Michaela
Mo opened the door to the nursery, letting me walk in first. I gasped at the new addition to the room.
With my hand over my mouth, I turned to him. “You didn’t.”
His eyes lit up in a way I hadn’t seen in a while. “I did. Go sit in it.”
It took me a moment to convince my feet to move. I may have been in shock over the ugly orange chair occupying the corner of our little girl’s bedroom. Mo nudged me with a squeeze to my ass.
The chair was as heavenly as the one in the living room, and this one came with a matching ottoman.
“It glides, Mo!” I propped my feet up on the cushion, and with my hands on my belly, I glided in my big ol’ orange chair. “I’m not sure I’m ever getting up.”
He kneeled next to me and pressed his lips to my bump. “Think she’ll like being rocked here?”
“She’ll love it.Ilike being rocked here.” I laid my head back on the chair. “How did you do this?”
Mo nuzzled my belly, and I stroked the back of his hair. “I know how you feel about my chair in the living room. Thought you might like one in here too. I had the glider part added.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Who was this man? “You are so damn sweet.”
Simone decided to make herself known at that moment, kicking her daddy right in the face. Mo’s head popped up, the shocked look on his face comical.
“Was that…?”
I laughed. “Yep. That was your girl giving you a swift kick to the jaw.”
He cupped my belly, and she kicked twice more. Mo looked about ready to dive inside so he could go for a swim with her. This was a man completely enamored with his daughter, and she wasn’t even here yet.
“I felt her from the outside for the first time at brunch today, but hadn’t felt anything again since. She must like your voice,” I said.
Mo’s mouth hovered above my belly button. “Hi, baby girl. It’s your dad. What’s happening in there? You a party animal like me? You like music?” She kicked again in response. “I hope you like orange and yellow. Your mom and I have to make some decisions for you before we get to know you. When you’re here, we’ll have a big talk. You can tell me your favorite colors and all your favorite things. You’re all snug as a bug in a rug in your mom’s gorgeous tummy, but there’s this huge world out here waiting for you. There’s so much cool shit, Simone. I’m gonna show you all of it.”
I kept stroking his hair, gently rocking in my ugly chair. I was content. Happy to be in this place with this man. My fears still existed, but I wasn’t thinking about them now. Now, I was letting myself admit that not only was I falling for Moses, I’d been falling for him this entire time. More than that, I’d fallen head over feet for him.
He lifted his head. “Stay here. I’ve got one more thing.”
I patted the armrest. “I told you I’m not leaving.”
He kissed me slow and deep, hands cupping the sides of my neck.
“God, you’re hot.” He smiled against my lips. “Fucking you in our kid’s room would be wrong, right?”
I laughed. “If not morally, then psychologically. I don’t really want to associate this room with all the dirty things you’ll do to me.”
Mo’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh me? I’m the dirty one? I remember some foul language coming out of your pretty lips last ni—”
I covered his mouth with my hand. “Shhh, not inthisroom.”
He nipped at my fingers before rising from the floor. “All right. You stay there looking like the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen and I’ll be right back.”
He was only gone for a minute. When he came back in the room, I’d basically melted into my chair, all my bones turning to liquid. No wonder babies fell asleep when they were rocked in these things.
Noticing the guitar slung across his chest, I brightened. “Are you going to sing for me?”
“I am. I wrote a little something. Thought maybe you and Simone would like to hear it.”
“I always want to hear your music.”