Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
“Your cabin is beautiful.” She keeps eyeing the bed and running her hands reverently over the pink blankets. She’s always cold, so I searched for the thickest, warmest ones I could find. “Where is Ollie’s bedroom?”
I show her the nursery. It’s filled with boxes of baby furniture that I haven’t even opened yet. I’ve only had Ollie in Courage County for twenty-four hours. I haven’t exactly had time to set up the nursery.
Her gaze softens when she sees the disarray. I can work with that. I hang my head and explain, “There are all these decisions with a new baby. Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start.”
She puts a hand on my arm, the simple touch sending electricity through me.
I look up at her, and she gives me a bright smile. It nearly blinds me, and I long more than anything to press my lips to hers, to know how soft and pillowy hers are. My cock surges at the thought, and I silently will myself to hold it together. I’m already one step closer to making Ivy mine forever. I have to be patient now.
“I can help you set up the nursery.”
“You have no idea what a lifesaver you are,” I say at the exact moment Ollie snorts in my arms. I glance at the little boy and will him to play along for a little bit longer. If I get my way, he won’t grow up calling Ivy his nanny. He’ll call her his mom.
Ivy
Hale gets hotter with every passing second. There’s something about watching him strip off his plaid button-down to reveal the white T-shirt and tattoos wrapping around his arms. The sight has me mesmerized, and it’s all I can do not to drool like Ollie is doing.
I shake the rattle in front of him and look at the hardwood floors. I note that we’ll need to put down a big area rug, so he has space for tummy time every day.
Ollie is behind on a couple of milestones. Hale explained that to me on the car ride up the mountain. He’s anxious to see Ollie hit them. I reassured him that his nephew would most likely catch up and that most babies grow at their own pace.
Hale’s cabin is beautiful, and it’s perfectly decorated. A lot of it looks like my dream home that I have saved to my online boards. But as I walked through the home, I quickly noticed that it hadn’t been baby-proofed yet. That’s something we’ll have to work on because Ollie will be crawling eventually.
“I guess we should start with the crib first.” Hale rubs the back of his neck, surveying the room filled with boxes of furniture. His raised arm causes his T-shirt to ride up and reveal a brief glimpse of his taut abdomen. His warm, golden skin has me wondering what it would be like to lick my way down his body.
“That sounds good,” I squeak out the words from a throat that’s too dry. “It looks like you bought him a lot of toys.”
The toybox in the corner is overflowing. Most of the toys are still in the packaging. Even if they weren’t, I doubt that Ollie could play with everything. It’s obvious that Hale is going to be one of those over-the-top dads, and something about the idea makes me want to smile.
Hale shrugs. “I don’t have a profile on him yet.”
“A profile?” I repeat.
He waves a hand as he produces a pocket knife from his blue jeans. He uses it to open the crib box, explaining as he works, “You know how it is. You keep a profile on the people that are important to you. What they like, what they dislike, what they need. It’s all data.”
I don’t quite know what to say to that. Sometimes when Hale opens his mouth, he completely surprises me. “Do you keep databases on everyone you know?”
“Just the people that are important to me.”
He removes the instructions and puts on a pair of black, square glasses that are giving me serious Clark Kent vibes. If only I weren’t a sucker for the nerds.
After reading the instructions twice, he carefully removes the pieces from the box. But I can tell by the expression on his face, he’s overwhelmed. I don’t want to insult him or make him feel bad, so I say softly, “It looks like a two-person job.”
We settle Ollie on a pile of blankets. Hale is funny, the way he makes a little cot for his nephew. I love the way he looks at him, the adoration on his face softens his normally harsh features. Ollie’s small body looks so safe and secure whenever he’s in Hale’s big hands.
“How did you end up moving to Courage County?” Hale asks as we work on the crib.
“I took a job working at a daycare in the next town over. I couldn’t find any affordable housing there, so I ended up renting an apartment here in town. When the daycare eventually closed, I was able to find an opening at Sinful Desserts. Kids are my passion, and I want to go to school so I can become a pediatrician.” My cheeks burn as I realize I admitted my deepest dream to Hale.