from panties to Frankie being embarrassed to dick-dick-dick. The last part in flashing neon.
Conversations resumed as the baby playfully banged on her high chair, smushing the few peas she’d been given into the plastic. I sent her a smile and she looked up at me, halfheartedly lifting one of the peas.
“Oh my God, no way.”
Alarmed, Jared glanced at me. “What? Another bathroom emergency?”
I nudged him and he looked toward his genius baby—who then flicked the pea away like a bug onto my mother’s prized antique rug.
Without pausing her conversation with my prodigal brother, my mother bent down to pick up the pea and put it on Samantha’s tray. Only for her to push it off again. My mother repeated the move twice more before Samantha tried to lift it toward her face again.
I tapped Jared and leaned over his lap—which hi, dick-dick-dick—to snatch the pea out of the baby’s hand. “No, Sami, not from the floor. Here, you can have one of your daddy’s.”
I took one from his plate and gave it to her, which she promptly flung away. My mother, Jared and I all laughed.
Until I slid back into my seat and noticed Jared was all soft-eyed and gazing at me as if I was Mother Theresa.
Suddenly self-conscious, I rubbed my cheek. “What?”
“You’re such a natural mom.”
The words doused icy water on my anticipatory mood. I tried to shake off the chill that stole over me. Not today. “No, I’m not. She’s just sweet.”
“So are you.”
I frowned and leaned up to whisper in his ear. “Are you buttering me up to get laid? You don’t have to. I’m a sure thing.”
His grin was slow and sly. “You, Regina Maria Ramos, are anything but.”
After one hell of a start to the dinner courtesy of my best friend, conversation and laughter flowed smoothly among the family and friends in attendance. Mason, in particular, seemed amused the entire meal. Jake was at the firehouse because of an unexpected issue so Mason and Erica were trading stories about running a bar and restaurant.
Jared’s dad was making conversation with my abuela and my Uncle Ernesto, although every now and then, he’d shoot a puzzled look at the baby and then at Jared. I imagined that would be quite a conversation later. The elder Brooks owned a floral shop and was the opposite of a hardass, but his son showing up with a baby—even at thirty-three—must’ve been a shock.
Frankie hadn’t looked up from her pile of steamed carrots since I’d asked her for panties—hey, she was an inveterate shopper, she could’ve bought some new ones she hadn’t worn yet for her trip here—and Gabby was texting sneakily under the table.
Jared and I were keeping things clean. Mostly. We didn’t talk much other than commenting on Samantha’s fascination with peas, but we exchanged a lot of long looks. I found reasons to lean over him for the salt or pepper or whatever else came to his end of the table, usually so I could rub against him in some inappropriate way. Once, my nipple had dragged over his arm, and he’d nibbled my earlobe while pretending to whisper to me, sending a jolt straight to my clit.
The bastard had known my reaction too. He’d shot me a heavy-lidded look and licked his lips and I’d deliberately looked at his groin to give him some payback of my own.
Still locked and loaded.
“I’m sorry about not making your pie. I’ll give you something else to eat though.” I fluttered my lashes. “Depending on your preferences.”
He growled, pressing his fingers into my upper thigh dangerously close to where I was warm and wet for him. “I’m a messy eater, Bee.”
Those words shouldn’t have been hot, but in this context? I definitely got warmer and wetter.
I wiggled around on my seat like a child waiting for recess. Except my play break would include me on my back with my toes pointed toward heaven.
“So, this is new,” my older brother said sometime later as we were all devouring thick slices of pie in every flavor imaginable, except pecan. My crustless pumpkin disaster had ended up in the trash where it belonged.
I was digging into my apple crumb slice with the requisite scoop of vanilla ice cream, so I didn’t realize immediately that Damien was talking to me.
Us.
“I know I’m not home very often these days, but I didn’t know you two were dating.” He circled his finger between Jared and I.
We exchanged glances before I said brightly, “Just hoping to do