Page 41 of Dirty Puck

The only feelings he had for me stirred in his pants, but this was the deal and with her buying it, Reece got to ease a little stress too. “We had it out and he admitted some things to me. Despite that little incident, you’ve raised a good son.”

“The best,” she gushed.

“So, Ma, we’re coming up today and staying until tomorrow night.”

The woman gasped. “Oh, Baker! This is amazing.”

“I wanted to surprise you, but Bree’s little guy and her surrogate grandmother are coming too.”

“This day just keeps getting better. I have to get going—so much to do.”

“Let the aides help you. I don’t want you tiring yourself out.”

“You worry too much. Love you,” she said before hanging up.

“Normally, I’d be so nervous that I’d feel like puking, but she sounded so welcoming, I don’t feel nervous at all.”

“Thank you. This means a lot. I know it’s part of the deal, but still…”

I kissed him. I couldn’t help it. “Right. I have to shower her son off of me.”

“You can shower me off all you want. Won’t keep you from smelling me on you because I’ll be there for the foreseeable future.”

“You’re an idiot.” I picked up my pillow, tossing it at his head, and then ran into the bathroom. My muscles screamed at me. Some of them giving me what-for and some of them inviting me to let Reece do that to us again. I agreed with them all.

It hurt a bit but after a good scrub-down, I dried myself and dressed in a comfortable cotton jumpsuit with a faux wrap front blouse. Given we only planned to stay until tomorrow night, I packed enough for three days. I packed Benny for four. What? Little kids were prone to spilling.

“We have time to get you packed?” I asked.

No need. He chuckled as he walked over to the closet, pulling a leather overnight bag from the floor.

“When?”

“While you were at work. Claudia let me in.”

I stared at him. He brought the bag before asking me to visit his mom? What if we couldn’t have arranged it?

“Don’t look so constipated. I started sleeping here, thought I’d leave a bag.”

Okay, well that made perfect sense, but I hardly looked constipated. Maybe concerned. Just in case, I reached up to feel my face and—oof!I dropped the look right away. He threw his head back laughing and pulled me in for a kiss.

The travel arrangements, I left to Reece. He told me he paid. For everything. I had to be okay with that. By 10:00a.m., we were in the air. Benny had never been on a plane before. It could’ve gone one of a few ways, but my boy watched out the window, smiling the whole time. Reece got us on one of those little connector flights. One and a half hours after taking off, we landed in Arlington, Virginia,where he rented us a SUV. He’d even remembered to bring Benny’s car seat.

Arlington was a busy place. His mother lived in a town called Falls Church. Just like any small city, it had an older section and a newer one. Plenty of churches and bars. I imagined a little Baker Reece growing up here. He pointed out the school where he’d played lacrosse. “Wait—lacrosse?” I asked. “You didn’t play hockey?”

“We didn’t have a program at the school. I played in a club league. We were state champions. I liked lacrosse and it got me a lot of p—” He started to saypussywhen I glared at him and I knew this when he corrected himself. “Dates.”

I just shook my head. Of course it did. A guy who looked like Baker Reece was bound to attract the attention of the opposite sex. Throw in a sweaty, physical game like lacrosse and it wasn’t a stretch to imagine teenage panties combusting as he’d walked by any given girl on any given day.

“Don’t worry. I was a gentleman. They got dates out of me, not just my dick.”

“Reece,” I admonished, glancing back at Miss Claudia who sat snickering.

“That’s another thing: you still call me Reece. You’re not my teammate—you’re my woman. Would it kill you to call me Baker?”

“It’s so foreign on my tongue, like I’m breaking some rule.”

“Baby,” he replied, laughing and God, I secretly loved it when he called me baby. Something about how he said it.

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