Tumble (Dogwood Lane, #1)(62)

“Yeah.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, my hand squeezing his thigh, I look back at him. I give myself a moment to panic, to wish I had taken the job. Those things never come. Instead, the longer I sit beside him, the better I feel. “I just turned it down.”

“You did?”

“I did.”

In one swift movement, he sits up and grabs me around the waist. I’m beside him on his white comforter before I know what’s happening. He strokes my cheek with the pad of his thumb and gazes into my eyes.

“Can I say I’m glad you didn’t take it?” he asks.

“You can. I’m glad I didn’t take it too.”

“Can I ask why you didn’t take it?”

“They offered me five sick days.” I snort. “And it’s another six blocks from my apartment.”

He grins, but it’s not wide or joyful. “Everyone needs more than five sick days.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” I link my leg over his.

“Are you still job hunting?”

“Yeah. I mean, I have bills to pay. I just can’t find anything that checks all the boxes I need checked.”

He nods. “Until you find something, I hope you’ll let me check some of your boxes, if you catch my drift.”

Laughing, I scoot closer to him. “I thought you owed me one?”

“No, you owe me one.”

He rolls me over onto my back and smothers me with kisses. Thoughts of New York float away as I fall under Dane’s spell.





CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

DANE

My usual, please, Claire.” I turn away from the counter and head to a little table by the door. Grabbing a seat next to Haley, I let out a yawn.

“Tired?” she prods.

“Yeah.”

“I heard you had a little slumber party last night. According to my sources, Neely stayed all night.”

“Your source is nine years old and unreliable,” I say, taking a cup of coffee from Claire. “She left really late, so it wasn’t technically all night.”

Haley rolls her eyes. “Semantics.”

“Facts.” I take a sip of the hot beverage, hoping it wakes me up. I haven’t woken up this happy and delirious in a long damn time.

Claire bends forward. “Neely stayed all night with you?”

“No, eavesdropper. She came over. She left. If you’re gonna spy on people’s conversations, at least get them right.”

Claire laughs, shoving a pen back in the apron around her waist. “I’m a waitress. Eavesdropping is part of the job description.”

“So give us the details,” Haley suggests. “What happened? Is she moving in yet?”

My finger drags around the brim of my cup. I wish she were. I wish I could tell them she was never leaving me again, but that’s not true. Although after last night, it might be more of a possibility than I’d imagined.

“She’s not moving in, but she did turn down a job offer,” I say with a hint of smugness.

“Yes!” Haley fist pumps. “I’m so invested in this.”

Claire shakes her head. “This is the way things should be. Neely back home, living with you. Pregnant, but I’ll give you some time on that.”

“Gee, thanks,” I croak.

Claire laughs and goes back to the front of the restaurant.

“Forget babies, although I can’t wait to have another little Mia to watch. Wait,” Haley says, holding up a hand. “That needs to be a deal breaker for you.”

“I’m not following along.”

“Neely has to agree I can watch your babies. Some women come in and shove out the poor nanny, especially if the nanny was hired before she came around. Let her know I’m not, in any way, shape, or form wanting her job. I just want to watch the babies.”

I laugh, but secretly my balls are tightening. The thought of having a baby with Neely is foreplay. The idea of her swollen with my child feels so good it aches.

“I’ll put that in the deal,” I promise. “No cock unless Haley gets to watch the results.”

“That’s a gross way to put it, but it gets the point across. I think,” she says, clearly confused. “Anyway, how do you feel about things?”

“You know what? I’m feeling pretty damn good.”

“I love seeing you in love.” She sighs, cupping her cheeks with her hands. “It’s so beautiful.”

“I didn’t say I was in love. I just said I was feeling good.” I try to put in words what I feel without getting too cheesy. “She just fits right into my life. Mia loves her. She seems to really love Mia too.” I shrug. “It feels right.”

“Sounds like my kind of conversation,” Penn says. He drops into a seat by Haley. “So, what feels right? Are we doing a round-robin sort of thing?”

Haley gives him a blank stare. “You have a one-track mind.”

“So?”

“So? Don’t you think it’s time to grow up some, Penn? Maybe focus on investing money or buying a house? Something besides hooking up with the next girl you meet.”

“Right now I’m focused on hooking up with you.”

“Forget it,” she says. “Not happening.”