Piper’s mouth hung open. “That’s it?” she whispered.
I shrugged. “For now.”
I double-checked on my phone that I could see the baby monitor camera properly. It was propped on her bassinet, but sometimes I inadvertently moved it and the angle changed. Once we were all set, I motioned for Piper to leave the room and then closed the door.
“Wow, that was so easy.”
“Don’t jinx it,” I warned her. “If she wakes up, it’s not so easy to put her back to sleep.”
“Hmm. Still, a victory is a victory.”
Taking Piper’s hand, I led her down the hallway.
Once we were in the living room, I asked, “Do you want anything to drink?”
“Tea or water. Unless you’d like me to leave?”
All of a sudden, she seemed uncomfortable. She put her hands on her hips and looked around, as if she wasn’t sure what to do next.
“Piper, what’s wrong?”
One cheek hollowed in, and then the other one did too. Then she pressed her lips together. “I don’t know. I suddenly feel super out of place.”
I appreciated how honest she was, but that was not good. She belonged here.
“Don’t be. I invited you here. I want you with me. With us.” I cupped her face with both hands, and her muscles relaxed, her arms lowering to her sides. “I have a dangerous idea.”
“You’re full of them today,” she teased. “But I did like every single one you’ve had so far, so hit me. What is it?”
“Spend the night here.”
Her eyes went wide. “You want me to stay?”
“Yeah. And then tomorrow, if you don’t have any plans?—”
“I don’t,” she said quickly. She was almost breathless.
“Then we can do something together. With Charlotte, too, of course.”
“I’d love that.” Her eyes lit up when I mentioned my daughter.
Fucking hell!I cared for her more than she could know. More than I could even believe.
“I didn’t bring anything to change into, though.”
“We can drop by your place tomorrow morning so you can change.”
“That’ll work.” She rose onto her toes, putting her hands on my arms. I was still cupping her face. “So, you want me here, huh?”
Fuck yes. I want you here every night,a voice said at the back of my mind.
The thought completely rattled me. I instantly knew I was ready for that, but I didn’t say it out loud. My life was moving forward at an insane speed, and maybe this wasn’t what she was looking for right now. The last thing I wanted was to scare her off.
“So, then, gorgeous woman, considering you’re staying the night, I can more than take care of you. Would you like to change your order from tea to something else?”
“Yes, please. I’ll have a Sazerac with a side of sexy man.”
I grinned. “Coming right up.”
