Happily Ever All-Star: A Secret Baby Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,252

your lap.” I set Rose against his leg. Cole froze, as if just breathing would somehow hurt the kid. She crawled against him and babbled. “See? Easy.”

“Whatever you say.”

I handed him a book. “Don’t tell me The Beast is afraid of a little baby?”

“You should be afraid because I’m holding your little baby.”

“Nothing scares me about you.”

It was the truth. The only thing I feared was my own pounding heart. This gorgeous, brooding, unbelievably powerful man held my baby so gently. And together they looked…perfect.

Rose gripped his hands as he opened the first page of the book. She settled in against him, pointing to a drawing of a little bunny.

“Bunny!” She squealed and pointed to the pictures. “One. Twoof!”

Cole stared in amazement at her, like she did calculus to add up the number of rabbits on the page.

“Damn. Those are two bunnies. Smart kid!”

I left them with the story, but five minutes of peace went quick. I used the bathroom, brushed my hair and teeth, and felt like a normal human again. I returned with a soda, but I waited outside the room as Cole read to Rose.

“Yeah…I don’t know why his fish is being such a little bitc—downer. This cat just wants to throw the kids a party.”

I smiled. Great. He was teaching my baby it was okay to trash the house with wayward cats in various forms of apparel.

Rose cooed at him, babbling something cute and indecipherable. Cole went along with it.

“Yeah, I didn’t like that book either. Uh…you want another story?” He couldn’t reach the bookshelf, and I doubted he trusted himself to walk with her in his arms. He sighed. “Let’s make one up, okay?”

“Kay.”

“All right. Um, once upon a time there was a prince. Or a linebacker. Whatever.”

“Back-per!”

“Close enough. So this guy did good. He was all-pro. Used to chase all the evil dragons all over the field to protect his castle. He was the strongest and best linebacker prince guy ever. Just ever.”

Rose agreed, but her words were quieter now.

“But some of the peasants didn’t like him much. They said he was too good at defending his castle. They wanted to kick him out of the kingdom. So this prince—uh, linebacker, whatever—paid some gold to the kingdom every time he chased the dragons out. But they still wanted him gone.”

“Bunny.”

“Okay. He’s got a bunny too. But the linebacker prince said he didn’t want to leave the kingdom. Not if there was a little princess around who needed a better bedtime story than some prick cat making a mess in a stranger’s house. Bet your momma likes that story though, huh?”

I watched from the entry, my heart melting. Rose didn’t answer. She was out, cuddled against his arms, blissfully asleep.

“Good job,” I said.

Cole didn’t move. He stared at the baby, asleep in his arms. “I didn’t know my story was that boring.”

“She likes your voice.”

His eyes shifted from her to the crib. “How do I…?”

“Pick her up.”

“I don’t think—”

“You won’t wake her up.”

“I’m not worried about waking her. Worried about…” He shrugged. “She’s a tiny thing.”

“You really should trust yourself.”

“And maybe you shouldn’t.”

Cole hesitated, but he wrapped his arms over Rose, nearly losing her in the mountain of muscles that were his biceps and chest.

He moved slow, one shuffled, non-jarring step at a time until he reached the crib. He lowered Rose onto the mattress. He didn’t breathe, but he silently swore as his hands were trapped under her. He held his breath, rocked his palms, then freed himself.

He retreated as sweat beaded his brow.

“There. She’s sleeping.”

I tucked a blanket over her. “She likes you, Cole.”

“Yeah.”

“How’s the story end?”

“Does it matter?”

“I’m invested.”

He exhaled. “How else? The princess and her bunny live happily ever after.”

“And the linebacker prince guy? Does he get a happy ending?”

Cole didn’t answer. He avoided my question and left the room. I grabbed Rose’s baby monitor and followed.

He wasn’t in any mood to talk. Neither was I. But I grabbed his hand before he escaped and tugged him into my bedroom. I shut the door behind us.

“What are you doing, beautiful?” His voice lowered into a warning. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I’m not tempting. I’m offering.”

He tensed, staring at me, my curves my lips. “We never talked about the other night.”

“What’s to talk about? You did everything I asked.”

“And now?”

“I’m asking again.”

“Why?”

Because he put my daughter to bed.

Because my child felt safe and comforted in his arms.

Because when she fell asleep against his chest she proved what I had denied since the first moment