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Brinkley
We madeour way over to Cottonwood Café because the place was a rite of passage in town. And Lincoln had been avoiding it because he’d heard the rumors about the dirty old bird that worked there.
“So, tell me how we ended up with this beautiful dress and the cute boots and hat?” I asked as Gracie walked between us, with one hand in mine and the other in Lincoln’s. When I’d stepped out of the adorable boutique, they’d been friendly, but now they appeared to be besties. And my niece, who had been completely off when we’d picked her up, seemed to be back to her old self.
“Don’t you love these boots, Auntie?” Gracie said, kicking her foot up from beneath the frilly white flower girl dress to show the pink cowboy boots. “Links says I look very cool.”
She was literally surrounded by an abnormal amount of tulle, and she wore the cutest pink cowboy hat and boots, and my heart was threatening to explode.
I loved this little girl so much.
And the fact that this man had just pampered her the way that he had and turned her spirits around—my heart couldn’t take much more.
I was dying to know what had happened. Gracie had been upset when I’d stepped outside to take that call and now these two seemed to be fast friends, so I assumed she’d shared something with him.
“Links is right,” I said, over my laughter. “But Daddy is going to be a little annoyed, seeing as he has that whole spending rule.”
Lincoln’s head snapped in my direction. “What kind of rule?”
“I’m only allowed to get her presents under ten dollars on our outings unless it’s her birthday or Christmas.”
“When’s your birthday?” Lincoln asked her as he scrubbed a hand over the scruff on his jaw.
“It’s coming up,” she said. “It’s right after Uncle Hughey and Auntie Lila’s wedding, right, Auntie?”
“Yep. June twenty-third, baby girl. It’s my favorite day of the year.”
“Perfect. We can call this an early birthday gift,” he said as he reached for the door. Then he surprised me by leaning down and whisper-shouting to her. “But don’t you worry. I’ll get you something good for your birthday, too.”
Unbelievable.
“Like I said—you’re a softy.”
“I preferred it when you called me a rude gentleman.” He leaned close to my ear, and his warm breath tickled my neck.
Damn, this man did crazy things to me.
This last week had been a whirlwind. So much for taking it slow. Our passion for one another was as strong as our disagreements were. And we had plenty.
He was bossy as hell, and I didn’t like being told what to do.
Tonight, we were staying at my house. He’d gotten his way the last few nights, but I was putting my foot down.
“Well, looky here. It’s about time you brought the football player over. I’ve heard you’ve been everywhere in town but my place,” Mrs. Runither purred as she moved into Lincoln’s space.
It took everything I had not to laugh as his shoulders stiffened. He held on to Gracie’s hand like she was a security blanket.
“Uh, hello. I’ve just been busy.” Lincoln gave a half nod and took the slightest step backward. But Mrs. Runither didn’t miss a beat. She wasn’t about to let a fine-ass man distance himself without a fight. She moved along with him, and he startled, glancing over at me.
“There’s J.R!” Gracie shouted and asked if she could go say hello, and I told her she could. Lincoln looked very unhappy when she dropped his hand and Mrs. Runither took it in hers and intertwined her fingers with his.
This was a new one for her.
“My, oh my. Look at these hands. I like a man who knows how to handle his balls,” she said, and I nearly lost it because Lincoln’s discomfort was impossible to miss.
He tugged his hand back and shoved them into the pockets of his jeans.
“Tell me, Lincoln Hendrix. Do you like a tiger in the bedroom? Or do you prefer your women to be submissive?”
