Page 74 of Under the Influence

His words act as a tonic for my frazzled brain. I rest my head against his chest and let reality override the anxiety I’ve been gripped with all day.

Keeping me pinned to him, Duke strokes my back and says, “Tomorrow, we could change up our plans. I could drop by for lunch with your family. Then, you could come over to my place for dinner and stay the night.”

“Are you truly okay with the baby?” I ask, gripping his shirt tighter. “It’s so soon.”

“I plan to keep you,” he murmurs. “That means another kid.”

Holding him tight, I look up at his handsome face and whisper, “You might get a son.”

“Yeah, but my kid will need to fight Val’s kid to see who runs things in twenty years. By then, I’ll be more concerned with my achy knees and whatever lame hobby I’ve taken up in my old age.”

Frowning at him, I point out, “Your ma isn’t lame. My grandparents aren’t lame. Jared is still one of the coolest guys in town. You won’t be lame, either.”

“I hope you’re right. As for the baby, don’t worry about me bailing or having a panic attack or anything,” Duke says and glances around to make sure no one is listening.

His gaze returns to me as he explains, “Clover was an accident. Kerrie and I only wanted a single kid. But once I found out she was pregnant, I kept thinking about Lola as a baby and got excited about the new one.”

Smiling, I like how Duke’s eyes light up when he talks about his girls. “I’m sorry I’m so emotional,” I say, wishing I could have handled the entire day with more grace. “I lost control of myself today.”

“Edith, life is messy. People fuck up. But things worked out today, right? Your parents are okay with us. My girls are incredibly relieved to learn I haven’t fallen for a stripper,” he says, making me smile. “And we’re going to have a kid.”

Duke kisses my smiling lips. I’m so exhausted after today. I want nothing more than to sleep until tomorrow when I can hopefully think clearly again.

“Maybe I can come over tonight,” I suggest, missing waking up next to him in the morning.

Duke sighs deeply and remains silent for a long time. “As much as I don’t want to leave you again, you’re worn out. Tomorrow, we’ll start fresh.”

“We don’t need to sneak around anymore as if we were doing something wrong. Are you nervous about that?”

“I’m not nervous about anything,” Duke says with complete conviction. “A few months ago, I thought I was dying. I worried my family and the meatheads would be left unprotected. Now, I know they’re safe.”

Duke strokes my back and continues, “I also have this new start with you. Everything came together today because chaos is normal around here. I can get used to this kind of thinking.”

Duke’s tone makes me smile. He’s falling under the homestead’s spell.

“Embracing chaos will probably help your relationship with Val,” I suggest. “But I’m okay with less drama.”

Duke chuckles as his gaze takes in the homestead. “If you get a house here, we can stay over once a week.”

“Two nights a week.”

Duke cocks an eyebrow, hearing me challenge him. “We’ll see.”

“You might as well give into me now rather than tempting an Earlham tantrum.”

Leaning down, Duke kisses my throat and shorts out my plan to bully him. I slide my hands under his shirt and hopefully derail his plans to use my horniness to win the argument.

DUKE, AKA PAPA BEAR SOOTHING HIS CUB

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Edith and I stick close together for the rest of the party. I suspect her father wants to speak to me alone. I fully expected more pushback from him. Instead, Donovan knew for weeks and let Edith keep her secret.

As Edith and I keep to ourselves, the homestead’s lanterns turn on, giving the area between houses a warm, festive glow. We glance in the direction of Lola chasing Val with a water pistol. Halfway across the grassy space, he turns and starts chasing her. Even from a distance, I can hear my daughter’s laughter.

“I can’t imagine I’ll ever chase you with a water pistol,” I tell Edith when she gets emotional about me leaving soon. “I did stock up on water pistols at my house. So, if you’re within range, I’ll likely shoot you.”

Edith gives me a little smile. “Tomorrow feels scary.”

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