His lips tilted into a slow, sexy smile. “Daily makeup sex sounds pretty good to me.”
Yeah, because that was the thing about them. They were opposites in so many ways, and they’d surely disagree on about half of everything, but in the end, their love for each other always won. They’d both taken little detours with others that had only made them both see more clearly that there was no one else better suited to be together than they were. “Okay. I’ll marry you. But don’t forget. You asked for this.”
He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and whispered, “How could I ever regret even a single moment with you, Dani?”
That made her knees literally grow weak.
Before her whole body threatened to turn into a big, sentimental glob of mush, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. “My mom can give them a ride home. Let’s go back to my place. You’ve got a lot a making up with me to do, Dani.”
“Can’t wait.” She smiled at the thought of the making up as she admired his fine rear end.
He flipped her back to her feet and then helped her into his car. When he slid into the seat beside her, he held out a hand. “I haven’t had dinner. Hand one over please.”
He must’ve seen the snack cakes she’d stuffed into her jacket pocket as she’d run out the door in her drunken state. “Seriously? You want this lovely, sweet, delicious, fun but extremely-bad-for-you treat?” She slowly unpeeled the wrapper, like a sexy strip tease. “Eating these on a regular basis might even take ten years off your life.” She leaned over and hand-fed the decadent treat into his mouth.
He took a big bite and grinned. “I figure being married to you will probably have about the same risks, so why not?” He took her hand and whispered, “Thanks for bringing the life back to my life, Dani.”
She gave his hand a squeeze. “Thanks for bringing the Michael back to mine.” She kissed him softly, then whispered, “So can we forgo that spanking you talked about earlier? I have an aversion to pain.”
“Me too.” Michael grinned as he started the car. “But I still want to marry you anyway.”
“Very funny.” She swatted his arm for form but smiled as they drove home. She had her best friend back.
They’d figure out the rest.
Thanksgiving
Dani had never looked more beautiful to Michael as she slipped through the swinging kitchen door with a platter that held an enormous turkey. Even in an apron, which was oddly sexy, Dani was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever known. And she belonged to him. That still took him by surprise sometimes. He’d never been happier.
When Dani laid the platter on the dining room table, Emma gave everyone her trademark “ta-da!”
Dani had insisted on cooking the whole meal herself, and it looked incredible. She’d also insisted on inviting too many people. He’d only been in his new house two weeks, and Dani had run him ragged, getting everything ready for the holiday.
And most nights, she’d gone home to sleep in her own bed. They were trying to set a good example for his girls, but he wanted her with him full-time. So he could wake up every morning to her smile.
And it’d be easier to see she stayed out of trouble that way.
He needed to put more pressure on her to set their wedding date, Annalisa’s busy schedule be damned. But first he was going to talk her into having a couple of kids. Dani would make the most incredible mother. She just didn’t see it that way.
It wasn’t going to be easy—she’d made her views clear on that subject every time he’d brought it up—but he had a plan. He was going to ask again while her defenses were low after spending the day with the family and friends she loved.
At the dining room table, Annalisa was convincing Julia to use her agent to represent Emma, who couldn’t have cared less and was playing with the marshmallows on her candied yams, while Mario and Jerry discussed guns. Maeve and Mrs. Wilson admired the beautifully prepared food as it was passed around, and Eva rubbed her hands together with glee as she stared at her full plate.
At the spare round table in the den, he sat between his girls, Amanda and Carly, with Dani on Carly’s right. Dani’s sister and her friend, Rick, sat next to Dani, making cow eyes at each other, and Jake and Darlene the dispatcher rounded out the guest list. Dani had invited Zoe and her family, but they’d gone north to a hippie commune to be with Zoe’s parents.
He hadn’t even known communes still existed.
While Darlene buttered a roll, just as Michael was doing for his kids, she stared adoringly into Jake’s eyes. When she fed him a bite of steamy buttered bread, Michael cringed. If Dani ever did that to him in public, he’d kill her.
He turned to hand Carly a roll when she suddenly hopped out of her seat. “I have to go potty.”
He jumped up and reached for her hand. At three years old, Carly had a habit of waiting too long. But Carly’s hand was extended toward Dani’s.
Instead of taking her hand, Dani scooped Carly up and jogged away. “Come on, tiny tanks, let’s go.” Dani had witnessed Carly’s bad habit the previous week and was a fast learner.
After he sat down, Amanda asked, “Daddy, could Dani pick us up from dance again next week?”
“We can ask if she’s free. Why?”
“She’s fun. The last time, the policeman made his siren go, and then we all went down to the police station. Uncle Jake bought us ice cream while Dani went away for a while. Then we got hamburgers for dinner. It was when you were gone to Texas that night, remember?”
“Uncle Jake?” Michael met Jake’s amused gaze.
Amanda pointed across the table. “Yeah, him.”
Jake winked at her. “We both like rocky road the best, don’t we, sweetheart?” Then he turned to Michael. “It wasn’t Dani’s fault this time. An inept cop who hates me and was looking for a little retaliation pulled her over. She had some outstanding paperwork, but that’s all cleared up now.”
Before he could get more details, Dani and Carly returned.
He’d only been out of town for one night. How Dani got herself into these situations was beyond reason.
But she’d stepped up to help when he’d needed it, so he was grateful to her. Dani had agreed to stay with his kids, instead of sending them back to Heather, for one night in the middle of their time with him. “Amanda was just telling us all about your trip to the police station last week?”
Dani shrugged and sat down. “I told you about that.” She picked up a bowl and shoved it at him. “More candied yams?”
He ignored the yams. “When did you tell me?”
She cleared her throat and leaned behind Carly’s chair, whispering in his ear. “We were in the hot tub, remember?” When he didn’t respond, she leaned even closer, “Right after my suit landed on the deck?”
A vague recollection of her telling him some watered-down version of the story he’d just heard niggled at his brain. Dani naked and distracting him was what he lived for. “Okay, rule number eight.”
Dani rolled her eyes before he leaned close and whispered in her ear, “No more telling me important stuff when you’re naked. That’s cheating.”
As the last of the plates were loaded into the dishwasher, Dani contemplated rule number nine. Michael thought he was being so clever by never asking her to make dinner for him and the girls. He knew she’d be stubborn, just for good measure, but she was onto him.
He’d coyly start to prepare a meal, and when she couldn’t stand to watch him mess it up any longer, she’d kick him out of the kitchen and finish it. The funny thing was she’d actually begun to enjoy the challenge of making food the kids would eat.
But she hated doing dishes, so rule number nine was that she’d cook, and he’d be on permanent dish duty. Especially on national holidays.
When the door swung open, she turned to tell Michael the new plan, but it was Jake who strolled in with a dirty plate she’d missed. “That was awesome, Dani. Thanks for having us.”
Neither Jake nor Darlene had any famil
y in town, so, naturally, she’d extended the invitation. Michael hadn’t been happy about it, and she’d probably have to smooth it over later when everyone was gone and the kids were tucked in.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you both could come.” She took the plate and filled the sink with soap to wash it by hand. “You and Darlene look good together.”
“Yeah, she’s great.” He leaned against the counter and grinned. “She’s not you, but then no one else could be.”
Dani turned her attention to the dirty plate. “Yeah, but I’ll bet when she calls, you don’t wonder if you’re going to have to bail her out of jail.”
“There’s that.”
“And when you have plans to go out and come to her door, looking like you’ve been wrestling with a crack addict, I’ll bet she doesn’t even whine about her ruined evening. She probably hands you a cold beer, offers to make you dinner, and suggests you stay in. And while you watch a movie, she massages your tired feet.”
“Hmmm.” He rubbed his chin. “I’ll have to suggest the foot rub next time.”
Dani smacked him with a wet towel. “You have a stressful job that kicks your butt, even though you’ll never admit it. And what you need at the end of the day is someone nurturing and peaceful. We both know that was never me.”
“True. So, are you saying Michael likes chaos?”
“No. He likes a challenge.” Dani couldn’t help giving up a smile as she wiped the counters down. “He thinks it’s fun to take on a seemingly insurmountable problem and solve it. Hence, me. And by the way, I’m still calling you if I need to be bailed out of jail. I have a feeling Michael would make me spend the night just to teach me a lesson.”
He leaned down and laid a quick kiss on her cheek. “That’s a deal. And speaking of people in jail—”
“Don’t you even think about dragging me into another one of your cases.” She poked him in the chest. “Believe me, I’m going to hear about the police-station thing long after everyone’s gone tonight. I’ve used up my quota for the week.”
“It’s Mrs. Granger.”
“Your neighbor? She must be seventy years old. What kind of trouble could she be in?”
“Attempted murder. Her husband claims she tried to kill him with a cherry pie.”
“Ralph is an idiot and treats her like dirt. The cherries were probably just bad.”
“All the evidence points her way, but I can’t get my head around this one. I don’t want to see her sit in jail for the holiday while we figure it out. Especially if she’s innocent. Come on, Dani. It’ll just take a few minutes. Please?”
Before she could answer, Michael strolled in.
Jake glanced Michael’s way and then started for the door. “I’ll be ready to go in five minutes. Thanks, babe.”
After Jake was gone, Michael pulled her close. “I thought you had a talk with him about the ‘babe’ thing.”
“I did.” She circled her arms around his waist and gave him a quick kiss. “He doesn’t call me that anymore unless you’re around. He knows it annoys you.” Dani bit her lip to contain her laughter at his obvious attempt for patience.
After he struggled for a moment, Michael’s lips morphed into an overly zealous grin. Then he ran his hands through her hair and tilted her head back. “Have I told you how beautiful you are lately?”
Wary, she replied, “Yes, and thanks, but we have a house full of people. You need to behave.”
His eyes lit with mischief as he backed her against the counter. Then he drove her nuts by nibbling on her neck. “I just want you to know how appreciated you are. You handled all the details and made this a great holiday. Thanks for a fantastic meal today.”
“You’re welcome.”
He switched to the other side of her neck, and her eyes nearly rolled back into her head. “And thanks for being so good to my kids. They’ve already fallen for you.” His lips brushed against the spot in front of her ear he knew drove her wild, making her knees buckle.
Michael was up to something, but she couldn’t work up the energy to care. She tilted her head to give him greater access and played along. “It’s no trouble. They’re fun.”
“That’s what they say about you. You’re going to be a great mom, Dani.” He moved his attention to her earlobe and sent a sweet shiver up her spine. “And thank you for a relatively calm week.”
That did it. He was definitely after something.
“It’s only Thursday. Maybe you’d better wait on that one until Sunday. Especially after I tell you that I need to go out for just a bit to help a frail seventy-year-old murder suspect.”
His head popped up. “Oh no, you don’t. It’s Thanksgiving, Dani. You are not running off with Jake to solve a crime, leaving me here alone with your entire family. We haven’t even had dessert.”
“Did I mention she’s seventy? And I’ll only be gone forty-five minutes. An hour, tops. We’ll have dessert when I get back.”
He stared into her eyes, and she could practically see the wheels turning in his scheming brain. “If I agree to entertain them while you’re gone, then you’re going to owe me. Big.”
“Name your price.”
His lips slowly tilted into a wide grin. “I want a baby.”
Her stomach took a fast dive. “So that’s what you were softening me up for?” She placed her hands on his chest and gave him a hearty shove. It was as ineffective as shoving at a solid brick wall. “That’s so not going to happen. I’m not bringing any more freaks into this world. Name something else.”
Michael pulled her more firmly against him. “Wouldn’t it be fun to have a son who played football, and who could step up to the line of scrimmage and actually feel what the defense is going to do every time? He’d earn a Super Bowl ring for sure.”
“No. That’d be cheating.”
“Or how about a daughter who becomes a stockbroker, making a killing on Wall Street? She could retire early and live the life of luxury.”
What was he saying? Michael didn’t believe in cheating any more than she did. She couldn’t figure out his angle but knew there had to be one. “I’ll be happy to help with your girls in any way I can. They’re great kids. But I don’t want any of my own. I wouldn’t want them to grow up like I did and have a huge secret all their lives. It’d make them unhappy, and I won’t do that to anyone else on purpose.”
“Okay, then. Our kids won’t cheat. They’ll just help others and make the world a better place. Like you do.” He kissed her so gently she nearly sighed. Then he whispered, “Are you happy, Dani? With me and with the life we’re going to make together?”
She had a sneaking suspicion he’d just backed her into a corner, and even though she saw it coming hard and fast like an out-of-control freight train, she couldn’t stop it. “Yes, but—”
“Then there’s nothing stopping any children we might have from being just as happy as we are right now. Have kids with me, Dani.”
He’d done it again. The man had a way of twisting things around so fast a mere mortal couldn’t keep up. The cheating angle was just a smoke screen to distract her so he could go for the kill. She was going to have to step it up if she wanted to stay in the competition.
She opened her mouth for a rebuttal but quickly snapped it shut again.
Michael’s sweet, hopeful expression made her take his request seriously.
He loved kids, and his girls adored him. Could Michael make up for her ineptitude?
Spending time with Emma, and then with Michael’s girls, hadn’t been so bad, really. In fact, if she were honest, she’d had fun when she was with them. They made something inside her go all soft and gooey whenever they beamed those cute little trusting grins at her.
If those kids only knew what a disaster she was.
But her sister didn’t have any extra abilities, and that shot a renewed spurt of optimism through her. There’d probably be a fifty-fifty chance that a child with Michael wouldn’t have her affliction.
Huffing
out a breath, she untied her apron and tossed it on the back of a chair.
She’d wanted a new start in life. Her plan included getting Jake to sign the papers and finding a man she was compatible with.
She could check those off the list.
Second, she wanted to keep her job and thrive at it.
Double check. After Carlos Watts had been dealt with and the news media had made such a big deal about her, she’d ended up with three pending sales and had taken four new listings in the last month.
And third, she’d vowed to stop helping Jake with his cases, therefore staying out of trouble for more than a day or two at a time.
Well . . . two out of three wasn’t so bad.
“I’ll be back in an hour. And I’m only committing to one kid! She headed for the door.
“Dani?” Michael called out.
She stopped and crossed her arms. “What?”
“Thank you.” He picked up the pot of coffee and joined her. “We’ll pick a wedding date when you get back—in an hour or less, or it’ll be two kids you’re agreeing to.” He kissed her sweetly, then headed for the door.
“Hey. That’s not fair.”
He glanced over his shoulder with a panty-melting grin on his face. “That’s what you get for dating a damn lawyer.”
Yeah, she supposed it was.
But he was totally worth it.
Acknowledgments
As always, many thanks go out to my tireless critique partners, my writing friends, and my family. And mostly to the whole team at Montlake Publishing, who support me and help me live my dreams. Last, I’d like to send to my loyal fans, the ones who make writing books for them such a pleasure, a big hug of gratitude from the deepest part of my heart.
About the Author
Photo © 2012 Robyn Adams
Tamra Baumann became hooked on writing the day she picked up her first Nora Roberts novel from her favorite bookstore. Since then, she’s dazzled readers with her own lighthearted love stories. She’s a Golden Heart winner for Contemporary Series Romance and has also received the Golden Pen Award for Single Title Romance. Born in Monterey, California, Tamra led the nomadic life of a navy brat before finally putting down permanent roots during college. When she’s not attending annual Romance Writers of America meetings, this voracious reader can be found playing tennis, traveling, or scouting reality shows for potential character material. Tamra resides with her real-life characters—her husband, two kids, and their allergy-ridden dog—in the sunny Southwest. Visit her online at www.tamrabaumann.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/author.tamra.baumann.
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