Page 72 of Talk Wicked to Me

“You two are not a lot. You’re a gift, and you can have anyone you want, too. I chose you, Em, and I did it knowing you were a package deal and that Brennan was half your heart. I thought you chose me, too.”

“I did, and I do.” A tease rose in her eyes. “But it’s not like I had a choice. Did you forget how you barreled into my life?”

“Did you forget how you barreled into mine?” He leaned in and kissed her. “That’s a day I’ll never forget. I’m in this with you, darlin’. A few months apart is not going to change that.” He believed that with everything he had, but that didn’t mean he was looking forward to being away from them. “We’ll keep in touch with texts and video chats so I don’t miss any of Brennan’s milestones, and you can do a striptease for me.”

“In your dreams. If anyone’s doing a striptease, it’s you.”

“We’ll see about that. I do have the power of the dimples on my side.”

She grinned.

“And when I get back, we’ll pick up where we left off. Right, Little B?” He tickled Brennan’s foot, earning happy kicks and a gummy grin. Ollie licked Brennan’s foot, and Brennan cooed. “Unless your mama decides to kick me to the curb.” He met Emerson’s gaze. “In which case, I’ll have no choice but to come back and charm her panties off again.”

“I might have to kick you to the curb just so I can experience that,” she said sassily.

“Careful what you wish for. You’ve whetted my appetite. I’ve been a gentleman, but that doesn’t mean I’m not already fantasizing about charming those panties off while we’re out today.”

“Is that so? Where are we going?”

“I’m going to help you fall in love with Brennan’s hometown and the surrounding areas.”

“Brennan’s hometown,” she repeated just above a whisper. “I love that he has a hometown instead of growing up in the city, and I really like that you want to show us around.”

“There’s a lot to love about living on the Cape. I’ve been looking forward to showing you more of it. Besides, we both know if I left it up to you, you’d stay in a six-mile radius of your cottage and miss out on the good stuff.” He petted Ollie and brushed a kiss to Brennan’s forehead. “Better get a move on, Lockhart. We’ve got things to do.” He and Ollie climbed off the bed, and then he picked up Brennan and said, “Come on, little buddy. Let’s put your puppy out, and then you can help me make breakfast for your mama while she gets ready.”

“I can make breakfast,” Emerson offered as she got out of bed.

Baz slid his arm around her, pulling her close and palming her ass, loving the heat rising in her eyes. “You need to put pants on or this little boy is going to see his first live X-rated performance.” He gave her ass a swat and got the hell out of the bedroom before he got them both in trouble.

EMERSON WAS CONVINCED that everything took three times longer with a baby. Baz made omelets for breakfast and did the dishes while she nursed and changed Brennan. But when they were heading out the door, Brennan had a diaper blowout, and they had to give him a bath. It was almost eleven when they finally left the house. Now they were in Baz’s truck, with Ollie lying on the rear seat beside Brennan’s car seat, on their way to someplace Baz had yet to reveal. He’d brought the baby carrier and the stroller and asked Emerson to pack plenty of diapers and a change of clothes for Brennan in case he had another diaper mishap. She was excited to spend the day together and was still riding high on the wings of last night.

She hadn’t known what to expect when she’d asked him to stay. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, and one of the best she’d ever made. Baz had held her, and they’d kissed…a lot. His touch was as comforting as it was enticing as his hands had roamed over her bottom, into her hair, and down her back, but she hadn’t felt pressured to do more, and that made their togetherness feel even more intimate. Each time Brennan had woken up, Baz was on his feet like he’d been lying in wait for her little one to cry out. The most wonderful part of last night was that Emerson hadn’t known how she’d sleep with Baz in her bed, but she’d slept better than she had in years.

She glanced at him, tapping his thumb on the steering wheel to the beat of the music on the radio. His gray tank top showed off his muscular arms and tattoos, jeans clinging to all his best places, and his leather boots called out the biker in him. I’m going to help you fall in love with Brennan’s hometown. The man made her heart sing. She’d fooled herself into thinking she was okay with their relationship being just for now. But when he’d mentioned his trip, it had hit differently than when she’d talked with Gwen and the girls about it. She didn’t want it to be temporary, and that brought an expected fear. What if something happens to him while he’s away, and I’m left behind, like I was with my parents? She didn’t think she could take another loss like that. But every time she’d tried to push him away so she could crawl back into her hiding space beneath the shade tree that he was quickly making sparse, he managed to disarm her, drawing her into his light with his confidence in them, his honesty, and his affection.

And to think she’d thought Gwen was good at making her face reality. Gwen had nothing on Baz. Or maybe reality just never felt so safe and alluring.

“Take a picture, darlin’. It’ll last longer.” Baz grinned, and she realized she was staring at him.

“I think I will.” She whipped out her phone, and as she took the picture, she was hit with a memory of her mother taking pictures on their way to their vacation destinations. Capture every moment so we never forget. She assumed those pictures were in the unopened boxes in her bedroom. Emerson remembered making faces for the camera and her mother saying, That was my favorite so far. What else ya’ got, Em?

Baz reached across the seat to take her hand, drawing her from her thoughts. “What’s that smile for?”

“You,” she said as she looked at the picture she’d taken. She put the phone in her back pocket as he turned down another road. “Where are we going?”

“First stop, Common Grounds.”

Excitement bubbled up inside her. “The coffee shop you told me about? Where your family holds the Suicide-Awareness Rally?”

“Yeah. You mentioned you were talking to a client about taking on an editing assignment next week, so I thought you might want to check the place out and meet Gabe Appleton, the owner. See if you’re comfortable there in case you want to get out of the house with Brennan.”

“I definitely do.” Now that she wasn’t exhausted all the time, and Brennan went almost three hours between feedings, she was excited to get back to work with one of her favorite clients. Her client hadn’t batted an eye when she’d asked for an additional week to work on the manuscript, which would allow enough time to get it done during Brennan’s naps and in between feedings. Ginger had offered to watch him for a few hours a day, and although she wasn’t ready to part from him for work, it was nice to know that was an option.

A weathered cedar-sided building came into view at the end of the road. There was a large patio on the right side of the building with tables that had bright yellow umbrellas and what looked like a stone firepit in the middle. As Baz parked, Ollie popped up to look out the window.

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but I think you’ll like Gabe and her brothers, Rod and Elliott, who also work here. Rod is a musician. He plays guitar and tends the coffee bar part-time, and their brother, Elliott, greets and seats customers. They also have an open mic from six to ten every night, called Say Anything. People get up to read and recite poetry, sing, do comedy, or sometimes just to talk. It’s pretty cool.”

“I went to an open mic once with Gwen when we were in college. It was fun.”