“Can you handle this?” Macy asked out of the side of her mouth. “I want to get Ry to sit down. She looks peaked.”
I glanced at my purse. “Murphy will be here soon to pick—”
“If you make nice for me with Kelsey and the kid, I’ll give you two extra hours off to fuck your man.”
We had an unusual relationship, but it worked for us. “Deal. Thanks.”
“No problem.” She was already moving toward Rylee. “We have that awesome bread proofing for the morning anyway.”
I winced. Yeah, I’d be starting over tomorrow. That bread was toast—and not the edible kind.
But hey, hanging out with Kelsey and the baby wasn’t any hardship. Especially since little Sean was so pink and adorable and kept sucking on his lips while I bounced him up and down. Kelsey was full of newborn stories, and she wasn’t shy about telling me the realities of being a new mom.
I was both fascinated and terrified.
Maybe Murphy and I didn’t need to rush to board the baby train. I wanted a child, but I was also enjoying the practice. Besides, once we reached our objective—assuming we did—then what?
Did the practice end? Or would Murphy prove himself to be the guy I already believed he was?
Not just good father material. Good lover material. Good man material.
Good husband material.
I tried not to grimace as I listened to Kelsey. Dear God, I hoped I wasn’t going to puke from nerves before our date.
Then the door opened again and I shifted that way out of habit, a ready smile on my face even as the baby clutched at my hair.
And my gaze connected with Murphy’s.
He was clad in a dark vest and pants with a crisp white shirt. Looking so buff and sexy that I forgot how to breathe for so long that Kelsey thumped me on the back when I sputtered.
“You okay?” Her gaze followed mine to the door and she smiled knowingly. “Ahh. Your baby daddy has arrived.”
As soon as the words were out, her blue eyes widened in almost comical horror. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I said that. He could just be a friend. A hookup. Shoot, I need gum glue.”
Laughing felt easy. Natural. It helped that my gaze was locked on Murphy’s as if neither of us could bear to look away. “He’s a friend. A very good friend.”
I didn’t know if he’d heard me, but either way, he’d understand, right? We weren’t about labels.
And I was all about pretending I wasn’t in deep enough to drown.
Murphy approached our small table and leaned down to brush a quick kiss over the top of my head. “Hi there. Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re late?” I blinked. “I think you’re early.”
His gaze lingered on my face before shifting to my wrap dress. “You look incredible.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
His attention shifted to Sean. “Hey, little buddy. Haven’t seen you around town too much.”
“He makes all the ladies fall in love with him, so I keep him under lock and key.” Kelsey laughed as I proved her point by adjusting Sean’s blanket, stealing a tickle while I was it.
“He’s a charmer already, aren’t you, cutie pie?” Sean gave me a drooly smile and I grinned up at Murphy, who was now watching me with a wrinkle between his eyes. I shifted on my seat and offered him the baby. “Want to hold him?”
Kelsey sighed. “Oh, no, did he fill his diaper again already?”
“No, just spreading the baby love.”