Page 102 of Bountiful
“Sure? Actually, if you want to save the day, take her outside for a few minutes. She’d love to run around in the grass. Unless you two were on your waysomewhere.”
“We were going for a cheater’s hike up Skaggs Hill,” Castro said. He was an attractive guy in his mid-twenties. “We can walk around hereinstead.”
I lifted Nicole out of the baby carrier. “Hey, Dave? Watch that she doesn’t run straight for theriver.”
He grinned at me. “Really? Babies in the river are abadidea?”
“Well,Ijust…”
His smile grew. “I know—I’m the rookie. But I won’t take my eyesoffher.”
“Me neither, ma’am,” Castro said. “I won’t take my eyes off either oneof’em.”
“I’m sold.” I set Nicole on the floor. “Want to go outside with your daddy?” It was the first time I’d referred to Dave like that out loud in front of him. It felt weird rolling off mytongue.
Nicole didn’t have a problem with it, though. She bolted around the counter and kept on toddling toward theopendoor.
“There’s a shot on goal!” Castro said, just as Dave leaned down to head off her break for freedom. “But the keeper makesthesave.”
“You two should take that routine out on the road.” I lifted the Bjorn off my tired body and tossed it onto a hook on the wall. “Thanks fordoingthis.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Dave came closer to the counter and then beckoned. I leaned forward and he kissed my cheek sweetly. I felt my neck heat with pleasure. “We’ll run her around for a while. How long until you’redonehere?”
“Depends when the repairman shows up.” I was exhausted, and also starving because I hadn’t had a lunch break. I’d probably end up eating cookies for dinner, which always made me feel rundownafterward.
“Okay. Then I won’trushback.”
“If she starts wailing, you might rush back,” I said, trying not to get lost in those green eyes. “My mother said she didn’t have agreatnap.”
He turned to go, Nicole held in his bulky arms. “I’ll take my chances.” He winked, and turned towalkout.
My heart seized up at the sight of her disappearing with him. “Wait!” I called, feeling like a loon. What my heart meant was,Waitforme.
He turned patiently, and both he and Nicole waited calmly. I was the only one having heart palpitations. “She needs her hat,” I said, unsticking myself from the spot behind the counter and running to grab it out of my bag. “She sunburnseasily.”
“Ah,” Dave said. “I’m familiar with the problem.” He pointed at his own hat—a BrooklynBruiserscap.
“Your team color is purple?” I asked, crossing to the twoofthem.
“Yeah. Don’t judge.” His eyes were smiley. I trusted him. I really did. But it still weirded me out to see him holding mybabygirl.
I fit Nicole’s little white fisherman’s hat onto her head, and tucked the elastic belowherchin.
She grunted unhappilyaboutit.
Dave kissed me on the cheek one more time. Then I watched them walk out the door, feeling sad that they were leaving me and giddy that he offered and exhausted and every other human emotion, allatonce.
ChapterThirty
Dave
“Your lady is stressed out,”Castro said as we watched Nicole climb the wrong way up a tiny plastic slide behind thebakery.
“Yeah,” I agreed, noticing that I didn’t mind very much that he’d referred to Zara as mine. Hell, I could even think “my baby” pretty easily now without panic. Notmuchpanic, anyway. “Castro, is the baby gonna do a header off that thing?” Iasked.
He shook his head. “That’s kinda the point of the baby slide—to learn your limits. Do you think your mama grabbed your little butt off the babyslide?”
I snorted. “My mama was probably getting high in the bathroom with the doorlocked.”
