Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Paisley,” I mused as I brought her downstairs. “Kind of a cute name, I guess. I wonder what your middle name is. And did she give you my last name or hers? It’s kind of fucked up that I don’t know my own kid’s full name, don’t you think? And maybe I should stop saying fuck.”
Downstairs, I spread a blanket out on a rug and put her on it with her stuffed bear, stretching out next to her on my side. She lay happily on her back and wiggled around, making little sounds and drooling up a storm while I yawned and tried to stay awake. My God, was every night going to be like last night? I wouldn’t survive. No one could.
Eventually, she started to cry again, and I picked her up, trying the bouncing thing Emme had done last night. She still wouldn’t quiet down, so I tried singing her a song. I wasn’t the best singer in the world but by the time I’d fudged my way through a few Christmas tunes, which were the only ones I knew all the words to, she had drifted off to sleep.
I looked longingly at the couch.
Maybe I could lie down for a few minutes. Close my eyes. That was all I needed, a few minutes with my eyes closed. But could I manage to do it without waking her up? Suddenly I thought of the thousands of times I had simply flopped onto the couch for a Saturday nap with zero appreciation for how easy it had been. Flopping was definitely not an option today. Instead, I eased myself into a sitting position so slowly that my leg muscles were shaking. Then I carefully pivoted, wincing at the sound my pajama pants made as they squeaked on the leather. Finally, I leaned back at the rate of about one inch every ten seconds, so that my abs were practically screaming when I was done. But I did it—I succeeded in lying down on the couch without waking the baby.
I carefully maneuvered Paisley so that she lay with her belly on mine, her head on my chest. I kept one hand on her back, one hand on her butt, and one foot on the floor just in case (in case of what I had no idea, but it seemed like a good idea), and closed my eyes.
Sweet Jesus, it was amazing.
“Nate.” A hand on my shoulder. “Nate.”
I opened my eyes, and saw Emme standing next to the couch. But I was confused, because she’d gone home wearing her jeans and sweater, and here she was wearing only my T-shirt again. The light was strange too. Some sort of golden glow seemed to shine from behind her, like it had on the stairway this morning, but that was impossible because there were no windows behind her. I tried to speak but couldn’t. She smiled and put a finger to her lips. “Shhhhhh.” Then with no warning whatsoever, she whipped the shirt over her head, and stood there naked from the waist up. My cock jumped. My mouth watered. My hands trembled with the need to touch her skin. But I couldn’t move—I was paralyzed. All I could do was look at her and groan with longing, like a teenage boy with a centerfold.
“Nate. Nate. Wake up.” The hand was on my shoulder again, this time shaking me insistently. I opened my eyes, for real this time, but it took a moment for the fog to clear. I propped myself up on my elbows and blinked at Emme, who stood there—alas, fully clothed—holding Paisley in her arms and looking at me curiously. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” My voice was scratchy, so I cleared my throat.
She smiled. “You must have been dreaming.”
“Really? What makes you say that?” I swung myself into a seated position so fast my head spun.
“You were moaning and groaning and squirming around.” She looked at Paisley and rubbed noses with her—an Eskimo kiss. “Wasn’t he, peanut?”
The whole shirtless scenario came back to me in a heartbeat, and my skin felt hot beneath my clothes. Well, my pajamas, since I hadn’t gotten dressed yet.
“What were you dreaming about?” she asked me.
I feigned ignorance. “I can’t remember. Did you just get here?”
“About ten minutes ago. Paisley was starting to fuss, but you were sound asleep, so I picked her up and changed her. I’ll get a bottle going while you shower, if you want. It’s been about four hours since she last ate.”
“Has it really?”
She laughed. “Yeah. You guys had, like, a three-hour nap. I’m jealous. Mine was only about an hour.”
Emme headed for the kitchen with Paisley in her arms, so I stood up and quickly headed for the stairs, hoping she wouldn’t notice my erection. I went up to my bedroom, undressed, and got in the shower, feeling increasingly bad about the dream I’d just had—especially since she’d been watching me have it. It felt like getting caught doing something inappropriate.