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I know.
Her expression morphed into shock as she leaned in to study the lower, left corner of the painting. “Holy cow. How did they get a signed canvas? I thought she only offered her signature on prints.”
“It’s not a copy, baby doll,” I drawled as I walked up behind her.
She whirled around, and her mouth hung open for a minute before she gasped, “No way.”
I grinned and nodded.
“This can’t be the original! My dad has been trying to get his hands on this for me ever since I stared at it for hours in the museum when I was seven.”
Laughing, I tapped her nose before crossing my arms over my chest. “Your dad doesn’t know everyone in the world, Samantha,” I teased. “And six degrees of separation won’t do it with someone like Britta Belmont.”
Samantha planted her hands on her wide, birthing hips and scoffed. “And you would know because…?” Her face suddenly twisted into an expression that was a cross between disgust and fear. “Old girlfriend?”
My cock jumped to attention at her display of jealousy. It was hot as fuck to see her get proprietary over me. However, while I might have teased her about it another time, there was too much riding on today. I shook my head and winked at her. “She’s my cousin,” I admitted.
Samantha looked sheepish for a few seconds, then she put her hand on my chest and pushed playfully as she burst into laughter. “And here I was, so impressed that you had some kind of superpower because you had connections that my father doesn’t.”
I covered her hand, holding it against my chest as I took a step closer to her. I smiled wickedly and murmured, “I definitely have superpowers, baby. You just haven’t seen them, yet.”
Her cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t pull away, and I was tempted to skip the tour. Except I wanted the air cleared between us before I finally claimed her virgin pussy.
“I’ll show you around the rest of the place,” I rasped, fighting the hunger for her clawing at my insides.
Her face fell a little, but she rapidly replaced it with a bright smile. “Sure.”
I took her hand and led her down a short hallway that ended in an L-shape at the master bedroom doors. That room would be last, or we’d never see any others.
“There’s some work to be done in order to make this place fit for a large family, but it will be just fine for a couple of kids.”
Samantha was looking at the pictures lining the walls, but my comment caught her attention. “They have another child?” Samantha asked with a raised brow.
“Not yet.”
“Oh. Pregnant, huh? Well, I guess it will be good for Gracelynn to have siblings,” Samantha commented, trying to sound chipper and failing.
I made a noncommittal sound and showed her the other rooms in the house, ending at the closed door of the nursery. “This is the baby’s room.” Watching my girl closely, I twisted the knob and pushed the door open.
Samantha’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened when she walked in. One side of the room had been set up specifically for Gracelynn, and Samantha’s face went soft as she studied the white and yellow décor. The bedding had unicorns on it, as well as the thing on the wall that spelled our daughter’s name. The little nightstand also had a unicorn lamp on it.
“This is adorable,” she admitted softly. “I bet she loves it.”
“She does,” I confirmed with a gentle smile. “She was restless her first night here, but the lamp projects dancing unicorns on the ceiling and plays a lullaby about pretty horses. It soothed her whenever she started to become upset.”
Samantha looked at me with an odd expression. “Just how well do you know her new family?” She did a full rotation, her gaze bouncing around until it landed on the second crib in the room. The area was somewhat bare because I didn’t know our next child’s gender, which meant Samantha could decorate it any way she wanted.
She was quiet, and it drove me nuts not to know what she was thinking. Then she turned to face me, observing me with an unreadable expression. “The pictures in the hallway…all over the house…they’re your family.” It was a statement, so I nodded but didn’t bother to confirm it verbally. I preferred to be on my toes while I waited for her to reveal where her emotions were.
“This is your house.”
Another nod.
“You’re—” She made a small choking sound, and my heart squeezed painfully. “You’re adopting Gracelynn.”
“We have a court date next week.”
“We?” Her face drained of color, and I blinked a few times, confused by her reaction. Why was this upsetting her? Had I read everything wrong? No. There was no way. I knew her.
Samantha sucked in a fast breath and crossed her arms over her chest. “And your wife—pregnant wife—doesn’t mind that you just decided to adopt a baby?”
