Chapter 27

Hound

“So we’re heading back to your room?” I love the eagerness in her voice. It almost makes me not want to make her cry with quick successive swats to her ass. Almost.

“Nope,” I tell her and crank the vehicle. “We’re going on a date.”

I look over at her to find her beaming at me.

“A date?” The joy on her face, in her eyes is palpable. “Like you fingering me in a dark movie theater?”

My spent cock twitches in my jeans at the prospect.

“Like lunch. That’s what people do when they date.”

“We’re dating now?” She huffs as she clicks her seatbelt in place.

I pull mine across my chest, never taking my eyes off of her.

“I bet my dad is going to flip over that.” She turns her head in my direction with a mischievous look in her eyes. “Let’s do it.”

The only thing that’s missing is a creepy laugh and her rubbing her hands together.

“It was your dad’s idea.” Her face falls.

“Really?” She shakes her head. “Not possible. He may have said it, but he can’t possibly be okay with it.”

“You don’t like the idea?” I tilt my head and wait for her answer.

“That my dad is okay with us dating?” She laughs. “Not at all.”

“Because you’re only happy when you’re fighting him?” That devilish smile is back on her lips. “What about us dating? You okay with that idea?”

She shrugs now, but the pink on her cheeks and gleam in her eyes betrays her apathy. “I’m okay with lunch, even though I’ll probably just puke it up.”

“Doctor said just a few more weeks,” I remind her and put the SUV in drive.

***

“Is this okay?” I ask as I back the SUV into a parking spot.

She laughs. “You’re just like my dad. He always backs in also.”

I shrug. “Never know when you’ll have to get away. Backing in now makes it easy to leave in an emergency later.”

“Always the soldier,” she mutters.

I climb out and make my way around the front of the vehicle, frowning when she opens her door and jumps out before I can open the door and help her down.

“This is a date. I’m supposed to open the door for you.”

She huffs. “You just fucked my face in a bathroom at the doctor’s office, and now you want to be a gentleman?”

I pin her to the door, leaning in close, the press of my hips against her stomach tantalizing in the heat of the sun.

“You have earned so many slaps on your ass. I may have to split it up over two days.” Bending my knees, I press my thickening cock against the apex of her thighs.

“Yes, please,” she says, eyes focused on my mouth.

“You forget,” I say backing away. “You don’t get to come until they’re all done.”

“You’re a monster,” she says exactly like the gingerbread man in Shrek when the king is taunting him with his broken-off legs.

I can’t help the laugh that bubbles from my throat. “I love that fucking movie.”

I grab her hand and usher her toward the door of the chain restaurant that’s exactly like every other damn chain restaurant in town. It makes me wish for that taco bar I ate at with Rocker and Scooter on our way back from Denver last month.

“You like Shrek?” she asks softly as the hostess gathers menus for us. It’s early, the lunch rush imminent but not in full swing.

“Don’t tell Izzy. I make her think I hate all those kinds of movies, but in reality, most of my favorite movies are animated like that. Shrek, Minions, any Disney movie, except Frozen, that’s where I draw the line.”

“Will I get to meet her?” We sit across from each other in the booth the hostess guides us to.

“Thank you,” I tell her accepting the menus she offers and orders our drinks. “Who?”

Gigi huffs again in agitation. “Izzy. Will I get to meet her?”

I haven’t mentioned anything about Gigi or the baby to Izzy even though I’ve spoken to her twice since I found out about the pregnancy.

“Of course,” I say and wait for the dread to settle in my stomach. It never does. “We’re meeting up in a few weeks in Albuquerque. She’ll be disappointed that I don’t bring the bike because she likes to ride, but I think she’ll be excited to meet you.”

“And when you tell her about the baby? How do you think she’ll respond?” We pull our hands back when a waitress walks up and places our Cokes on the table.

We haven’t had a chance to look at the menu, but we both tell her cheeseburgers and fries.

When she walks away, and my attention is back on Gigi, I find her still waiting for an answer.

“I honestly don’t know. I imagine she’ll be shocked.”

“Not upset?”

I shake my head. “Why would she be upset?”

She looks down at the table, wasting time not answering by rearranging the silverware roll and positioning her drink just right.

“I’d be upset if my parents told me they were having another baby.” She shrugs. “She’s not much younger than I am, just figured it would be the normal response.”

“You spoiled little brat,” I tease with a wide grin.

“You’d be upset if your mom got pregnant.”

“Well,” she says taking a moment to think it through. “Not now, but when I was younger? Absolutely. They had Ivy to dote on. My sister is a pleaser by nature. They were always so proud. Second place sucks. Third would be even worse. Third could mean they wouldn’t have any love left over for me at all.”

“It doesn’t work that way.” I reach for her hand, cupping it between both of mine. “When you told me you were keeping the baby, even before you made your mind up if I’m being honest, I knew I would love that baby just as much as I love Izzy.”

“Your heart can only hold so much love,” she says with sadness in her voice.

“Also false.” I squeeze her hand until she looks up at me. “It just grows bigger or holds some in reserves until it’s needed. Your parents don’t love Ivy more than they love you. They’re good people. Your dad is a good man. You’re difficult. A pain in the ass on your best day, but that doesn’t cancel love. I promise you.”

She takes a moment before responding, and I don’t know if she’s accepting what I said or trying to think of a way to counter my truth.

“So what? You’re Team Kincaid now?” She’s grinning, and I feel the heaviness of the conversation drift away with her quip.

“I’m a man with one daughter and a son on the way. I know what it’s like to love two kids so fiercely that I can’t imagine loving anyone else.” The sadness returns. “But then I think about it, and I know I could love twice as many kids just as much. If we had a second kid, if you’re pregnant with twins I’d love them both, equally.”

“Don’t even fucking joke about shit like that,” she hisses, and the smile on my face is so wide my cheeks ache.

“Twins are hereditary.”

“My mom had IVF.” She winks at me, maintaining the upper hand.

“Thank fuck,” I say and sit deeper in the booth. “I was seriously freaking out at the possibility.”

Her laugh is music to my ears, a calming salve to my injured ego. When I’d heard her mutter ‘not likely’ to the receptionist my blood ran cold. Getting her on her knees, my cock down her throat to show her who’s in charge was my only thought.

“How about we get to know each other?” she asks.

I grin, finally letting myself believe that all of this is real. “What do you want to know?”

She’s nervous as she picks at the cuticle of her thumb nail.

“Out with it, gorgeous.”

“When will you tell Isabella?”

I smile, knowing how my oldest daughter is going to respond with the news and pull out my phone. I type out a quick text to her and frown when the phone immediately begins to ring.

“You’re supposed to be in class,” I say when the call connects rather than a normal greeting.

“It’s gym class,” she explains. “No one does anything but sit in the bleachers on their phones. What’s this big news?”

Gigi rolls her lip between her teeth, chewing on it.

“I’ve met someone.”

I hold the phone away from my ear as Izzy squeals like the teenage girl that she is.

The worry that creased Gigi’s brow suddenly disappears, her lips turning up in a smile.

Was she worried Izzy wouldn’t be happy? I should’ve explained to her long ago that Izzy has always wanted me to be happy, the point of near harassment to look for something long term.

“There’s more,” I begin when she finally calms down. “We’re having a baby.”

The squealing begins anew.

“I’m going to be a big sister!” Izzy screams to those around her.

I reach across the table and squeeze Gigi’s hand before bringing it to my lips and kissing the tips.

“I’m so happy for you,” Izzy says, voice softer. The emotion is clear, and I couldn’t be happier to be the father of such a loving young woman.

“Thank you, Iz. Call me later this evening if you can and we can discuss it more.”

“Love you, dad.”

“Love you, sweetheart.”

I put my phone back in my pocket.

“That went well,” Gigi says with a bright smile.

“You were worried?” She shakes her head, but I can tell that’s not the entire truth. “She’s an amazing person. She’ll love you.”

I swallow, the words I’ve not even spoken rolling from my mouth easier than it should at this point.

“When she finds out I’m less than five years older than her, she may not be as happy as she is right now.”

Shaking my head, I reject her words. “You’ll see,” I promise as the waitress begins to unload our plates from the serving tray.

We eat slowly, the burgers better than I anticipated, but maybe it’s her company, her smile, and the way she’s quick to laugh at stupid jokes that adds seasoning to the meal, making it the most palatable thing I’ve consumed in a while. Other than her pussy of course.

“Really?” I ask as we walk to the SUV, my hand on her lower back, my cock twitching with the innocuous touch.

“Seriously,” she verifies. “My cousin Kaleb has named every one of his dogs after some sort of weapon. “They have Remington now. Their cat is named AK, but I think the kids named it that years ago. Mia was his first dog, his partner at the police department. She’s gone now, but they had like fourteen years with her.”

I hate the pain in her voice, but my heart sings at the compassion she has for the animal. Somehow this amazing woman thinks she’s going to be a terrible mother, but knowing she gets upset over the death of a relative’s dog says a lot about the person she is.

“Mia?” I say hoping to draw her out of her sadness. “Doesn’t sound like any weapon I’ve encountered.”

I open the door for her, looking down at her perky ass in her dress as she climbs up.

“Well, M-One-A,” she corrects. “M1A.”

“Oh,” I say with clarity. “That makes sense now. Pretty clever name.”

I cross in front of the vehicle as quickly as I can so we can continue our conversation.

Before she can ask me another favorite dish, color, or childhood memory, I turn to her the second I get inside with her. “I want to go to every single doctor appointment you have.”

“Are you waiting for more confessions? I don’t have any.”

“No. I want to experience everything. The sound of the first heartbeat, the tiny black and white pictures. I want to be there the second they prove to you that my boy is in there.”

“And if it’s another girl?”

I sigh playfully and put the SUV in gear. “Then I’ll have to buy a fuck ton more guns, won’t I?”

Her laughter fills the cabin of the vehicle as I pull out into traffic. “You’re going to be a great dad.”

I stiffen.

“I mean,” she begins.

“I know what you meant. I’m thankful that Izzy’s stepdad is super protective of her. As bitter as I want to be about another man raising my daughter, she really lucked out in that department.”

“That’s good,” she says.

I hate the silence that swarms around us. Gone is the teasing and laughing. Gone is the happiness that filled both of us while chatting at the restaurant.

“Give me your phone,” I tell her as we pull into the gravel lot of the clubhouse.

She hands it over, and I type my cell number and send a quick text to my phone.

“Now you can reach me.” I hand it back to her.

“We seem to be doing everything backward.”

“We’ll catch up.” I kiss her on the cheek and hate the sound of the door when it closes me back inside alone.

Something catches in my chest when I watch her disappear around the corner toward her dad’s house. I have a single room in a clubhouse with more than a handful of other guys. No real privacy. No real home.

“Her suggestion of a three-bedroom apartment doesn’t sound so crazy,” I mutter as I climb out of the SUV and head to the garage.