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Their resemblance is startling. I’d been half worried and half excited that Ace might see the resemblance. Declan saw it when he came to the hospital when Luna was born.
“She’s a Carter all right,” he’d said.
Luna stirs and when she opens her gorgeous eyes, they widen when she sees me.
“Mama,” she says.
She calls Vanessa Mama too.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” I croon and reach into the crib to lift her out.
I hug her warm little body to me and kiss her. She wraps her hands around me and I carry her to the living room. She likes to cuddle first before anything else and we sit on the couch still hugging.
Vanessa comes into the living room minutes later. She smiles when she sees us. “Best part of the day huh?”
I nod. She comes to us and kisses the back of Luna’s head. Luna looks up and smiles at Vanessa. “Mama.”
“Morning, sweetheart,” Vanessa says. “Have a good day, people, and try and have some fun.”
“We will,” I tell her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow evening,” Vanessa says. “I’ll sleep at Miles’s.”
“Enjoy yourself,” I tell her.
Miles is her on/off boyfriend. I worry that the fucked-up life our Mom exposed us to damaged our ability to have long term relationships. How else would you explain why Vanessa and I are not able to sustain relationships like other normal women?
Soon after, Luna wriggles out of my lap, a sign that she’s now fully awake and ready for the day. I fill her sippy cup with warm milk and give it to her. While she’s drinking her milk, I tidy up the living room and then pack her things for the day, even though Ace will not be coming for us until eleven in the morning.
I’m excited. It’s dangerous to allow myself to be excited over Ace. He broke my heart and he will again if I let him. Which I won’t. The only reason he’s in my life now is because of Luna. If he proves himself to be reliable, I’ll tell him that Luna is his daughter.
That doesn’t mean that we can’t have a bit of fun while at it, or that I can’t enjoy his gorgeous body and prowess between the sheets. I can be mercenary too. Take what I want and leave the rest.
Chapter 7
Ace
The weather is perfect for a day out in the Bay. Lexi will love it. I park the SUV and jump out, eager to get moving. I can’t wait to see Parker and Rachel either and to meet their daughter. I sprint up to Lexi’s front door and knock on it.
The door flings open and seeing her sends an electric current sizzling through me. Her niece is perched on her hip and she sticks out her little hand to give me a doll.
“She likes you,” Lexi says with a laugh. “She only gives her doll to people she likes.”
I take the doll awkwardly. “Thank you.”
Lexi laughs. “Relax. It’s not a lease agreement. Take her while I grab the bag.”
I’ve never held a child in my arms, but Lexi’s niece doesn’t seem to realize it because she seems happy enough as I carry her out to the car.
“Luna won’t break,” Lexi calls after me.
Easy for her to say. Luna draws lines on my face with her doll while I stay absolutely still. Every so often she stops and peers into my face as if to check if I’m still alive. I blink and she giggles. Despite myself, I’m charmed, and I find myself laughing along.
“You’re becoming fast friends,” Lexi says when she joins us.
She opens the back door and fastens a car seat. She comes and takes Luna from me. Surprisingly, I’m not eager to let go of her. In those few minutes, I catch a glimpse of why people are drawn to children. Luna is easy to please and she has the sweetest smile.
“Ready?” I ask Lexi when I slide into the driver’s seat.
Her eyes are like an open window, deep and inviting. It takes all of my self-control not to lean forward and kiss her.
“Tell me about your friends,” Lexi says.
“Park and I grew up together. Our mothers were best friends, so we were always in each other’s lives. He married Rachel who was in high school with us.”
Lexi giggles. “That sounds like a missing person’s description.”
I grin when I understand her meaning but I’ve never been one to go into extensive details.
“What about you?” Lexi asks. “Did you have a high school sweetheart?”
Memories of Stacy come to me. She was my high school sweetheart and the four of us were always together. I push away thoughts of Stacy from my mind.
“No.” My voice comes out harsher than I planned, and I immediately regret it.
Lexi fiddles with the radio until she finds a station that she likes. She settles on a station playing pop music and soon she’s dancing and singing loudly to it. She’s not gifted in the voice department but her enthusiasm more than makes up for it.
