do you say? Ya want a two-for-one? We’re kind of a package deal.”
Gabby glances between us and rolls her eyes at my shameless use of my daughter, who I must admit is my best weapon. “You play dirty.”
You have no idea how dirty I like it.
But then she nods.
“Yeah?” My heart races in my chest.
“Yeah.”
“Wanna seal it with a kiss?” I’d be up for sealing this with more than a kiss, but Poppy’s on deck, so I’m gonna have to settle for some PG action.
Gabby swoops in with a little peck on the lips, and when I frown, she smirks. “You’re going to have to wait for the good stuff.” She wags her eyebrows at me, and I huff out a laugh.
As we get ready to go out to breakfast, I wonder if it gets better than what we did last night.
I can’t wait to find out.
39
GABBY
As we walk through downtown Charming toward the diner, I shove my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and study Rider out of my peripheral vision.
He’s carrying Poppy in a front-facing body sling. She’s clapping and kicking and utterly excited to be on this outing. The two of them are quite a sight, and everyone we pass, women especially, takes their time perusing this sexy male specimen.
I turn away, chiding myself for wanting to look.
Technically, I should be able to stare at Rider unabashedly, especially after our conversation this morning and what we did to each other last night, but I’m a little leery of letting on exactly how much I like him.
He can reassure me with words, but I still consider him a flight risk. Maybe less than he was freshman year, but I need more time to see if he means what he says. Being with Rider is like circling the sun, wondering how close I can get before I get burned.
Not wanting to derail what could be a great thing in my life, I consider how much he’s changed. After all, he’s fantastic with Poppy. Despite his hectic schedule, he always seems to be on top of her needs. I’ve never seen her sitting around in a dirty diaper. If she’s upset, he immediately picks her up to try to comfort her. He’s always trying to get her to laugh or smile or talk to him. That gives me confidence he’s not the man child I knew and I’m not just setting myself up for heartbreak.
“You’re kinda quiet over there.” Before I can say anything, he slings an arm over my shoulders, pulling me to him, and I sigh, relishing how nice it is to be close to him.
“Just admiring how sexy you look with Poppy.”
I swear his emerging smile sparkles. “You think I’m sexy, huh?”
“Shut up. You know you are.”
He leans down and kisses me. Right there on Main Street. And then, with a devilish look in his eyes, he whispers, “You seem to be walking okay today.”
I snort out an unladylike laugh. “No thanks to you.”
Chuckling, he kisses my forehead, and inside I swoon hard like an eighteenth-century débutante. What is it about forehead kisses that make me so weak-kneed?
I’m about to lean up for another kiss when Poppy grabs a fistful of my hair and tries to chew it.
“You need a little love too, Poppycakes?” I blow a kiss on her chubby cheeks, and she giggles. While I untangle my hair, I give Rider a dopey smile. Ugh, fine. I’ll admit it—I’m so happy I can’t stand it. Despite what happened with Ben this morning, having Rider be so stalwart and steady is turning me on like a big weirdo.
We resume our walk down the street, and my level of contentment goes into overdrive when Rider tosses that arm over my shoulders again. Of course, I reciprocate by placing mine behind his back.
For the next sixty seconds, I’m in domestic bliss.
Because that’s how long it takes us to get to the Road Runner Cafe and open the door where everyone stops eating to stare at us.
“What’s going on?” I whisper to him.
“Not sure.” He frowns.
But then someone shouts, “Go, Broncos!” and people cheer and high-five Rider as we walk by on our way to a booth in the back. “Hell of a game yesterday, man!”
Right. The game. Duh.
I feel like a big dummy for forgetting that. Pride surges in me, even though I had nothing to do with his performance. Still, I know how hard he’s been working.
Rider takes the praise in stride with a few fist-bumps