I explode with a cry I try to muffle by slapping a hand over my own mouth, but when we emerge from the bedroom twenty minutes later—me back in my fancy dress and Cam in jeans and a sweatshirt—the smug smiles from his roommates leave no doubt they know exactly what we’ve been up to.

“I started the bacon,” Evie says. “No worries.”

“Shit, sorry,” Cam says, hugging me closer to his side. “But thanks. I got…distracted.”

“So we heard,” Jess mutters with an affectionate eye roll. “But totally understandable. If I had a hot new girlfriend, I would be distracted, too.”

Cam glances down at me, arching a brow.

I grin and nod. “Yeah, I think so. I mean…why fight it? You know you want to be my boyfriend.”

“I totally do,” he says, a huge smile on his face. “And I have no interest in fighting anything. Except maybe your nanny. Think she might be up for watching Crissy again tonight? I can pay her fee if so. I have an extra ticket to a beer tasting in the Bowery, and there’s going to be a live band.”

My forehead furrowing, I shake my head, “I can’t. Hannah needs her time off, and I promised Crissy we could have a dinosaur movie and Lego marathon today. We’re starting with The Littlest Dinosaur after lunch and she has dreams of working up to Jurassic Park, even though I told her it was terrifying and will absolutely give her nightmares. But she heard about it from some kid on the playground and is convinced she’s ready.”

“Oh, no,” Evie says. “She’s not. Don’t let her. I begged my big brother to let me watch Gremlins with him when I was five, and it scarred me for life. I still can’t hear that Christmas song that comes on at the beginning without getting full-body chills.”

I laugh. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure she’ll fall asleep before we get to that battle, but if not, I’m going to stand firm.” I tap a finger to my chin. “Or, I could take her to your toy fair, postpone the start of the movie marathon until after dinner, and be all but assured of avoiding Jurassic Park without a fight.”

“Sounds pretty brilliant to me,” Cam says, squeezing my hip before moving toward the kitchen. “And I bet she’ll love the fair. It sounds like it’s going to be a blast. I’d go if I had a good excuse. But society frowns on single guys crashing kid events.”

“Only creepy single guys,” Evie says. “You can come. I’ll vouch for you.”

“Or you can come with me and Crissy,” I say, the invitation out before I can second-guess it. But I don’t regret it.

Maybe I should. Maybe I should stick to my overly cautious ways and wait a month or five to introduce Crissy to my very new boyfriend, but I don’t want to wait. And the surprise and delight on Cam’s face as he catches my gaze through the open area above the kitchen island is too sweet to change my mind now.

Besides, this could be for the best. If Cam and my daughter aren’t a good fit, it’s better to find out sooner than later. It will be a lot easier to end things now than a few months down the road, when I’m even more addicted to his cock and his smile and his sweet, sexy wonderfulness than I am already.

“Are you sure?” he asks. “I didn’t mean to pressure you to take that step before you’re ready.”

“You didn’t pressure me,” I assure him. “And I do feel ready. But fair warning, I told Hannah she could make Crissy pancakes this morning. So, she’s going to be bouncing off the walls and the streetlamps and other pedestrians all the way to the carnival. It’ll be a two-person job just to keep her out of traffic.”

He grins. “Well, good thing I’m coming along, then.”

I beam back at him, feeling a little shy in front of his friends but too excited for the day ahead to hide it. “Good thing.”

“Aw,” Evie coos. “You two are adorable. And I’m going to save your daughter the cutest puppet. I already have one in mind. I’ll hide it under the counter until you get there.”

“Thanks,” I say, settling into an empty chair and snagging a coffee mug.

I chat with Cam’s friends about their experiences in New York thus far—Evie and Harlow are both fairly new to full-time city living, too—while Cam whips up the most-fantastic-smelling French toast and pulls the bacon from the oven.

We eat quickly, but with plenty of moans and curses of appreciation for our morning feast and head out the door with twenty minutes to spare to get to my place. On the subway, Cam positions himself between me and the skeevy guy in a plumber’s uniform staring at my boobs. As I lean into his chest, I can’t help but think how nice it is to be two instead of one.

Tags: Lili Valente Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net