Make Me Yours (Bellamy Creek #2) - Melanie Harlow Page 0,87

out online.

“They won’t be delivered until January, but Daddy says that’s okay because we probably won’t be able to move in much before that anyway. There’s lots of work that needs to be done.”

I parked in front of the house behind a white pickup and Enzo’s SUV. As Mariah and I made our way up the walk toward the old brick house with a white wraparound porch, I couldn’t help smiling. It was gorgeous all covered with snow, but I could imagine it in the spring with tulips and daffodils in the beds by the porch and green leaves on the towering weeping willow to one side. Cole came out the front door and waved.

Mariah ran the rest of the way, racing up the steps to stand next to him so she could welcome me. “This is the porch,” she said as I approached.

“The porch that needs a new coat of paint,” Cole added.

“I love it,” I said.

“Daddy says we can get some rocking chairs and maybe even a swing.” She looked at him. “Right?”

“Right.”

“That sounds heavenly. I love reading a book on the porch in summertime.” I climbed the steps, and Cole kissed my cheek.

“How was your day?” he asked, opening the front door.

“Good. Yours?”

He shrugged. “The estimate for the renovation is getting a little scary, but Moretti seems to think we can keep it down by using some repurposed materials and doing some labor ourselves.”

“That’s good,” I said, entering the front hall with a gasp. “Oh, Cole.” Wide-eyed, I looked around at the high ceilings, wood floors, and natural light pouring in the windows surrounding the door. I put a hand over my heart. “This is beautiful.”

He shut the door behind us. “Not yet, but it will be. Come in, and we’ll show you around.”

Mariah led the way into the living room, where I was charmed by the fireplace, the tall windows, and what I could see of the parquet floor, revealed where someone had pulled back the musty old carpet. In the dining room, I admired the bay window and antique chandelier, which Cole hated but Mariah thought was fancy. In the kitchen, I said hello to Enzo and smiled at another guy, who was kneeling on the floor with a tape measure extended across the room.

“Cheyenne, this is Kevin Dodson. He’s going to be doing most of the kitchen remodel. Kevin, this is my girlfriend, Cheyenne Dempsey.”

Already on my way to shake Kevin’s hand, I nearly fell to the floor in a dead faint when I heard the word girlfriend.

I was Cole Mitchell’s girlfriend! How was that even possible?

I practically floated upstairs, where Mariah flitted from room to room, chirping about which one was hers, which one was her dad’s, and which room could be the baby’s.

“Baby?” Enzo’s eyebrows shot up and he looked from me to Cole to my stomach. “Is there something I don’t know?”

Cole rolled his eyes. “Yes. My daughter is crazy.”

“There’s no baby,” I said, laughing.

But later, when Enzo and Mariah were heading back downstairs, Cole tugged my hand and pulled me back into his bedroom for a kiss.

It was a deep, long, passionate kiss that made my heart race, my toes tingle, and my stomach muscles tighten. His hands traveled over my back and down to my ass.

“Cole, stop.” Breathless, I looked over my shoulder at the doorway. “What if she comes back up?”

“I don’t care. This is my room.”

“But she might—”

He reached behind me and slammed the door. “There. Feel better?”

I started to laugh, but then his mouth was on mine once more, and I couldn’t think about anything but his kiss. Pretty soon, his breathing grew heavier and he backed me up against the door. I could feel his erection against my belly as he moved against me. Even though I knew it was a bad idea, I reached between us and rubbed it through his jeans, making him groan.

Giggling, I took my hand off him. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it. Should we go downstairs?”

“I need a minute.” He pushed himself back from me, his arms braced on either side of my head. “I wish we had more time.”

“Soon.” I smiled. “Tell me what you’ll do with this room. New paint? A rug? A big new bed?”

“I’m open to suggestions. Tell me what will entice you to come over a lot.”

“Hmmm.” I ducked beneath his arms and studied the room. “Are there wood floors beneath this carpet?”

“Yes.”

“I’d rip out all the carpet and polish up the floors. Get a