Page 64 of Honeymoon Phase
“You mean you’re not a virgin?” Trista sputters out a laugh, her curly chestnut hair looking bigger and bigger with every bar stop
I just shake my head and quietly tuck the tiny slips of fabric away. Imagining wearing that in front of Luke has my cheeks flushing with heat that I really don’t need these ladies to call me out on.
He’s been texting me all day, checking in to make sure I’m doing okay. I sent him a pic of us and the girls at the last bar and he sent me a couple of beer mugs cheers-ing each other.
Maybe I should send him a pic of this lingerie and see what he has to say to that. That would be too weird, right? He’d think I was a creep. Or a pervert. I know there’s been some typeof flirting happening between us lately. Even last night after I trauma dumped my mommy issues on him, we had a moment in the kitchen where I was showing him how to prep my bread and I swear to God, I think he was hard while he was doing it.
I mean... I’m not judging him for it. I get horned up when I make bread too. But Luke was definitely not just interested in the bread making last night. Not with the way his chocolate-brown eyes raked over me every time my hands touched his to help him with the dough.
The man has great hands.
Large and warm and rough in all the right places.
“I’ve never worn lingerie for Wyatt,” Trista says with a frown. “Maybe I should try it. Spice things up a bit again now that Stevie is older and sleeping through the night.”
“Oh please.” Dakota rolls her eyes. “You two do not need any help spicing things up. You’re going to be pregnant again soon enough.”
“No I’m not!” Trista points an accusatory finger at Dakota. “Animal rescue facility first. Then we can talk about baby number two.”
“Where are you at with the rescue center, Trista?” Cozy asks, sipping her White Claw.
“Luke is drawing up a proposal for me now.” She smiles brightly. “I can’t believe I’m really doing it. I’m going to build my own rescue center on Fletcher Mountain or as I like to call it... Mount Millie.”
Cozy leans over to me and says, “It took the entire family to strong-arm Trista into accepting the plot of land from Wyatt.”
“Oh really? How come?” I ask Trista.
“Because I don’t need to be saved by a man, damn it!” Trista harrumphs and takes a sip of her drink. “But Wyatt is so damn pushy.”
“Calder too,” Dakota confirms.
“Max is unreasonable!” Cozy chimes in.
“They always try to white-knight us.” Trista narrows her eyes as she tosses her drink straw onto the table. “And even if you have valid reasons for going against what they want for you, they just strong-arm you until you give in.”
All three women voice their tones of agreement and then look expectantly at me to join in. I hesitate with how to respond because, honestly, I fully agree with them. Luke white-knighted his way into matrimony with me, being so insistent I marry him and no one else that he learned how to be a lumberjack for me.
That’s outrageous!
And sweet as hell.
If I think about it too much, I get tears in my eyes.
But admittedly, as a husband... he kind of rocks. “I wish I could join you ladies and tell you that Luke is a pain in my ass but I’m afraid I can’t. He’s just too amazing.”
“Shut up,” Dakota groans.
“No really, he is,” I reply honestly. “And he’s fun. Like last night when I showed him how to stretch and fold sourdough—”
“Is that what the kids are calling it now?” Dakota sputters out a laugh.
My cheeks flame red. “That is not what I meant. You guys know I make bread.”
“Oh yeah... make bread.” Trista begins making lewd hand gestures.
“Did his dough rise to the occasion?” Cozy waggles her eyebrows at me.
“Do you think he tried to pump-her-nickel?” Trista chirps and bursts into a fit of giggles.
