His Hush-Hush Baby - Holly Rayner Page 0,59

your plan.”

“It’ll be a good thing to have in our home until the baby comes. After the baby comes, too.”

Our home?

“So you’re officially asking me to move in with you?” She stepped out of the embrace and leaned her back against the doorway. “Just to get this straight. And we can live wherever I want.”

“Exactly.” He reached for her again and ran his hands up and down her waist and hips. She loved how it seemed he couldn’t get enough of her.

“And what’s expected from me?”

“Let me love you.” His face was completely serious. “And, hopefully, love me back.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

Kai laughed low in his throat. “I can make it up to you.”

“How?” She tilted her head back, hair falling away from her face as she gazed up at him.

“For starters, let’s see what this does.”

Cupping her face in both hands, he swept his lips over hers. The kiss started sweet and gentle, then morphed into something hungry and primal.

Their arms locked around each other, they found their way to Kai’s room, where they fell onto the bed.

Pressing a kiss to her nose, Kai rolled onto his side and propped himself up on an elbow. His palm hovered an inch above her stomach.

“I still can’t believe it,” he said in awe.

Diane bit into her smile. “It’s pretty wild, isn’t it?”

“And it came about our first night together.” His eyes softened. “What do you think of that?”

She tugged gently on his shirt collar, giving it some thought. “I think…life has been pretty crazy since we met…but I’ve often felt like we were supposed to be around together, and maybe this baby is our destiny.”

“I think that too,” he said in a hushed voice.

“You know what else I think?” She let go of his shirt collar to press her palm to his jaw.

“What’s that?”

“We’re going to have a really amazing life together.”

“Now you’re reading my mind,” he said right before he dove in for another kiss.

Epilogue

Diane

Holding her fresh-squeezed juice in one hand and Mackenzie with her other arm, Diane stepped onto the deck and breathed in the salty morning air.

Just past her back deck, over the white mounds of sand, the bright blue waves tickled the beach. Another wonderful morning in paradise.

“Ehm! Urh.” Mackenzie kicked her chubby legs.

“What’s that?” Diane brushed the baby’s soft brown locks away from her forehead. “You want to go down to the beach? Give mommy a little time, and then we’ll go.”

“Does that invitation have room for a third?”

Diane gasped and spun around. Kai had snuck into the house without her hearing, and he strode across the living room wearing a big grin.

“You weren’t supposed to get in until this afternoon,” Diane said, as he kissed her on the mouth then took the eight-month-old baby in his arms.

“I came home early,” he said, giving her another kiss. “Three days away from my girls is too long. I couldn’t stand even one more hour.”

“Mm. I know how you feel.” Diane buried her face in his suit and breathed him in.

Thanks to their part-time nanny, she’d been able to work on her mural at the local coffee shop a bit each day. The nights had been hard, though. Especially after Mac was down. That’s when Diane missed Kai the most.

“What were you two doing?” Kai tickled Mackenzie’s side, and the baby laughed.

“We just woke up.” Diane took a sip of juice. “Late start. Someone was restless last night.”

“Oh, yeah?” Kai said to Mackenzie in his syrupy-sweet baby voice. “That means maybe someone will take a nap later and give Mommy and Daddy a little alone time.”

Though the thought of having some adult time was tempting, there were other things to get to.

“My parents are coming over for lunch,” Diane said.

“Oh, I know. Trevor texted me about it.”

“Ah.” Diane pushed her lips out and nodded.

Since Kai had bought the massive beach house only a mile from her parents’ new home, he and her dad had struck up quite the friendship. They went fishing and boating together and liked to haunt the local bar that sat at the end of a pier.

“Do you know what today is?” Kai asked.

“Friday?”

“It’s the one-year anniversary of us moving to Florida.”

Diane gasped. “Oh my God. You’re right. How is that possible?”

“Time flies.” Kai pecked Mackenzie on the top of the head. “Has my baby girl had breakfast?”

“Nope.” Diane led the way into the kitchen, and Kai followed, still carrying Mackenzie.

“Dat!” Mackenzie squealed and pointed at the bananas on the counter.

“Dat,” meaning “that,” was