and completely relaxed. More than once or twice, he imagined Summer using her hands on him in the same way.
When all was said and done, they had a happy baby and a hellacious mess in the kitchen. He stepped up to do damage control while Summer settled in to nurse.
With the outside world shut out, they enjoyed an easy domesticity. It was heaven. He felt all the pieces of his life falling into place. This was what he was meant for. Now he understood why and how King and Jon fell so hard and so fast. All three of them were alphas in their own way, but add women and kids, and a new alpha behavior was revealed. One he felt good about.
Protector alpha.
When it was time, she took out a storybook and hesitated slightly but eventually patted the spot next to her on the sofa. “Be a big help and sit here. You can turn the pages.”
Something to do? Boom! He was her guy. Taking the book while she got settled, he paged through real quick and was charmed.
“Lots of Love Little One by Sandra Magsamen.”
“The library in North Hollywood where I get books has a great children’s section. The librarian recommended it.”
She let him squirm close enough to kind of cuddle.
“Um, you smell a little gamey,” she drawled.
“It’s what happens when you wear the same clothes for two days and go without showering. Once my girls are both tucked in for the night and I get back to my hotel, the first thing I’m doing is draining the hot water tank.”
“Oh, right,” she muttered. “You’re leaving.”
He heard regret and anxiety, but let it go for now, preferring to keep them in this moment. Plenty of time for borrowing trouble later.
The children’s story was short and sweet. Summer read each page with engaging enthusiasm. She pointed out the illustrations, counted stars, and punctuated everything with kisses.
When she finished, he set the book down and was turning to her when she thrust the baby in his arms. “Time to say night, night.”
He couldn’t hide his surprise and ended up clearing his throat like a Roman Senator about to give a speech.
Night, night was a big deal, and he wanted to get it right the first time.
His very chill baby daughter looked up at him. Her clear blue eyes studied his face. She pursed her lips and cooed.
Without a plan, he had to wing it and let his intuition be his guide.
He sang “You are My Sunshine.” When he finished, he tore his gaze away from Ari’s sweet face and looked at Summer.
Something passed between them. A silent declaration of love.
After the song, he kissed the baby’s face and told her how much Daddy loved her. As Summer walked away to put her to bed, he had to fight for control.
The past few hours had been nothing short of perfect. But they also hadn’t resolved a single thing or done any of the hard work necessary to figure out where the hell they went from here, so maybe calling things perfect was a bit much.
She laid Ari on the bed and swaddled her. Any day now, the little scamp would figure out how to roll over, and then they’d be off on a new adventure so different from the newborn journey.
They sat in the glider for a few minutes of quiet rocking. The baby’s eyes drifted shut.
Never had Summer been happier to see the end of a day.
Lingering a few extra minutes to be sure Ari was sound asleep in the unfamiliar setting, she set up the baby monitor, grabbed the second one, and tiptoed from the room but left the door partially ajar.
In the living room, she found Arnie lounging in front of the TV. He managed to look hot while resembling warmed-up shit.
“What’re you watching?”
He looked up at the sound of her voice and smiled. “Stan got me hooked on renovation and building shows.”
“I’m sure this makes me a carbon footprint hog, but I really don’t think I could live in a tiny home.” She made this admission soberly. “I need too much room. Room to move.”
Arnie chuckled. “Room for activities.”
“Exactly,” she replied with wide-eyed agreement.
As she sat, he looked at her strangely. She felt a firecracker go off in her gut. The real world was about to intrude on their perfect moment.
“So…” he began with drawn-out emphasis. “Listen. Um, I have a house now.”
“A what?”
“You know. A house. A real one.”
She didn’t understand. “I thought you said you