“Be careful, Zoey, don’t knock mommy over,” I warned. Paige gave me a smile and scooped our little girl up in her arms.
“Hello, my darling girl. Did you have fun today?”
Zoey laughed and squirmed to get out of Paige’s arms. I took her from Paige and then kissed my wife softly.
“We missed you today.”
Paige looked at me and laughed. “You say that every day.”
“That’s because we do, don’t we, squirt?”
Zoey nodded. “Yes! Miss you, Mommy! And baby bwother.”
My eyes glanced at the round, eight-month pregnant belly of my stunningly beautiful wife.
“How is my boy today?” I asked, running my hand over her stomach and feeling a swift kick.
With a raised brow, Paige replied, “Does that answer your question? He didn’t get the memo that Mom doesn’t like the idea of him playing soccer with my insides.”
I laughed and set Zoey down. She ran into the shop, calling out to Lauren, a young woman Paige had hired. She’d worked for Paige in Austin and was only a couple years younger than us and had been looking for a change and to get out of the city. Paige offered her the position of manager of the flower shop, and she had taken it without a second thought. Everyone had fallen in love with her from the get go. Including my daughter, but especially Milo, who had been smitten with her from the first time he met her. After a couple of months of friendship, then a few more months of dating, Milo and Lauren were engaged and planning a wedding for June.
“Would you mind setting that basket over there?” Paige asked, pointing.
“You about ready to head home?” I asked, walking up to her and placing my finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to me. “The doctor told you to take it easy, you know. You’re on your feet too much.”
Paige sighed. “I’m so bored when Zoey is in preschool and I’m not working. I’d lose my mind if I had to just sit at home all day.”
“Fair enough, but I want you to be sitting more. This son of ours is giving you a run for your money with this pregnancy.”
She huffed. “That’s putting it mildly.”
We walked into the flower shop and saw Zoey sitting on a small chair, watching as Lauren put together a flower arrangement. Lauren would point to a flower, and Zoey would call out the name, then clap at herself for getting it right. She was a lover of flowers, just like her mommy.
Paige and I walked through the store and into her office. I called back to Lauren, “Yell if she gets to be too much.”
“Too much, ha! Please!” Lauren replied.
Paige leaned against her desk and gave me that smile. The one that said she was wanting something. Needing something.
“You have a naughty look in your eye, sweetheart,” I said, walking up to her.
The corners of her mouth twitched as she attempted to hold back a smile. “I called your mom earlier. Told her I needed a night off. She offered to take Zoey for the night.”
My brows raised. “What did you have in mind?”
“First, I thought maybe you could make me some of your amazing chicken salad. The kind on the walnut and cranberry bread. I bought some earlier.”
“Consider it done.”
“Then, I thought maybe we could have popcorn drizzled with caramel sauce and peanut butter while we watch a movie.”
I snarled. “I’ll make a batch for you and a batch for me, minus the sauces.” I made a fake gagging motion and Paige grinned.
“Then, I thought maybe you could work magic with that mouth of yours.”
That got my attention even more. “Someone needs to orgasm?” I asked as I leaned in and kissed her neck.
“More than you know. The moment I saw you just now it took everything I had not to jump on you and ask you to…” she lowered her voice, “fuck me in the back cooler.”
“We’ve done that before. We could do it again. We wouldn’t even get sweaty.”
She laughed. “I’d rather have you at home. Does that sound like a plan?”
We heard the bell ring on the door and Zoey cried out. “Grammy!”
“That sounds like an amazing plan,” I said. “Grab your stuff, I’ll take you home.”
Paige let out a sigh as if all was suddenly right in her world.
We walked out into the main flower shop and watched as my father carried Zoey around like she was an airplane.
“Grandpa Phillip is coming over for dinner tonight,” my mother said, turning and grinning when she saw me and Paige. Her eyes went down to Paige’s stomach, and she made an O shape with her mouth.
“Sweetheart, that boy is growing by leaps and bounds.”
Paige rested her hand on her stomach. “Tell me about it.”
After saying goodbye to Lauren, we all headed out to our vehicles. Paige must have kissed Zoey goodbye ten times.