Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
When I got to the kitchen, there was a big box of donuts sitting on the counter with a large mocha and a large vanilla latte. Like his son, Lawson wasn’t sure what kind of coffee I liked, so he bought extra. I put the mocha in the fridge before slipping the latte into the microwave. I warmed it up a bit before making my way into the living room.
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips when I walked in and found Lawson sprawled out in his recliner with Luna lying back on his chest. She was completely engrossed in her TV show while he was taking a snooze.
Luna looked perfectly content like she didn’t have a care in the world and seeing her so happy made my heart swell. I didn’t want to disturb them, so I stood still and watched as Luna shifted slightly, snuggling even closer to Lawson. He instinctively slipped his arm beneath her, making sure she wasn’t going to fall.
I tried to be still, but after a couple of minutes, Luna spotted me and announced, “Momma.”
“Good morning, sweet girl.” I stepped over and kissed her on the forehead. “Did you have fun with Stacie?”
“Um-hmm. We made cookies.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Um-hmm.”
She nestled back in the crook of Lawson’s arm and glanced back at the TV, signaling that she was done talking. I kissed her once more before heading over to the sofa. I’d just sat down when Lawson muttered, “I thought you’d still be sleeping.”
“You would think.”
“How ya feeling?”
“Not too bad.”
A lazy smile crept over his face as he whispered, “I thought that last shot was gonna get ya.”
“It did.” I pulled the Afghan over me as I motioned my head over to Luna. "Looks like you two have had a nice morning."
“We’re trying.” He chuckled. “Your girl loves her some sprinkle donuts.”
“That she does, and it was really sweet of you to get her some.”
“Glad to do it.”
“And thanks for picking her up and letting me sleep in.”
“No problem.” His gaze lingered on me before he closed his eyes once again. "But you owe me.”
“Oh, okay. Did you have something in mind?”
“Oh, yeah.” He turned to me with a smirk. “But we’ll talk about that later.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
I took a sip of my coffee before leaning back and making myself comfortable. We spent the better part of the day just hanging out, and it was really nice. I hated for it to end, but unfortunately, Lawson had to get to the clubhouse, and I had to go to work.
I was putting a bag together for Luna when he stepped into the doorway and asked, “What time do you get off tonight?”
“Around ten unless we’re having a busy night. Then, it might be closer to eleven.”
“Okay. I’ve got some stuff I’ve gotta take care of, so I might not be here when you get home.”
“Oh, okay.” He’d left us there alone many times before, but this was the first time he’d actually given me a heads-up that he wouldn’t be around. I couldn’t help but wonder if that meant things were changing between us and that Luna and I meant something to him. “I guess I’ll see you sometime tomorrow?”
“You can count on it.”
With one quick swoop, he reached for me, placed his hands on my waist, and pulled me towards him. Before I had time to think, he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me in a way that made my entire body hum.
His arms wound tight around me, inching me even closer as his tongue found its way into my mouth. He was rough, tough, and sexy as hell—and my God, he could kiss like it was nobody’s business. I was holding on by a thread, and just as I was becoming completely lost in his touch, he pulled back, quickly breaking our embrace. “I gotta get going. You call me if you need anything.”
I nodded, then watched as he started for the door.
Before he stepped outside, Lawson turned and glanced back at me, and there was a strange, almost longing, look in his eye as he said, “I’ll see ya soon.”
“You can count on it.”
With that, he closed the door and was gone. I finished getting our things together, and after I locked up, Luna and I were on our way. Twenty minutes later, we were walking up the stairs to Stacie’s apartment. When we reached the top, I knocked, and it wasn’t long before the door opened, and Stacie appeared with a smile. “Hey, guys. Come on in.”
“Thanks.” I placed Luna’s bag on the table. “I wanted to thank you again for watching Luna last night. You’ve been a real lifesaver.”
“It’s my pleasure. I love having her.” Stacie looked over to Luna as she said, “In fact, I was wondering if you and Luna might want to go to the zoo with me one day this week?”