adam or even mentioned it to Chad. She knew Chad would be onboard with the idea. Daisy hadn’t even been born yet, but he was already attached to her and the idea of raising her. Sometimes Lindsey wondered if he was more interested in being Daisy’s dad than in being Lindsey’s boyfriend. He’d never told Lindsey that he loved her, but he’d said it to her belly and the baby growing inside her more than once.
“You have a couple more weeks to sort it out before the baby’s born,” Chad said.
Two weeks. Lindsey was more than ready to have her body to herself again. She hoped Daisy didn’t decide she wanted to stay inside past her due date.
“Adam hasn’t had much time to get used to the idea,” Lindsey said. “I’ve had almost nine months, and I still don’t feel prepared.”
“I’m more than ready,” Chad said, nuzzling her ear. “Can’t wait.”
She shifted off the stool. Her back was tender today. It had been aching all morning and sitting on a stool wasn’t helping. She turned to face Chad, rubbing the small of her back with one hand. “I’ll worry about Adam later. Let’s check out that yard.”
Chad beamed. “It looks amazing! Especially with all the flowers you planted in full bloom in the background.”
She’d worked hard to keep those flowers alive through the oppressive heat of late August, and they were now thriving. Maybe that was a sign that she wouldn’t be a terrible caregiver for Daisy.
Chad walked slowly, holding her hand as she waddled through the dining room on her way to the front door. Her hips ached almost as much as her back did. Hell, even her ribs hurt. She might not quite be ready for the responsibility of motherhood, but she was beyond ready to give birth just so she didn’t have to be pregnant any longer.
She continued to rub her back as she walked, until Chad noticed her discomfort and took over for her.
“Do you need a massage, angel?”
“That would be lovely.”
“After we admire the yard, I’ll take you upstairs and rub you down from head to toe.”
“Just my back will be fine,” she said. “And my boobs.” She grinned as her interest shifted away from relieving aches and toward igniting passion. “And my clit could use a good massage. With your tongue.”
“I’ve got you covered,” he said. He opened the front door.
Even from the porch, she could tell that the yard’s transformation was amazing. A neat carpet of green stretched from the sidewalk near the road to the flowerbed boarders. A newly poured cement pathway meandered from the driveway to the front steps Chad had replaced the week before, but the section of the path nearest the steps remained empty.
“Did you run out of cement?” she asked.
He grinned. “Not exactly. I thought we’d pour that section after Daisy is born.”
“Why?” The missing section would be an incredible tripping hazard, especially for her, but also for Chad. His prosthetic leg was already an extension of his body, but an uneven step could definitely trip him up.
“We’ll press our hands and Hawn’s paws into the cement and make our own walk of fame. But it wouldn’t be complete without Daisy’s little handprints, so I thought we’d wait.”
Lindsey suddenly felt warm all over, but mostly in her chest where her heart thudded in response to his sentimentality. “You’re such a sap, Mitchell.”
“It’s the other Mitchell son that’s the sap.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Except where you’re concerned.”
She stared into his eyes, only forcing her gaze to their surroundings when she realized he’d never take her back inside until she admired his hard work.
“The yard looks incredible! And I love it against the new brighter paint color.” The house was now a pale gray with blue accents instead of the dingy white with drab brown cross-timbers of before. “It looks like an entirely different house, Chad.” One she was proud to call their home.
“Now you’re glad you stuck it out with me through the ugly phase, aren’t you?”
She grinned and nodded, but she was glad she’d stuck it out with him for many reasons completely unrelated to having a nice place to live. “Now about that massage you promised me . . .”
“What about it?”
“My back is aching, and my feet are swollen.”
“Foot rub needed as well. Got it.”
“And my nipples hurt.”
“I’m sure they could use a gentle suck.”
“They definitely could,” she murmured.
He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “And how’s that sweet pussy of yours?”
“Empty,” she complained.
“I think I can take care of that for you too.”
“You take such good care of me.” Both in the bedroom and out. “What would I do without you?”
“That’s not something you ever need to worry about.”
He led her back into the house. The living room had once been a blank page; now it was comfortably decorated in soft taupe, with pops of color in the pillows and ornamental touches. She’d helped him pick out most of it. Even though she hadn’t been able to pay for anything, the place felt more like home than any place she’d ever lived.
She took the stairs slowly, her backache really slowing her down. She wasn’t sure if she could handle two more weeks of this. But when they reached Chad’s bedroom and he peeled her loose, flowing dress off over her head, she decided she could tolerate the discomfort a while longer if Chad continued to help ease her aches. He assisted her in settling comfortably onto her side and even remembered she liked a pillow between her knees. She moaned in encouragement as his hands began to massage her back, his thumbs rubbing deep circles into the tight muscles on either side of her spine.
“Tell me where, angel,” he said close to her ear.