Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“I’m out of eggs. It was that, peanut butter, or a steak.”
“Good choice.”
“Sit. The coffee just finished brewing. I’ll fix us both some.”
Although Gray had plated a second serving of bacon, he left it on the stovetop and sat across from me with only his coffee.
“Aren’t you going to eat your bacon and toast?”
“After I get back from a run. I can’t eat before I hit the pavement.”
I sipped my coffee. He hadn’t asked how I took it, yet made it perfectly. My heart warmed. “What’s on your agenda for today?”
His easygoing smile fell. “I checked my phone while you were in the shower. Max wrote back late last night. She said I could meet Ella this afternoon. I suggested the park across the street. There’s a kid’s play area and a dog run. I’m going to rearrange my schedule to work from home today. I told her to text me a time, that I’d make myself available as soon as she can get there.”
“Wow. Okay. Are you nervous?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m terrified. A man’s not supposed to show fear, but I’m afraid this little girl will take one look at me and start crying.”
“Oh my God.” His vulnerability touched a weak spot inside of me. I got up and knelt down next him. Taking his hand, I said, “She’s going to love you, Gray. Children have a sixth sense when it comes to knowing who’s a good person. And I watched you with Quinn’s daughter. I told you Harper isn’t a fan of men at all, yet she took to you.”
“I bribed her with a gift I knew she’d love.”
“Maybe. But trust me, you wouldn’t have gotten that hug from her if she didn’t have the sense that you were a good person. And whether you know it or not, you were good with her. You’re a natural. When you spoke to her, you didn’t look down at her. I watched you. You bent down and spoke to her at eye level. You treated her as a person, not a little kid, and you actually listened when she talked. That’s pretty much all you need to start. The rest will come to you.”
“I’ve never changed a diaper in my life. I watched muted YouTube videos on it last night after you fell asleep.”
I smiled. “You’ll be fine. We’ll figure it out. Besides, most kids are out of diapers by the time they’re three. So that’s one less thing to worry about.”
He’d been looking down at our joined hands, but his eyes jumped to mine. His gaze was intense.
“What?” I said.
“You said We’ll.”
My forehead wrinkled.
“We’ll. You said, ‘We’ll figure it out.’”
I hadn’t even realized it, but he was right. “I guess I did.”
Gray pushed his chair back and lifted me into his lap. He cupped both my cheeks in his big hands.
“Of anything you could say to try to make me feel like I wasn’t going to screw this up, that gives me more hope than anything. Because with you next to me, I can do anything.”
***
“I called Al.” Gray finished tying his running shoes and stood just as I emerged from the bathroom, dressed and brushing my wet hair. “He’ll be downstairs in five minutes. He’ll take you home to get dressed and then drop you off at work.”
“Oh. You didn’t need to do that. I could’ve taken the train.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
My eyes did a quick sweep of the clothes Gray had thrown on to go running. A second skin, black Under Armor shirt and a pair of running shorts.
“I like your outfit.”
“Oh yeah?” He stalked over to me and wrapped his hands behind my back. “I’ll wear it every day, then.”
“I think it might start to smell after a while.”
“I’ll buy multiples.”
One hand slipped under the back of my shirt and began to caress my skin. It froze where my bra should’ve been, and then felt around, as if he was verifying his initial conclusion.
“You’re not wearing a bra.”
“I shoved it in my purse. I wore it yesterday.”
His hand traveled from my back to my front and cupped a bare breast. “I like this. Easy access. But I don’t like the thought of you traveling like this on the train.”
“I’m not taking the train. You just said Al was picking me up.”
“Yes, but you didn’t know that when you got dressed.”
“Well, then it worked out nicely, didn’t it?”
Gray squinted at me and pinched my nipple. “Wise ass.”
I reached up on my tiptoes and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “If you don’t like the thought of me riding the train with no bra, you probably would’ve hated that I have no underwear on either.”
Gray mumbled something about self-control right before his lips crashed down on mine. He kissed me passionately, and it was the first time since Max had walked into my office that things felt normal again between us. I sighed into his mouth, and he backed me toward the bed. I barely registered my back hitting the soft mattress, but I definitely felt the erection prodding at my hip. As much as I hated to, I forced myself to cut things off before we went any farther.