Cowboy Baby Daddy

by Claire Adams

  The slap of our skin together mixed with my moans and Alex’s grunts.

  This was not making love. There was no sweetness behind this, but pure lust, a lust that’d been bottled up between us while I’d let my insecurities almost destroy us.

  “Almost,” I panted.

  Alex didn’t say anything. My eyes fluttered open, and the look of desire on his face almost made me come right there. My breathing turned ragged.

  He pulled back and started thrusting into me using long, deep strokes. I closed my eyes again, and I wasn’t sure how much time passed before another climax ripped from my center.

  This time, my eager muscles gripped Alex’s cock inside me. His cock swelled, and he came with a loud grunt.

  Alex stood for a long moment, his breathing slowing, still holding me against the wall. He finally moved back to the bed. I untangled, and he gently set me on the bed. Red spots marked where my arms and legs had held on to him.

  “I hope I won’t leave any bruises,” I said.

  Alex dropped down beside me. “Don’t care if you did. It was worth it.”

  Chapter 38

  Alex

  Music surrounded me, tinny and distant yet familiar. Very familiar.

  My eyes snapped open, and I realized I’d been dreaming and a cell phone had cut through to wake me up.

  I stifled a yawn and pulled away from the beautiful, dark-haired woman lying beside me. Waking up next to Aspyn was like delicious torture, if only because I wasn’t waking up every morning beside her. There was a reason, after all, that I had such a large bed, and it wasn’t only because I needed the space for sex.

  The ringing of the cell phone refocused me on the present. I shook my head, concentrating for a moment before realizing the phone was on the floor next to Aspyn’s pants. I reached down and picked it up, looking at the caller ID.

  MOM.

  My brain almost broke trying to process that until I took a closer look at the phone. I didn’t have a pink sparkly case around mine. It was Aspyn’s phone.

  I spared her a quick glance before I decided to go ahead and answer it. I wasn’t even sure why. Maybe I felt like I was staking a claim to Aspyn that way.

  I didn’t think it was some big secret that we were sleeping together again, but proving she stayed over at my place and was sleeping right next to me was a whole other level.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Alex?” her mama said, sounding confused.

  “Yeah.”

  “This is Aspyn’s phone, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I take it that since you have her phone, she’s still over there, then?”

  She sounded more amused than anything. The relief that swept through me was a surprise. I hadn’t realized I craved her approval so much.

  “Yeah,” I said, “but she’s still asleep.”

  Her mama laughed quietly and then sighed. “Well, Kadie’s not feeling well, and she’s got a fever. I wanted to ask my daughter if she planned to pick her up or if she was planning to go to work. I can watch her if she really needs me to, but I don’t want to risk the other kids getting sick. If she’s not gonna pick her up, then I need to start calling parents so they can make other arrangements.”

  I frowned. Kadie was sick. That was something that I couldn’t blow off.

  “I’ll talk to her, and we’ll figure something out.”

  “Okay, make it quick, Lover Boy.” With that, she hung up.

  Her joke convinced me Kadie wasn’t too sick. After all, her grandmother wouldn’t act that casually if she thought her granddaughter was bad off. Still, we needed to do something about it and the sooner, the better.

  I smirked to myself for a moment before gently shaking Aspyn awake. She blinked her eyes open. Something about the dark brown of her eyes at that moment looked so beautiful.

  “W-what?” she said, brushing some hair out of her face.

  “Do you have to work today?” I said.

  Aspyn stared at me for a second as if trying to figure why I’d ask that question. “Yeah, it’s Thursday, right? Why wouldn’t I? I can’t stay and just have fun all day.” She batted at me. “No matter how much I want to.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “It’s not about that.”

  “Then why?”

  “Your mama called. Kadie’s got a fever, and she wants to know if you’re gonna pick her up. If not, she’s got to start calling the parents of the other kids she watches. She’s worried about getting them sick, you see.”

  Aspyn groaned and sat up. “I don’t know if I can duck out again, especially after I blew off work to …” She winced.

  I raised a brow. “To hide from me?”

  “Yeah, to hide from you.” Her cheeks reddened. “Not only was I mean to you, but now I’ve made things tough for Mama.” She sighed and shook her head.

  It’s not often you could be a hero without much effort, but such a situation was staring me in the face.

  “I got a simple solution,” I said.

  Aspyn peered at me. “What?”

  “How about I go pick up Kadie?” I nodded toward my door. “I got a crib, toddler bed, and a car seat. And the fence I was working on can wait a day. If she gets sicker, I’ll call you and let you know, and we can meet at the doctor’s.”

  Unease settled over Aspyn’s face. I knew this was a big thing to ask of her. It was one thing to finally accept me but quite another to leave our sick daughter alone with me for the first time.

  “Are you sure?” she said quietly. “Have you ever dealt with a sick kid before?”

  “It’s not like this is the only time she’ll be sick. I might as well start learning now.” I shrugged. “I’ll pick up medicine and some stuff from the pharmacy before I pick her up.”

  Aspyn sat there quietly for a long while before a smile swallowed the unease. “Thank you, Alex.”

  I shook my head. “It’s the least I can do. She is our daughter.”

  “Yes, that she is.”

  I grinned. “Now, and as much as I love my daughter’s mama, it’s time for her to get out of bed and get ready for work.” I playfully pushed her, and she fell off with a thud.

  “Son of a bitch,” Aspyn said. She hopped to her feet and frowned down at me. She poked me in the chest. “I’ll forgive the pushing me out of bed, but how could you tell me you love me like that?”

  I shrugged. “I thought it was pretty funny myself.”

  Aspyn rolled her eyes. “You promise me next time it won’t be so lame.” She crossed her arms over her those magnificent tits of hers. “Or else.”

  I held up a hand. “I promise to tell you I love you in a non-lame way next time.”

  “Now, we better hurry,” she said. “So, no shower hanky-panky. Even though I love you too.”

  My heart sped up at hearing those words. It’d been so quick and casual between us, but I finally knew we both felt the same way.

  I held up my hand again. “I promise shower hanky-panky on a different day.”

  Aspyn chuckled.

  * * *

  Two quick and separate showers later, without any hanky-panky, unfortunately, we were both dressed.

  She drove off in her car, still wearing her clothes from yesterday, and I headed off in my truck, heading to the pharmacy. It’d be pretty stupid if I picked my sick little girl and then made her come inside with me.

  I hurried to the cold and flu section and grabbed some children’s medicine. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, so I grabbed a multi-symptom medicine containing a decongestant, fever reducer, and antihistamine. I figured that should at least help her feel a little better.

  The trip from the pharmacy to Kadie’s nana’s house only took a few minutes. Once I arrived, I knocked quietly on the door, hoping I wasn’t disturbing her.

  The door creaked open not long afterward. Good ol’ Nana stood there, a smile on her face.

  “I didn’t realize this is what you had in mind.” She nodded inside.

/>   I stepped inside. Kadie lay on the couch curled up under a blanket. I could hear some kids playing in a nearby room.

  Her nana sighed. “I gave her some medicine to bring down her fever. She’s also got a bit of a cough. I don’t think it’s serious. Just needs rest and plenty of fluids.”

  I walked over to the couch and picked up my daughter. “She’ll be at my place, and I’ll make sure she gets to feeling better.”

  I turned to leave and headed for the door.

  Nana wasn’t quite done with me yet, though. “I’m glad you worked it out. I know my daughter can be a handful, but I also know you’ve both cared for each other since high school. We can’t let mistakes destroy us.”

  I looked over my shoulder. “We’ve both made our mistakes.”

  “And did you learn from yours?”

  I nodded slowly. “I’d like to think I have.”

  “Then that’s all that’s really important. Life’s nothing but learning from mistakes, Alex.” She shrugged. “All I ask is that you keep treating my daughter and granddaughter well.”

  “I will.”

  She offered me a curt nod, and I carried the still-asleep Kadie to my truck and buckled her into her car seat.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie,” I said. “Daddy’s here.”

  * * *

  I stood above her crib, looking down at my sleeping daughter. She’d woken up briefly when I brought her inside but soon drifted back to sleep. Now, it was just the two of us alone in my house.

  No. Not my house. I needed to stop thinking of it that way. It was Kadie’s house, too, and even Aspyn’s if I could get her to accept it.

  After everything we’d been through, I wondered if I should even be thinking that way, but then I realized that’s exactly what I should be doing.

  No more doubt. No more hesitation. No more running away.

  I whipped out my phone and dialed Carl.

  “What’s up, bro?” he answered.

  “I have a favor to ask. Actually, a couple of favors.”

  Chapter 39

  Aspyn

  I’d called Alex a few times throughout the day. Kadie’s fever was under control, and she’d been mostly resting and watching some TV. When I talked to her, she sounded tired but happy.

  After work, I swung by my own house to grab a few things, changes of clothes for me and Kadie, some of her dolls and toys, her favorite blanket. That sort of thing. A box in my back seat now held everything I’d need for us to spend the night at Alex’s place.

  Pulling away from my house, my heart kicked up. It was a big step. A very big step. Now that everything was back on track, it seemed like moving in was almost inevitable.

  I shook my head. I wasn’t moving in yet. I was getting ahead of myself.

  Perri was the one who suggested I get everything I needed before heading over to Alex’s place. She was an expert on dating a man and staying over at his place. Of course, she didn’t have to worry about a kid in the mix.

  Sure, I’d already spent the night at Alex’s space, but including Kadie would be a totally different experience. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I felt like once I did it, I’d have a hard time wanting to stay in my rental anymore. But I wasn’t sure that was such a terrible thing.

  My heart hammered for most of the trip out of town and down the country roads leading to Alex’s house. I started wondering how often I’d spend time at his place and what was the best way to divide Kadie’s toys between the two houses.

  I snickered at the idea of asking Alex to buy her a pile of toys for his house. I was sure he’d gladly do so.

  An idea entered my head, and my breath caught. I could also move in. Was that too forward to ask? I honestly didn’t know.

  I groaned. I couldn’t be thinking about that sort of thing. I’d all but broken up with Alex a few days before. I’d even hidden from him.

  I loved him, and I’d apologized, but there was no way he’d want me to move in with him so soon. He’d spent weeks proving to me he wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe I’d have to spend time proving the same thing to him. Not that I didn’t deserve it.

  Even with our delicious sex the night before, I was sure Alex needed to recover from his emotional wounds. With that thought in mind, I pulled up in front of his house. I noticed Carl’s truck parked alongside Alex’s.

  I grabbed the box of things from my back seat and quickly made my way to the front door. With my hands full, it was difficult to do much more than lightly tap on the door.

  The door opened, and Alex smiled at me. He reached over and grabbed my load.

  “How is she?” I asked.

  “She’s fine. Doesn’t even have a fever anymore,” Alex said. He walked into his kitchen and set the box on the counter. “She’s napping, so you need to be quiet.”

  I nodded. “I should go see her.”

  Alex shook his head rather forcefully. “Look, she’s been having trouble sleeping, and every time I’ve gone in to check on her, she’s woken up. You really shouldn’t.”

  A mix of irritation and pride flowed into me. The mother in me bristled a little at Alex telling me what to do about my own daughter, but the fact that he cared so much about her to risk pissing me off almost made me teary.

  “Hey, I wanted to show you something,” Alex said.

  “What?”

  “What I’ve done with my backyard.”

  “You want to show me that right now?”

  “Well, not like we have much else to do until Kadie wakes up.”

  I let out a long sigh. I really did want to check on my daughter, but Alex was right. I didn’t want to wake her up if she was still getting over something.

  Alex started walking, and I followed him.

  Just as he put his hand on the knob of the back door, I said, “Wait. Where’s Carl?”

  Alex glanced over his shoulder, a sudden flash of irritation passing over his face. He cleared his throat. “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s checking some fence posts I set up the other day.” He opened the door and stepped out. “Stupid Carl,” he muttered under his breath. “What did I tell you?”

  I blinked, wondering why he was upset with Carl. Maybe his partner hadn’t liked the fact that he’d taken a day off to watch his kid.

  I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to cause any trouble between Alex and Carl, but I wasn’t about to take Carl’s side when it came to Kadie’s father choosing his daughter.

  It took me a few seconds after stepping outside to notice the lights. Several lines of fairy lights had been strung all around the back porch.

  Alex grinned and flipped a switch. The lights came alive in all different colors: red, white, green, yellow, blue, pink, and orange. Pretty, almost beautiful. I could only imagine how good they would look once it was darker out.

  “Did you do this for Kadie?” I said, turning and taking all the lights in.

  “I did for someone very important to me, yes,” he said from behind me.

  I turned back around, smiling, and blinked. Alex was on one knee with a box in his hand.

  “So, I’m kind of keeping my promise,” he said. “I wanted to tell you how much I love you and not be lame, so I had Carl buy these lights in town and help me set them up.” He shrugged. “But it’s not like I could send another man to buy an engagement ring for me.” He flipped open the box, and a thin silver band lay inside. “Consider this a placeholder. I had Perri pick it up. She said you wouldn’t be too pissed with it as long as I promised to take you to get a better ring right away.”

  My mind blanked as I listened to and watched him. “Wait. Carl? Perri? They knew about this?” I eyed him. “Is my daughter actually even sick?”

  “Our daughter has a little cold, but she’s already mostly over it.” Alex gestured with the box toward his knee. “This isn’t comfortable. So, Aspyn, I love you, and you love me, and we already have a beautiful girl together. I have a nice house with more than enough room for you and our daughter, so I ask you, under the
watchful eye of God in heaven, if you’d be willing to marry a sad man like me.”

  I tilted my head, just staring at him, my heart trying to jump out of my chest. I’d wanted to move in with him but never imagined he’d go this far.

  It wasn’t like it didn’t make sense. We’d already been through our first rough patch, and we had a child. There wasn’t much reason not to get married unless we really didn’t think we had a future together. I was damn well sure we did.

  Alex’s smile started to falter. I imagined most men didn’t like it when women thought too long about their marriage proposals.

  “Yes,” I all but shouted. “I love you, Alex Kline, and I’d be happy to be Mrs. Kline.” I stuck out my hand, and he slipped the ring on.

  Loud cheering erupted from both sides of me, confusing me. I whipped my head back and forth. Mama and Perri approached from one side. Carl and Joe came from the other. I imagined the only reason his wife wasn’t there was that she was on call.

  The Fabulous Five had gotten together for another wedding proposal.

  A high-pitched giggle reached my ears, and then Kadie came bounding around the corner. She looked tired but happy.

  “Mama, Mama!” she said, rushing into my arms. “Daddy gave me ice cream.”

  I laughed, realizing my daughter didn’t know what was going on. “You shouldn’t be out here, sweetie. You should be resting.”

  She stuck her lip out. “I slept already.” I kissed her on the forehead and set her down.

  I blinked. Alex had disappeared. I spun around, looking for him, only to find him emerging from around the corner with a champagne tray. We all grabbed a champagne flute.

  Alex handed a glass filled with grape juice to Kadie, and she giggled again, obviously happy to be included in the adult’s fun.

  Carl raised his glass. “To Alex and Aspyn, the only other couple in town that makes Perri and me seem fast in comparison.”

  Everyone laughed and raised their glasses. “To Alex and Aspyn.”

  After I took a sip, I turned to Mama. “You knew about this?”