CHAPTER 21
PIPER
True to his word,the next morning, Beckett took me by the house first so I could change before we started our day. Charlotte slept on the entire drive over, and he constantly checked on her in the rearview mirror. He really was a caring dad, and I found that very sexy. This man was special.
“Still want to go to the French Quarter, or have you changed your mind?” he asked.
“I want to go. I did promise your grandmothers I’d stop by their store too.”
Beckett laughed. “If you want to get out of that, I’m more than happy to help.”
“But I want a new perfume.” I pouted. I was anxious to see what they’d come up with exclusively for me.
“As you wish.”
Spending the night at his penthouse had been surreal and completely unexpected. I’d enjoyed every moment of it. I woke up in the middle of the night because Beckett had gone to soothe Charlotte. Seeing that snippet of their life together was a privilege.
My stomach rumbled as we approached the Quarter.
“Want to grab something to eat first?” he asked.
“Oh yeah. I like Celine and Isabeau, but it’s not a good idea to face them on an empty stomach.”
“You’re right about that,” Beckett said with a chuckle. He took my hand, kissing my wrist, all the while keeping his eyes on the road. “You’re definitely good with my grandmothers.”
“They make it so easy.”
He scoffed. “Don’t let their friendliness fool you. They can be very intimidating.”
“I have no doubt.”
“But they like you.”
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“It’s very easy to tell if they don’t like you. But they’ve embraced every single one of my brothers’ better halves.”
“That’s so cool.”
“Except perhaps Chad’s first wife.”
“Oh?” There had to be a story there.
“Yeah, Sarah. She’s Bella’s mom. Everyone tried to make her feel welcome, but she never really wanted to make an effort with the family.”
“That’s a shame.”
We arrived in the Quarter a short while later. Charlotte was such an angel. She didn’t wake up even as Beckett took her out of the car seat and put her in the carrier.
I pouted. Damn, I was a bit clingy. I wanted to hold her too. Maybe I could convince him to let me carry her later on so I could feel her snuggling against me.
“What do you want to eat?” he asked me as we started our walk.
We went from the parking area right to Bourbon. The mornings were easily my favorite time to stroll the street. Later in the day, it was far too crowded and… full of funky smells as the evening approached.
“How about muffins from one of your bakeries?”
“Sure. The nearest one is on Toulouse. I half expected you to say beignets.”
