Decidedly with Luck (By The Bay Book 6)

by Stina Lindenblatt

  Not to mention, it highlighted my newly voluptuous breasts.

  Typically, I would open my parents’ front door without knocking first, but for some reason that didn’t feel right this time. This time I felt more like a guest in their house than a daughter.

  Mom answered the door a moment later, and her face lit up. “I love that dress. It looks beautiful on you, sweetheart.”

  Two things I’ve learned so far while pregnant?

  First, hormones turn you into a hot mess. One minute you’re ready to hump everything in sight. The next, you’re weepy.

  No secret there.

  And the second?

  I don’t know about the horny part (and I didn’t care to find out either way), but a pregnant woman’s hormones do quite a job on her mother.

  On cue, Mom’s eyes glistened.

  “Thanks,” I said, hoping that was enough to curtail the tears. I stepped into the house, only to be brought up short by Judith.

  Turns out mothers-in-law weren’t immune to hormones either.

  She engulfed me in a hug, squeezing me a little tighter than usual. “Your mom’s right.” Sniff. “You look gorgeous.” She released me. “Every bit as pretty as you did on your wedding day.” Sniff. Sniff.

  All right, not what I needed to hear. Now it was my turn to sniff back the tears.

  At this rate, by the time everyone showed up, we would be a sobbing disaster.

  But for different reasons.

  “Do you need any help?” I asked, walking farther into the house, desperate to escape the potential sob fest.

  “No, we’re all set.”

  If I thought the front of the house had been a little much with the balloon arch, that was nothing compared to the backyard.

  A white-washed wooden sign greeted guests when they stepped onto the deck. A large blue-gray elephant was holding a hockey stick. Another elephant wore a tutu around her middle. Beneath the two elephants, the sign read, “Welcome to Kiera’s gender reveal party.”

  The rest of the deck and yard mirrored the tutu and hockey theme. Bunches of light pink and blue balloons were tied to the wooden railing, and paper lanterns hung from strings crisscrossing the lawn from tree branches.

  It was both pretty and depressing.

  Sure, Stephen had been a talented hockey player, but this wasn’t his child. Grayson was athletic, but for all I knew, he was into martial arts and couldn’t have hit a puck into a goal even if he wanted to.

  If Love Bug was a boy, did that mean everyone—especially Stephen’s parents—would expect him to also be a star hockey player?

  Would they expect him to have ambitions of playing in the NHL?

  Would they be disappointed if he didn’t possess an ounce of the talent Stephen had?

  I picked up a puck sitting on the railing and turned my gaze skyward.

  God, was Stephen watching from heaven, with a bowl of popcorn, laughing at my predicament.

  “Easy for you to laugh,” I muttered at the sky. “You weren’t the idiot who tried to move on with your life after losing someone you loved.”

  Naturally, I was referring to the night of incredible sex in Lake Tahoe. The baby and the gender reveal party? Not so much.

  The guests started arriving soon after, and I spent the next while milling around, talking to them.

  I was chatting with a couple of my mom’s friends when a pair of hands covered my eyes.

  Definitely female hands.

  “Guess who.” Chloe masked her voice so it didn’t sound like her.

  But I knew better.

  I squealed and turned to throw my arms around her.

  And then did the same to Ava, who was standing next to her.

  “I thought you couldn’t make it.”

  Ava exchanged glances with Chloe. “Things went down a little faster than expected.”

  Both women appeared a bit disheveled. Chloe had a smudge of dirt on her face. Other than that, they looked good.

  But it wouldn’t have mattered if they were covered in mud and wearing ripped dresses. I was just happy they were here.

  They weren’t alone. Emma and Hannah were with them. Along with Travis and Wes. Wes was holding Riley in his arms.

  “Surprise,” Ava said, nodding at the four people I hadn’t expected to see. But I also knew they were Ava’s friends through her husband and his sister. “Emma told me how you, she, and Hannah have recently become friends, so I asked your mom if it would be okay if they came to your party, too.”

  I hugged her again. “Thank you. Having you all here is the best surprise.”

  And I meant it.

  She surveyed the decorations. “This is so adorable.” She then dropped the volume of her voice so only Chloe and I could hear her. The others were momentarily distracted with something Emma was telling them. “I don’t suppose the mystery father played hockey, did he?”

  “It didn’t exactly come up,” I whispered and peered through the window, checking the time on the microwave. Everyone my mother and Judith had invited was here, but there was no sign of Logan.

  Not that I had expected him to make it. Livi came first, as it should be.

  “Hi, everyone,” Judith called out, causing me to turn to where she was standing on the deck. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Judith Ashdown, Kiera’s mother-in-law, and her precious child’s grandmother.” She beamed at me, and I silently groaned.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to find out if Kiera’s carrying my granddaughter or grandson.”

  Chloe leaned closer to me. “I thought she was the one who set up the reveal.”

  “She did. Maybe she got someone else to look inside the envelope.”

  A warm hand settled on my lower back. I spun around to see who it belonged to. Logan was standing there, smiling.

  And my heart made like a kangaroo and bounced into my throat.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said. “Did I miss anything?”

  Before I registered what I was doing, I flung my arms around him. “You made it!”

  He returned my hug.

  I could feel curious gazes on us but didn’t care.

  “You didn’t think I would miss it, did you?” He flashed me a cocky smile. “I just got held up at Tony’s surprise birthday party.”

  I removed myself from his arms and grinned. “You’re just in time.”

  He surveyed the area. “Nice decorations. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Stacy was responsible for this.” He nodded at a bundle of balloons near us.

  I laughed. “Maybe I’ll have to introduce her to my mom and Stephen’s mother.”

  I introduced him to Ava, Chloe, Hannah, and Wes.

  “Hey, I didn’t realize you were going to—” he began to say to Travis.

  Judith cut him off. “Before we find out what the little miracle will be. Beth and I have organized some games that we’re going to play first. So if everyone can join us on the grass, we’ll get started.”

  She was standing next to a chalkboard set up on an easel. The board was decorated to look like a hockey scoreboard, with the Boston College hockey team logo on it. The timer was frozen at 12:45, and instead of HOME and VISITOR, it read BOY and GIRL.

  “As some of you might know,” Judith said, “my son was a talented hockey player, just like my grandson or granddaughter will be.”

  How I kept from cringing was beyond me. I could feel Ava and Chloe cast me sympathetic glances.

  I let my gaze drop to Logan’s lips, prompting the memory of the kiss in his car to replay in my head. I was half aware of running the tip of my tongue along my lower lip, capturing the feel and taste of him all over again.

  I really wanted to kiss him.

  Here.

  Now.

  But that wouldn’t exactly be a good thing to do. Not with everyone here to bear witness.

  My eyes flicked to his. The intensity in them had deepened.

  “I want to kiss you again,” he murmured.

/>   “I want that, too.”

  “This probably isn’t the best time or place for that.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “Beth and I came up with a fun game to predict the gender,” Judith announced. She gathered up a hockey stick and walked to the practice goal. Each corner contained a net pocket that you were supposed to shoot the puck into. Or at least attempt to. Mom and Judith had attached two signs on the top bar. One proclaimed BOY, the other, GIRL.

  “Normally,” Judith continued, “Stephen would have used pucks when he practiced, but they aren’t as easy to use on grass. So we’re using balls instead. The goal—excuse the pun—is to score on your gender prediction.” She pointed to the two pockets on the right side of the goal for GIRL. Then did the same for the other two pockets, which represented BOY. “You’ll be allowed three attempts to get the ball into a pocket.”

  She held the hockey stick toward me. “Kiera, as the mother-to-be, you go first.”

  You know how two people who are alike are supposed to be attracted to each other?

  That’s a pile of pigeon poop.

  Stephen might have been born with a golden hockey puck in his mouth, but that didn’t mean it had been the same for me.

  Just the contrary.

  But luckily for me, Stephen believed that talent was due to not just genetics. It was honed through practice. Lots and lots of practice. Even though he didn’t get drafted into the NHL, he still practiced often—both on and off the ice—so he’d be sharp for his highly competitive recreational team.

  I accepted the stick from her, nudged the first ball into position, and shot at the goal.

  And missed the pocket I’d been aiming for.

  Replaying in my head all the pointers Stephen had given me over the years, I aligned myself with the second ball and hit it with the blade of the hockey stick.

  This time it went exactly as planned. In the upper corner, no less.

  Cheers broke out among the partiers.

  Grinning, I curtsied.

  “I didn’t know you could play hockey,” Logan said as he took the stick from me for his turn.

  I laughed. “I can’t. That’s about the extent of my skills.”

  What I’d failed to mention was that the extent of my skills went slightly beyond that. But there weren’t many opportunities to demonstrate your talent of shooting at the goal while your husband thoroughly kissed your neck.

  Logan’s first shot went in no problem.

  “So, you think I’m having a boy?”

  He shrugged. “Heck if I know. What about you? Is your mother’s intuition telling you that Love Bug is a boy?”

  I grinned cheekily at him. “You want to know why I predicted it’s going to be a boy?”

  Commissary groans rose from the group as Emma missed the goal pockets on her third shot. Travis told her he still loved her regardless of her crappy puck handling ability. Laughing, she smacked him in the chest.

  Logan leveled a goofy grin at me. “You cheated and looked in the envelope?”

  I shoved him playfully on the arm. “Nope. I flipped a coin.”

  He barked a laugh. “I guess that’s one way to do it.”

  Ava, Chloe, and Hannah went next. None got the ball in the pockets they were aiming for. All three had predicted a girl.

  Like Logan, Travis got the puck in one go. Girl.

  It took Wes all three attempts to score on the same.

  “And it looks like the winner is ‘boy,’ ” Mom said once everyone had finished their turn.

  We played several more gender-reveal games, after which Mom announced, “Let me get the napkins from inside the house. We can have cake first; then we’ll do the gender reveal.”

  “I can get them.” I needed to go pee anyway. I didn’t know if Grayson had been a hockey player or a soccer player or a kickboxer, but Love Bug was having a great time kicking my bladder.

  “Oh, that’s okay, sweetheart. You’re pregnant.”

  “So I’ve noticed, but that doesn’t mean I can’t lift napkins.” I hustled off before she could argue otherwise.

  And because my bladder was sending SOS signals.

  After I finished relieving the poor organ of its burden and washed my hands, I opened the bathroom door.

  Logan was leaning against the opposite wall, and my breath caught at the heat in his eyes.

  25

  Logan

  Remember when you were a kid, and your mom told you not to eat cookies before dinner because it would ruin your appetite?

  But you did anyway.

  It wasn’t because they were forbidden, and that only made them more enticing. It was because you were hungry, and let’s face it, cookies taste a helluva lot better than cut-up pieces of raw broccoli.

  At the Jingle Balls ball, Kiera had been like that cookie. She certainly smelled and tasted as mouthwatering as one.

  Now?

  Not so much.

  Don’t get me wrong…she was definitely tempting. But not in the tempting-because-she-was-forbidden kind of way.

  Now it was due to something else, but I couldn’t figure out what that was.

  I stepped forward.

  The heat in her eyes went straight to my cock.

  Christ, I so fucking wanted her again.

  Kiera reversed into the bathroom counter. I shut the door behind me and clicked it locked.

  I moved closer to her until we were sharing a breath. For a heartbeat, neither of us said anything, our gazes saying it all.

  Kiera’s hands shifted to my chest. The warmth from them sank into my skin. I stilled, the air in my lungs not daring to move as I waited for her to come to her senses and push me away.

  But she didn’t.

  Her hands fisted the cotton of my T-shirt. “Please, kiss me.”

  Her voice was a low purr, barely heard over the beating pulse in my ears.

  That was all I needed to hear. My lips crashed onto hers, and everything else was quickly forgotten.

  After I’d dropped her off at her house the other day, I had entertained the idea of kissing her again. I’d imagined taking things slowly, savoring the moment.

  However, instead of taking my time like I wanted to, a sense of urgency pounded through me. Someone could show up at any moment to use the bathroom.

  But even though I knew I should step away and leave, I couldn’t.

  What I wasn’t expecting was for Kiera to slightly pull away. “God, I want you so badly,” she panted, her voice rough with need. “Fuck, I’m so horny.”

  I stilled for a second, positive I’d imagined her saying that—especially since Kiera had never said fuck before in that context. Of course, what did I know? My only experience with her that way had been the night of the ball.

  “Sorry,” she whispered and smiled. “That was a little crass. But it’s been a while since I last had sex, and being pregnant is making me awfully horny.”

  I chuckled. “I remember Stacy being frustrated when I was on the road while she was pregnant with Livi. I wasn’t around as much as she wanted so I could satisfy her needs.”

  “I swear I need to find a temporary boyfriend, so I have someone to fuck while I’m pregnant. Or at least until I’m not horny all the time.”

  I leaned in, breath tickling her ear. “I’d be more than happy to take the edge off while we’re in here.”

  She gasped softly.

  “Would you like that?” I tenderly kissed her neck. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but in this moment, my willpower was at an all-time low when it came to Kiera.

  A small moan escaped her, and she nodded. “Very much.”

  “We probably don’t have much time before someone will need to use the bathroom. And your mother’s got to be wondering where you’ve disappeared to with those napkins.” She was the one who had told me that Kiera had gone inside to fetch them.

  Which was too bad. I wanted to take my time, exploring every part of Kiera like I had the night of the ba
ll.

  We would have to save it for next time—if there was a next time.

  She nodded and reached for the top button of my jeans. Her hand lightly brushed the hard-on pressing against the fabric.

  Her touch did nothing to help my situation. A situation that would have to wait until I got home and had a cold shower.

  I linked my fingers with hers, stopping her hand from inflicting any more torture. “No, you need this more than I do.”

  She grinned impishly at me. “I think your cock disagrees with you.”

  “It doesn’t get much say in the matter.” If my dick could talk, it would’ve booed me.

  I cupped her breasts in my hands, feeling their full weight. They were a lot heavier than in December. I ran my thumbs across their peaks.

  Kiera nipped her lower lip between her teeth. I suspected that was to hold back a whimper or a moan.

  I craved to yank down the top of her dress and worship her breasts. But there wasn’t time for that.

  I gave the peaks one last teasing caress and shifted my hands to her expanding waist. The baby inside her belly might not have been mine, but that didn’t stop the unexpected rush of protectiveness that swelled in me.

  For a heartbeat, I imagined the baby was mine from the night of the ball. I mean, it was a good thing that it wasn’t, because I didn’t have room in my life for another child, not while I was still playing professional hockey. But knowing that didn’t stop the protectiveness from taking a firm hold on me.

  I lowered to my knee and raised the hem of Kiera’s dress, exposing her lace panties and stomach. Before I realized what I was doing, I planted a tender kiss near her belly button.

  Kiera sucked in a soft breath.

  Hooking my thumbs in the waistband of her panties, I slipped the cotton fabric over her hips. Once I’d rid her of them, I stood and carefully lifted her onto the counter.

  Fuck. I needed more time to enjoy this, to enjoy her, but the cavalry would be banging on the door at any moment, checking if she was all right.

  She squirmed under my gaze, and a smug smile slipped onto my face.