Second Chance Baby (Crescent Cove #18)

Chapter 9

NINE

I woke the next morning curled up in Travis’s bed, somehow wearing my panties and a soft, well-worn flannel nightshirt. The strong, sharp odor of fresh coffee made me smile even before I opened my eyes and then I reached for him, finding the bed—and the bedroom—empty.

But then I sniffed again and took in the telltale scent of pancakes, something Travis had once made for me more mornings than not when we’d first lived together after high school graduation.

My stomach let out a truly enormous roar and I cupped it, finding I had yet another even more pressing need than to eat. I hurried off to the en suite bathroom to heed the call of nature before I washed up and returned to find my phone leaping all over the nightstand since the ringer was still off and it had been set to vibrate.

I picked it up to answer my agent’s call, noting that it was after noon. Holy hell, how had I slept so long? I hadn’t slept so long in literally years.

Which was probably why you needed it.

“Bridget? Are you okay? I was just about to send out the cops.”

I started laughing though I quickly stopped when I realized Elaine wasn’t laughing. At all.

“I’m so sorry, I had my phone off.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it actually is. It’s actually better than okay.” I let out a wistful sigh as Carrington let out a boisterous laugh right before I heard a sharp bark and another laugh I recognized as my niece’s.

A bark? What the heck?

“Hey, Elaine, just a second, okay?” I held the phone against my shoulder as I padded barefoot down the hall then down the stairs to where Carrington and Amerie were running around in circles with a golden lab puppy scampering after them.

Travis was watching the current melee with a spatula in his hand. He was also barefoot and bare-chested, making me swallow hard.

God, he was a sight.

“Afternoon, sleeping beauty.” His voice was so rich, raspy, and arousing.

At once, my nipples beaded under his flannel nightshirt. At least I assumed it was his, because who else’s could it be? It certainly wasn’t mine.

But maybe it would be after this, since I had no intention of returning it.

The fire in the living room fireplace was simmering on low, and Carrington ran over to wrap her arms around me. “You’re still here, Mom. Did you see the puppy? He’s so cute. But he doesn’t have any balls,” she added in a whisper, making a cutting motion with her fingers. “He’s been snipped, Aunt Lacey said.”

“I sure am still here.” I gave her a big hug and laughed. “Good to know. So, she, uh, gave us a dog?”

Panic started flaring inside me. So many changes all at once. But I shut my eyes and counted backward, using a coping technique I’d learned to center myself. Within a minute or two, my heartbeat slowed enough for me to breathe through the uneasiness.

Travis nodded. “Your sister was worried about you since she’d planned on catching up with you after the shoot, and then you just vanished.”

“Um, yeah, we kinda did.” I rubbed the phone against my suddenly speeding heart and then lifted it to show him. “Yeah, Elaine just called too.”

“No problem.” His dimples flashed. “I figured she would.”

“Sorry,” I said into my cell. “There’s a lot going on.”

“Oh, I just bet judging from that shoot. Which we will need to reshoot some of. Not sure we can edit enough to make it PG.”

I had to laugh. “Oh, right. Of course. And I promise we’ll connect about that later. Just I need some time right now, okay?” I let out a long sigh at her clearly annoyed expelled breath. “I’m in my hometown, Elaine. I know the shoot kinda went off the rails, but?—”

“That’s one way to put it. And my damn phone has been ringing off the hook with people who want more of you both. Together.”

As my gaze locked with Travis, I barely listened to what my agent was saying. He walked over to me and Carrington, wrapping an arm around both of us before he leaned up to grip my chin and took my mouth in a soft, sweet kiss. I startled and began to move back, but he placed a stilling hand on my backside, holding me in place. “Dad explained it to me,” Carrington said calmly. “How you two made up or whatever, and now you’re going to be together. Since you took dirty pictures together.”

“Care Bear, that is not what I said.”

She shrugged and rubbed her fingers together, summoning the dog. “His name is Biscuit, and now he’s mine since Amerie said Aunt Lacey wanted us to have him for like a gift.”

I frowned, dazedly shaking my head. “She said what? How did we end up with a dog from my sister?”

“Because Aunt Lacey thought we needed one.” As Amerie ran off to play with some dolls scattered on the floor, Carrington leaned up and whispered, “They got the dog, but Amerie is too rough with him. At least right now. She might do better with him seeing how I play with him.”

I rubbed my eyes. “Have I been asleep for a week or does it just feel that way?”

Travis laughed. “Nope, just was one night and now it’s later in the day. Oh, and both of the girls had a resource day at school.” He hauled Carrington into a loose headlock.

She squealed, then it turned into giggles. “Daddy!”

“She conveniently forgot to tell me about it, so a movie night last night was actually fine.” He kissed her forehead and let her go. “It wasn’t a school night at all. But tonight is, so it will have to be a much earlier night.”

There was no missing the twinkling in his denim-blue eyes.

Apparently, not even for Carrington. “So, you can have more sex,” she said matter-of-factly while I wished that I could disappear into the floor.

The second she ran off to scold the puppy now climbing all over the furniture, I laughed helplessly as I poked Travis’s arm. “Dirty pictures, really?”

“I said nothing about dirty pictures, thank you very much. Blame your sister.”

“Where is she, anyway?” A quick stab of guilt hit me that I’d missed everything this morning.

“She got called into work.”

“I’m sorry, Travis. I didn’t mean to?—”

“Stop. She’s family. I don’t mind, and she’s keeping Care Bear busy.”

I sighed. “Okay.”

“Besides, Lacey was worried as hell about you until she heard the rumor we’d stripped down to our birthday suits for some special pictures. Air quotes included.”

“Dear God.” I covered my face with my hands.

“She insisted on coming over here to see if you were okay for herself. Pretty sure she was more worried about offloading the dog. He was running wild, and Amerie apparently wasn’t reacting appropriately. More air quotes. So, hey, did we want a dog?”

“I’ll talk to her.”

He shook his head. “She’s going to have to bring him back to the shelter if we don’t take Biscuit.”

“Travis…” My overwhelm had a scoop of anxiety on top. I couldn’t believe my sister had sprung this on him with zero warning.

No, that wasn’t exactly true. Lacey had a very full plate, and she was the opposite from me. She had no problem telling people she needed help, so I was certain she’d spelled out the situation to Travis.

Amerie was a handful on her best days. A dog was a huge responsibility that my sister should have thought through a bit more.

“I guess her place is really small,” he added, “and her new boyfriend is allergic.”

I frowned. “Allergic to small places? Or dogs? And since when does she have a boyfriend?” I almost stomped my foot with the exasperation invading my sweet little family bubble. “And who mentioned sex to Carrington?”

“Also, your lusty sister.”

I shook my head and lifted my cell again. “Elaine, we will talk later, I promise. Just there’s too much going on right now for me to even have hope of focusing on anything related to the shoot. But we will talk very soon. Promise, mean it.”

I clicked off before she could respond.

“Dirty pictures?” I repeated once more, still in shock.

He snickered. “Lacey started explaining what she’d heard in town about the shoot in full view of our daughter.”

I pressed my hand against my suddenly aching temple. Stress headache, right on cue. “My agent said something about people wanting more of us.”

“Yeah, so did Daphne before I told her I had to go because the pancakes were burning. I said I’d get back to her.” He laughed and took my hands. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Carrington has been begging for a dog forever. This just worked out, that’s all.”

“How can you be so okay with everything?”

“Look how happy she is.” He turned me toward the living room where the girls were quietly playing with Biscuit.

Maybe I still struggled to roll with the punches, but I was learning more every day.

I sighed. “She does, doesn’t she?” Carrington rolled onto her back and the puppy scrambled on top of her, licking her chin. Our daughter playfully pushed him back while Amerie studied them in the serious way she had sometimes.

“That’s why,” he said quietly before he brushed my ear with his lips absently.

My stomach decided it was a good time to let out a loud growl.

“Hungry, huh? I made a ton. I remembered how you loved your pancakes and figured we’d worked up a good appetite last night.” He tugged down the shoulder of his flannel nightshirt to kiss my collarbone. “And this morning.”

I turned in his arms. “We sure did, but man, I slept as if I was in a damn coma.”

“Orgasm as sedative puts a body to sleep best of all.” He whisked a fingertip under my eye. “You still look exhausted.”

“Yeah, you too.”

“As a rule, I don’t sleep all that much. But I slept great last night.” He hauled me against him, lifting me up so that I felt duty bound to scissor my legs back and forth as if he was kidnapping me. He was taking me to the kitchen, which was where I wanted to go, but that wasn’t the point.

I let the worries fall away and allowed myself to feel playful in a way I hadn’t in years.

No analysis needed there.

We ate pancakes, and I drank approximately a gallon of coffee before I went back for not only seconds of the pancakes, but thirds. Heavily drizzled with butter and syrup to boot. And then Travis found some blackberries in the crisper that needed to be eaten soon, so we feasted on those too, dipping them in whipped cream and honey—and then even maple syrup, which was a surprisingly delicious combo.

We were relaxing in our chairs, rubbing our bellies and groaning, when Biscuit ran through the room with Amerie and Carrington in hot pursuit. Biscuit was carrying something in his mouth I couldn’t make out. Then he flew over the table, knocking over glasses and plates, which luckily, were only paper. Silverware also went clattering before the puppy landed on the floor, legs sprawled in all directions.

Nimbly, he leaped to his feet and kept going, easily eluding the pursuing children, who chased him down the hall through the living room and then upstairs, screeching all the while.

The children, not the dog.

Biscuit, for his efforts, seemed to be having a fine time with whatever orange item he was currently toting like a prized possession. Then he reversed course and tumbled down the stairs he’d just raced up, going head over rump several times but reaching the bottom in one piece.

Thank God.

He gave Travis a dopey smile with his tongue lolling out just before Travis plucked the slipper out of the dog’s mouth and held it above his head like a trophy. “Biscuit, do not steal slippers. This is not yours. This is Carrington’s. You understand me?” His voice was supremely patient, and he never raised it once.

It was a damn miracle I didn’t swoon. He was such a good daddy. How had I gotten so lucky?

“Dad, my slipper is gonna be full of dog slobber.”

“No, it won’t. You know why? Because I’m gonna toss it in the washer and get it all clean, so don’t worry.”

Amerie propped her hands on her hips just as Carrington liked to do. “Glad Biscuit didn’t take my slipper.”

“Did you bring any over here?” Travis asked patiently.

“No. I wore sneakers.” She lifted her foot to demonstrate that fact. “I forgot to take them off in the house.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. You’re fine. We’re not formal around here. But maybe we will have to be now?” He cast a look at me as if he expected me to institute some kind of footwear policy. That was not me in any way.

I waved a hand. “Nope. Shoes or not are good. Either way.” But I rose and looked around at the mess on the floor. “But where’s the trash bags? I’ll start cleaning up.”

“Mom, I can do it,” Carrington announced, rushing off and then returning with a large white trash bag. “Since Biscuit is my dog, it’s my job to clean up after him.”

“That’s right,” Travis said proudly, raising his brows at me as if he was as surprised by this turn of events as I was. “Have you let him out to pee yet? Or poop?”

“No, I thought we’d take him for a family walk. You know, as a family,” she said, enunciating carefully as she looked at her father and me and even Amerie in turn. “We can all go, right? Though, Mom, you need pants.”

“Very good point.” I rose and bit my lip. “I can wear yesterday’s outfit. All good. Not as if I got it dirty.”

“I think you’ll be fine.”

“How?”

“Trust me, Brig. Oh, and did Lacey bring us any food for him?”

Carrington shoved plates into the bag. “She said he ate at home before he came here. I think she put what was left of his food in the garage next to what she called a horse’s ass.”

Um, no clue there. Maybe one of the decorations?

Travis seemed unconcerned. “Great. We’ll be right back.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me up the hallway and then we jogged upstairs.

At the top of the stairs, he framed my face in his hands and nipped my bottom lip, releasing a low groan. “Maple syrup and berries on your lips tastes heavenly.”

“It should. Why we devoured it like wild animals.”

“I also enjoy watching you eat. And breathe. And exist.” He pressed a kiss to the patch of skin on my chest revealed by the open top few buttons on his flannel nightshirt. It actually seemed as if he was trying to give me a hickey on purpose in a visible spot.

I mean, why not? People were already talking about our suddenly active once again sex life, so might as well have some more visible evidence.

“Think she’d roll with it if we took like a half hour to come down?”

I had to laugh. “You’re all about getting me knocked up fast, aren’t you?”

He stilled. “How do you feel about that?”