Page 77 of Surprise Mother Pucker

Storm nodded. “Yeah, I was hoping—if you’re okay with it—to set it up in my room tonight. You’re here, so if she needs you, you’re not far away at all. My room is opposite Eli’s, in fact.”

I chewed my lip. “Are you sure you want to do that?” I asked. “When she gets like this, she tends to wake up every few hours.”

Storm shrugged. “You’ve done it countless times. Let me do it this time. You need a solid night’s sleep. I don’t care if I’m extra tired tomorrow. I don’t have hockey practice until the evening, and I don’t have any classes. All the more time to spend with my girl.” He smiled down at her.

“If you’re sure…” I trailed off.

“He’s sure,” Charlie said as he left the kitchen, handing me a bottle of water, a steaming mug of tea also in his hands. “Between the four of us, we can get through this, though we won’t be anywhere near as good as you.”

Somehow, he had managed to say the exact right thing to make the tightness in my chest dissipate. The reassurance that I wasn’t being replaced put me at ease. I knew I needed to let go of doing everything for Charlotte; it would be good for everyone. She would get more time with her father and her pack, and I would get to rest a little more.

“Okay.” I turned to Eli. “Show me where I’ll be sleeping.”

Eli’s room was perfectly Eli. It was decorated in minimal cool gray tones and was exceptionally clean. The bed was piled high with several comforters in varying shades of gray.

“What’s with all the bedding?” I asked as he put my bag down on his desk chair.

“I wanted to make sure I had plenty for when you eventually stayed over. Not that I assumed you were definitely going to stay over. I was just hoping, really hoping.” He gave me a sheepish smile.

I looked back out into the hallway. It was quiet, except for the odd chatter of conversation, so clearly, my daughter was happy. “Do you really think they'll be okay tonight?”

Eli nodded. “I do. You’re nearby if they need anything, but you need rest,” he insisted. “Do you want a shower?”

“Yeah, I feel icky.”

“I’ve got an attached bathroom,” he said, gesturing to the door I’d thought was to a closet.

“Oh, good,” I sighed. “I’m guessing you don’t mind if I use it?”

Eli chuckled. “Kennedy, Iwantyou to use it. Please get your scent all over my place and make it smell a thousand times better. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m kind of obsessed with your scent.”

“The feeling is mutual,” I said, grabbing my bag.

“I’m going to go get us some snacks while you shower, okay?”

I nodded. “Anything chocolate would be a hit,” I informed him as I rummaged through my bag. My packing skills were abysmal, and I was missing a lot of things.

Eli quickly kissed me, and I leaned into it, melting into his embrace. I had missed him over the last week or two. He had been around, and so supportive, but while the whole thing with Storm was happening, we had cooled off a bit.

“I missed this,” I muttered happily.

“Me too,” Eli admitted. “Now I get you to myself all night.”

We reluctantly pulled away from one another, and I made my way into the shower.

Thankfully, his shower was just as clean as his room. You never knew with men. I’d heard far too many horror stories from my friends.

I made quick work of washing all the sweaty stale smell off me, keeping my hair up in a messy bun. Even though a small part of me wanted to take my hair down and wash it, so I would look good for them, I didn’t have the energy for that. Besides, they needed to get used to me in my natural state.

After a quick wash, I hopped out of the shower, wrapping myself in one of the towels that smelled like Eli. Rummaging through my bag, I cursed when I realized what set of pajamas I had packed. In my rush to get out of my house, I had grabbed the first things my hand touched. It was a tiny, strappy top that did nothing to contain my chest.

The only reason I’d worn it at home so much was because it had made whipping out a titty easy in the early days of trying to breastfeed Charlotte.

I had no intention of doing that in front of any of the guys, so I needed to figure out a plan B. Wrapping the towel tighter around me, I padded into the bedroom.

Eli wasn’t there, but Charlie was at the desk, clicking on Eli’s laptop.

“Hey!” he greeted me warmly. “Sorry, I just needed to email myself something. Is everything okay?”

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