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“I know.” I heaved a deep sigh and stroked my cheek against his shirt. “It’s just weird to be heading out for the day when I’m used to spending my time with you guys.”
“As much as I hate to let you out of my sight”—I snorted and rolled my eyes, earning myself a light swat against my butt—“you’ve been looking forward to your girl time with Grace for months. Go have fun with your best friend. We’ll be here when you come home.”
“Fine,” I huffed before flashing him a grin. “But don’t hesitate to call if you need me.”
“You’re going to earn yourself a spanking tonight if you keep on doubting my ability to watch over our kids while you’re gone,” he growled.
My smile widened as I wagged my brows. “Quit threatening me with a good time.”
Merrick’s dark gaze darted toward the clock on the microwave before he groaned, “Damn, I wish Kohen wasn’t going to be up any minute.”
“Me, too.” I patted him on the cheek before stepping back. “But I’ll be looking forward to that spanking later.”
* * *
By the timeI returned home, I’d been pampered within an inch of my life. Facials, massages, mani-pedis, the sauna...Grace and I did them all while drinking champagne and gossiping about our husbands. We talked about everything from our amazing sex lives to how they were faring without us today.
I’d about fallen over when she told me that Hudson took their kids to Disneyland all by himself, but then she explained that he’d booked the VIP tour and upgraded to three guides even though each one was supposed to cover up to ten guests. With no lines, priority access to shows, and that many people at Hudson’s beck and call, I could actually see their day going pretty smoothly. Being a billionaire had its perks, after all.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to find when I pulled into our driveway eight hours later, but it wasn’t to see Kohen’s face pressed against the storm door while he stared outside. For someone who’d apparently been waiting for me to return, he didn’t look happy to see me as I walked up the front steps.
After I opened the door, Kohen planted his little fists on his hips and glared up at me with dark eyes that were identical to his daddy’s. “You left me, Mommy!”
“I had a playdate with Auntie Grace today, remember?”
“Wiffout me?” His bottom lip jutted out, breaking my heart.
Merrick strode toward us, leaning close to whisper, “I don’t think he bought the playdate explanation. It took me hours to figure out that he was pissed because he assumed that since you go with him to his, he was going to be joining you two today.”
“Oh!” I could totally see how our four-year-old would’ve made that assumption. Bending low so I was eye to eye with him, I offered my son a soft smile. “I’m sorry you couldn’t come with me today, buddy. Auntie Grace and I did a bunch of boring stuff at a spa where they had a ton of rules. No running around and playing.” I wiggled my fingers in the air so he could see my manicure. “Just nail polish, hair brushes, and makeup.”
“Boring.” Kohen shook off his irritation and gave me a quick hug before running in the other direction.
“Damn,” Merrick grunted, shaking his head. “He gave me hell all day, asking me where you were and when you were going to be home every ten minutes. And after all that, he forgave you in the blink of an eye.”
I grinned up at him. “Because he loves his mommy.”
“Damn straight.” He claimed my mouth in a quick but deep kiss. “And so do I.”
Wanted by the Warrant Officer
The last thing Deacon Walker expected when he drove one of his friends to the hospital for the birth of their child was to meet the woman who was meant to be his. But the Navy SEAL knew that he’d do whatever it took to claim Piper Amherst as soon as he saw her.
The attraction between Deacon and Piper burned hot and fast, but someone else wanted the pretty nurse for themselves. With Deacon deployed on a mission overseas, can Piper stay out of their clutches long enough for her man to figure out who’s after her?
1
Piper
“Are you ready to help deliver some babies today?”
I grinned at Cindy, the charge nurse for our unit. “Always.”
Working as a maternity nurse, I loved being a part of one of the biggest moments in a woman’s life—when she became a mother. I almost couldn’t believe it when I was hired to work in the labor and delivery unit straight out of school. I’d worked hard to achieve my dream of becoming a nurse, taking as many dual enrollment credits as possible when I was in high school, so I had a jump start toward my degree. Then when I was in college, I took a full course load every semester, including over the summers, and graduated with my bachelor’s in nursing when I was still a few months from my twenty-first birthday.
I took the NCLEX test to get my state nursing license as soon as possible after graduation, but the forty-five-day wait felt like forever. Then even though I’d paid extra to get my preliminary results, I had to cool my heels for the next six weeks before the official score came in the mail. But once I got my license, everything went at warp speed, and only two weeks later, I was working at my first official nursing job. Cindy asked me the same question that day and every time I clocked in since then, and my answer had always been the same.
“Good.” She arched her brow and sighed. “Because the shift before us was slow, and you know what that means.”
