That was when he realized what an ass he’d been. Lyssa was amazing and capable, intelligent and funny, gorgeous and sexy. He didn’t need to worry about either her or the baby. She could take care of it all.
He wanted to kiss her so damn bad that he burned with the need.
But he was already deep in the doghouse, and he wouldn’t make things worse by overstepping her boundaries—not when she’d made it clear he’d have to prove himself worthy of her kisses from here on out.
But he could look, and he let his gaze travel over her face, from her gorgeous brown eyes to her kissable rosebud lips. Then he said softly, “You’re the most capable woman I know. And you’re going to make the best mom ever.”
Chapter Nineteen
You’re going to make the best mom ever.
Lyssa had heard the beautiful heartbeat. She’d stared countless times at the sonogram. She’d gone over and over how she’d tell her parents and deal with her brothers. She’d given so much thought to how her life might change and just where Cal might fit into it.
Yet his words suddenly made it more real than all her hours and hours of reflection.
And her heart seemed to stop beneath the weight of responsibility that becoming a parent carried.
“Do you really think so?”
He pulled back slightly, as if surprised by her question. “I don’t have a single doubt.”
She tried to find the words, though her mouth had suddenly gone dry. “Sometimes…like right now…I’m scared.” Her voice was barely louder than the breath of wind that ruffled her hair.
He cupped her cheek in his palm. “I was feeling scared too. But then I remembered that you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to.” The warmth of his hand filled her. “There’s no one I would rather have a child with, Lyssa. No one but you.”
The sincerity and depth of his words made her shaky. She wanted so badly to be an amazing mother. Just as her mom had been for her. She wanted to believe she could be.
On emotional overload, she couldn’t say another word, couldn’t ask for another ounce of reassurance. She could only focus on rebuilding her natural resiliency.
Picking up another axe, she funneled her concentration into throwing. “Let’s see if you can beat me this time.” She laughed as her axe flew so wide it didn’t even hit the stump.
Cal beat her big-time, sinking his axe deep into the wood.
They spent the rest of the hour they’d paid for one-upping each other with the axes, and the time flew by, wonderful and carefree, as if they had nothing looming over them but a silly throwing competition.
Cal got better. Lyssa got worse. Then Cal got worse again. And Lyssa ended up trumping him in the end by hitting the tree right in the center, like a bull’s-eye.
It didn’t matter who won or lost. All that mattered was how blissfully good being with him felt right now.
* * *
They got back on the road, and a short while later, after taking a Big Sur turnoff, Lyssa pointed. And Cal eyeballed her as if she’d lost her mind.
“You want to go camping?”
“Not camping. Glamping.
“What the hell is glamping?”
“Glamorous camping. It’s a tent, but everything is luxurious—a big bed, a fireplace, your own bathroom.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s not an outhouse?”
She laughed. “You’re going to love it.” But she crossed her fingers at her side where he wouldn’t see.
The reception office was in a cute cottage that looked like it had been built with reclaimed wood, chic despite its rustic nature.
The concierge was in her fifties, with curly hair she’d allowed to go a pretty silver shade that sparkled as she stepped out to greet them. “Welcome to Cypress Resort! Do you have a reservation?”
“No,” Lyssa replied with a smile. “We’re on a fun road trip down the coast, and when I read about your place, I absolutely knew we had to stop to see if you have room.”
The woman’s smile was as wide as Big Sur. “We certainly do. We’ve got the most luxurious tent cabins you’ll see on the coast. Hot showers and outdoor bathtubs, hot tubs, you name it. Would you like a double, a queen, or a king?”
Cal looked at Lyssa, and as she looked in his eyes, the decision she’d been grappling with all afternoon wasn’t even a question anymore.
“How big is your bed on the plane?” she asked him.
A blaze lit in his gaze. “King.”
Her breath quickened, her skin heated, and she tried to hide her breathlessness as she told the woman, “A king would be great.”
He’d enjoyed the axe throwing, and she would make sure he loved glamping even more.
With trying to find fun and unique things to do, the trip felt like a give-and-take between them, as if she was trying to get him to fall in love with her as much as he was supposed to make her love him.