Page 53 of Draft Pick

But I still had difficulty believing that to be true in all cases. I wanted to believe that Adelita felt like part of our family and not just because my dad paid her well to stay.

“I picked up the skills here and there,” I answered, hedging around the truth. “I’ve always liked tinkering in the kitchen. I think learning comes naturally when you start with a genuine interest.”

That part was true.

Her eyes sparkled with admiration, admitting, “I’m not great in the kitchen. I can do some basic stuff but I do eat a lot of cereal.”

“I can teach you,” I offered. “It could be fun.”

“We’ll see,” she said with a cautious smile, clearly communicating that I was still on probation and she wasn’t about to make plans until she felt more secure. I couldn’t fault her for that. I really fucked up. This was my penance.

I whipped the potatoes, using heavy cream, enough butter to make a Southerner proud, and just the right amount of salt and pepper to give it some kick.

I pulled the garlic bread from the oven, sliced it, and then plated our dinner. Maybe in another life, I’d be a chef because the level of satisfaction I got from plating a well-done meal was almost obscene.

I set her plate down in front of her at the small table with a deferential murmur, “Bon appetit madame,” and her little giggle was worth every challenge leading up to this point.

“Very nice, Chef Ramsay,” she said, waiting for me to sit opposite her before taking an exploratory bite. But the second the bite hit her tastebuds, her expression changed to genuine delight. “Holy shit, you weren’t lying, this is delicious. Wow, like, really good.”

I laughed, enjoying how her reaction sent tingles down my spine. Her joy meant something to me. I wanted to see that reaction on her face every day. Maybe it was weird, but there was a primal enjoyment of feeding the woman carrying my child. Like I was a caveman throwing down a freshly killed sabertooth tiger for my woman to gnaw on.

I was seconds away from pounding on my chest and bellowing my dominance to the neighborhood.

“Glad you like it,” I said, pretending it was no big deal. “Like I said, I like to play around in the kitchen.” A sobering thought came to me. Starlie just admitted she couldn’t cook and ate cereal most days. How was she going to feed my kid with skills like that?Definitely don’t bring that up just yet. Most people got prickly when you pointed out their flaws.

All the more reason to make sure I didn’t fumble tonight.

Starlie surprised me when she teased, “This is a point in your favor. A man who can cook is very sexy. Not that you needed help in that department.”

I grinned. “Good to know.”

But her playful smile faded as if her private thoughts weren’t as complimentary to my presence in her life, and I knew I still had so far to go to make up for how I’d dropped the ball. I’d already explained my actions, and if I kept pleading my case, I’d sound pathetic and needy. Time to change gears.

“I want to know more about you, Starlie,” I said.

“Wouldn’t you rather know more about the pregnancy?” She asked, surprised. “Like my due date, doctor’s appointments, all that stuff?”

“I do,” I admitted, “but we’ll get to that. I want to know more about the woman about to have my baby.”

She shivered as if my words had just caressed the sensitive skin down her back, and I wanted to rip her clothes off and press kisses up and down every inch of her soft skin. I stuffed down the primal impulses and forced myself to take a bite of my steak with all the chill I could muster.

“What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know. Anything, I guess. Whatever you feel comfortable sharing.”

She took a minute, then said, “Um, well, I’m an only child of a single mom. My mom died of cancer when I was a senior in high school, and I’ve been on my own since. I enjoy working with kids, so I figured a career in child development would be a good fit, but honestly, I just kinda fell into my career choice. I don’t regret my choice, though. Although, I never imagined I’d be pregnant before I graduated.”

The pang of guilt must’ve shown on my face because Starlie admitted, “I’m sure you never imagined it would happen to you like this either.”

I had to tread cautiously. She was already too close to cutting me out on the excuse that it was best, and I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire, but yeah, I never would’ve imagined this happening.

I chuckled ruefully, saying, “To be honest, I’ve always been religious about protection. I can’t believe I slipped like that. I want you to know, I take full responsibility. I’m not one of those guys who assume that protection is always the woman’s responsibility. I fucked up but you know, things happen for a reason, right? So, maybe it was meant to be.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“I want to.”

She went still, and I panicked that I’d inadvertently said something wrong already.

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