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He twisted his head, those green-brown eyes smiling at me as he said in a low voice, “I’m telling you, I’m wearing the guy down. We’ll be best friends in no time.”
“I’m not going to hold my breath for that,” I teased.
He winked and my belly fluttered wildly. “You’ll see. How about I get Little Bit and you get all her new toys? Sound like a plan?”
“Works for me.” I climbed out of his truck and moved around to gather up all Renee’s new babies, waiting until Trent had her out of her car seat to grab the spotted puppy she’d been using as a pillow. “You know, between these and all the presents she got on her birthday, her room is overflowing with toys. It’s pretty obscene.”
I made the mistake of looking back as I started up the front walk. Renee’s head rested on his shoulder. One of his arms was braced beneath her, his other hand running circles on her back. I quickly spun back around before I did something incredibly stupid, like kiss him again.
Damn it. I hated when Luna was right. She’d never let me live it down.
Doing my best to shift all the stuffed toys to one arm, I shoved my key into the lock and pushed the door open, stepping to the side so Trent could get Renee in out of the chilled night air.
The days were still comfortable in early September, but the nights had grown milder, especially right here on the coast. It was my favorite time of year, where I could pull out all my soft, fuzzy cardigans and leggings without shame. With autumn kissing the air, the smells were just a bit different. It was the season that led up to all the best holidays. And the biggest reason I loved fall so much... pumpkin spiced everything came back.
I followed Trent as he moved through the entryway and down the hall to Renee’s room. Dumping her newest toys in a pile by the closet to be organized later, I tried my best not to feel it in my belly when Trent laid Renee down on her bed like she was the most fragile piece of glass, brushing the hair back from her face and pressing a kiss to her forehead before standing tall.
“I—” I cleared the croak from my throat and started again. “I’ll be right out, I’m just going to get her in her pajamas and tucked in. Make yourself comfortable. I have some beer in the fridge if you want one.”
“Sounds good. Want me to grab you one? Or maybe get you something else?”
“There’s an uncorked bottle of wine on the counter by the fridge if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Not at all,” he said in that soft rumble of his that did unimaginable things to my insides. “I’ll see you out there.”
It wasn’t until he left the room and his footsteps receded down the hall that the burning pressure in my chest alerted me to the fact that I’d been holding my breath. Letting out a whoosh of air, I moved to my little girl and got her ready for bed. She was so deep in sleep she didn’t stir as I moved her around; her arms and legs were like jelly as I changed her from her clothes to her PJs and got her situated beneath the covers.
“I love you so much, baby girl,” I whispered against the top of her head, inhaling deeply and filling my lungs with her sweet, powdery scent. With one last kiss to her chubby cheek, I stood, staring down at her for a few seconds before summoning up the courage to leave the sanctuary of her bedroom.
I didn’t know why I was suddenly so nervous to be alone with Trent, but as I moved down the hallway, my knees shook and my heart beat so hard in my chest it was a wonder Trent couldn’t hear it.
When I rounded the corner into the living room and saw him sitting on my couch, the picture of relaxation, I was slammed with the thought that he looked so perfect in my house. Like he belonged. Like I never wanted him to leave.
That was a dangerous road to go down. It was full of painful potholes and dead-ended at heartbreak. So I quickly back-pedaled out of the red zone, reminding myself that we were just friends. Even though itfeltlike so much more.
When those smoky eyes, full of affection, came to me, the blood started rushing in my ears so loud it was nearly all I could hear.
“Everything good?”
I moved to where he’d placed my wine glass on the coffee table in front of the sofa and picked it up before curling into a ball against the opposite arm, pressing myself deep to maintain a good bit of space between us. “Yep. She didn’t even blink. I think she’s out for the rest of the night,” I answered before taking a hearty sip.
“She had a big day. You have a natural born sales woman with her. When she gets older she could dominate the world.”
I smiled around the rim of my glass. “I don’t really care what she ends up doing as long as she’s happy. Even if it is world domination. That’s all that matters to me.”
“As long as she has you to lead her, she’ll turn out great.”
Oh man. He was too much. “Thanks,” I said on a breath. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
“Just telling the truth.” His lifted his beer to his lips and took a pull, and for a second, I was transfixed by the way his throat worked around the swallow, how the thick cords tensed and his Adam’s apple bobbed. Before that moment, I didn’t know it was possible for throats to be sexy, but there you had it. “I had a great time today,” he said, jolting me back into the present. “Thank you for letting me tag along with you and Renee.”
“We liked having you with us. It was a lot of fun.” I gave him a droll look. “Even when you and Sam were acting like five-year-olds.”
“Yes, well, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Men never really mature past adolescence.”
My head tipped back on a laugh. “Hate to break it to you, but that’s probably the worst kept secret of all time. And it just reiterates how lucky I am that I had a girl.”
The smile slowly drained from his expression, replaced with something soft and full of heat that made my heart beat even faster. “Not sure which one of you is luckier. Renee or you.”
