Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I just barely resisted the urge to sink to the tub floor as I scrubbed. But at least I was clean as I climbed out and dried off. Only to remember I hadn’t brought any clothes in with me.
I tied the towel tight around me, ignored the flutter in my belly, and made my way out of the bathroom.
“Feel any…” Coast trailed off as his gaze scanned down me. Each inch his gaze lingered over warmed, tingled, begged for something I couldn’t give it.
Because I was sick, sure.
But also because I’d sworn off men.
For my sanity. For Lainey’s stability.
As if hearing her name in my mind, Lainey hooted, drawing my attention down to where she was lying on the bed in front of Coast, desperately trying to shove her foot into her mouth.
“Yes,” I said, sucking in a breath to, I hoped, clear my mind. But the movement had my chest rising, drawing Coast’s gaze yet again, and making another stab of desire move through me. “I feel a little better,” I told him as I rushed to the closet to grab clothes, then went back into the bathroom to dress.
Where I gave myself a stern lecture about getting the hots for Coast.
I mean, I couldn’t exactly blame myself. He was being a genuinely good guy to not only me, but my daughter. On top of that, he was ridiculously good-looking. Even if he was all bruised.
“Get a grip,” I grumbled to myself as I put my brush back down on the counter.
Just showering and dressing seemed to have sapped all my energy. My legs were ten times heavier as I made my way back out of the bathroom again.
“You’ve been really great,” I told Coast, meaning it. “But you don’t need to stay. I can—”
“I’m staying,” he cut me off. “Dunno why you want to argue about it.”
“I’m not arguing. I just know you have a life and friends and… work.” God, work. I couldn’t afford to be missing work. I mean, it was going to lighten my load that Coast had bought diapers and formula to last at least a month. But still, I had to earn an income. And I definitely had to walk those dogs after the weekend.
“What’s the panicked look about?”
“Work,” I admitted. “Especially the dogs.”
“You walk ‘em on the weekend?”
“No. But I know the last time I was sick, I was down for a good four or five days.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
We.
My heart had no right to clench the way it did at that word.
“I can’t ask you—”
“You’re not asking. Are you always so shit at accepting help?”
“I never get offered help,” I admitted, finishing up the rest of my sports drink.
“Well, now you do. So don’t be a pain in the ass about it,” he said, getting a laugh out of me.
“I’ll work on that,” I agreed.
There was a wailing outside the door, followed by Brooke’s voice.
“Well, when you pull your sister’s hair, you don’t get to play in the pool anymore. Them’s the rules. You don’t gotta like ‘em but you do gotta respect ‘em. I think you need a little nap, don’t you, moody butt?”
“Maybe you need a nap too,” Coast said.
“I just woke up.”
“Yeah, but you’re sick.”
“I’ll sleep eventually. How’s she doing?” I asked, looking at Lainey as Coast flipped her over onto her belly.
“Yeah, I know. Tummy time sucks,” he said as Lainey grumbled. “But you gotta do it or you’re gonna have a wonky neck. And not to mention one of those flat heads. No one wants that. She’s good,” he said.
“Is she hot?”
“Not yet, no. Sounds a little stuffier now, though. But I found that thing you have that sucks the snot out, if it comes to that.”
“That one seemed a lot less gross than the one you have to use a tube and your mouth to suck out the snot.”
“You’re serious?” Coast asked, lip curled.
“I am. People swear by those. But I just can’t.”
“Remember the days of steam and tissues,” Coast said as Lainey’s head bobbed up and down like it was too heavy for her shoulders. “Supposed to be doing this on a hard surface,” he said, flipping her back onto her back. “Need to get one of those mats, right?” he asked her, reaching for his phone.
“You’ve spent enough—”
“Got plenty more to spend,” he said.
“Coast…”
“Zoe…”
“Hey, look,” he said, turning the phone to my daughter. “They make gel-filled ones now where little animals move around. What do you like more… fish or turtles? Yeah, fish are pretty cool. You want the pink ones or the yellow ones?”
“Ooh,” Lainey hooted up at him.
“Yeah, that caterpillar thing is cool too. And add to cart. What the fuck is this? You want some socks with toys attached? Stick those in your mouth instead of your toes.”
Coast got stuck in a toy-buying frenzy with little gurgles of conversation from my seemingly content daughter.