Read Online Baby's First Homecoming by Cathy McDavid - Free Book Online
Authors: Cathy McDavid
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through the front door and came to a sudden stop, her eyes wide. “It’s bigger than it looks from the outside.”
“Three hundred and sixty square feet altogether. I think the picture window and skylights give an illusion of spaciousness.”
She continued past the recliner and queen-size bed to the tiny kitchen in the corner. There, she ran her fingers along the edges of the single-basin sink and three-burner stove. Last, she opened the mini refrigerator for a quick peek at the contents, which consisted of a can of tomato juice and a box of baking soda.
“No oven,” Clay said, “so you can’t prepare a huge meal. But between the stovetop and the microwave, you and Jamie won’t starve.”
“There’s always the meals we share with you.”
She would bring up that condition.
Leaving the stroller outside the bathroom, she went in to explore. Clay was glad he’d spent the extra money and had a whirlpool tub installed.
“This is great,” she exclaimed.
He smiled to himself.
Was she remembering that night they’d spent at the Phoenix Inn and their room with the built-in Jacuzzi? They’d drunk champagne and eaten strawberries amid swirling water and shared a continental breakfast in bed the next morning. In between, they’d made love. For hours.
Then, a week after Sierra went home, Jessica had crooked her little finger and Clay went right back to her like a trained lapdog.
Would he have been so eager if he’d known Sierra was pregnant?
Definitely not.
He’d have done right by Jamie, been a better father than his own ever was— would be a better father than his own. Put his family first, not his insatiable greed.
And he’d have done right by Sierra, too. Married her if that was what she’d wanted. Taken care of her, certainly.
What if she’d told him about the baby after he and Jessica had renewed their engagement? Would he have still married Jessica?
Clay was honest enough with himself to admit he had his doubts. Oh, he’d have still taken care of Jamie and Sierra. But left Jessica? Hard to say. The spell that woman cast on him had been strong and blinding.
“Da, da, da!”
Clay swung around. Had Jamie just called him Dada? He went to the stroller and knelt in front of his son, who wore an enormous grin and waved his pony in the air.
“Da, da, da, ba, ba.”
“Hey, pal.” Clay tugged on the brim of Jamie’s ball cap, emotion thickening his voice. “I’m here.”
“Hard consonants are easier to pronounce than soft ones.” Sierra had stepped out of the bathroom and was standing beside Clay and Jamie. “They aren’t necessarily words.”
Guess Jamie wasn’t calling him Daddy yet. “Is that what the baby books say?”
She blushed guiltily. “I have been reading up.”
Clay stood and waited. After a moment, she met his gaze. They were closer than he’d first thought. So close the fronts of their jackets brushed. With the wall on one side and the stroller on the other, there was little room to maneuver, unless Sierra twisted and ducked into the bathroom.
She didn’t.
Her eyes, a vivid blue and by far her most striking feature, held him immobile. He had only to lower his mouth a few inches and he’d be able to taste her lush pink lips. Slide his tongue over them until they parted and she leaned into him…
“Da, da, ba, da.”
Clay jerked. What the heck just happened?
He was angry at Sierra. Furious. Didn’t trust her. And with good reason. He was not in any way whatsoever attracted to her.
His pulse and sudden rapid breathing were making a liar of him.
Maybe her living in such close proximity wasn’t a good idea after all.
Chapter Five
“We’d better get a move on.” Sierra slipped gracefully out from between Clay and the wall. “I have that errand to run.”
Clay watched her lean down to fix Jamie’s loose shoe. The curve of her shapely posterior didn’t go unnoticed.
Dang. If she could have escaped all along, why hadn’t she?
Perhaps this zing of
“Three hundred and sixty square feet altogether. I think the picture window and skylights give an illusion of spaciousness.”
She continued past the recliner and queen-size bed to the tiny kitchen in the corner. There, she ran her fingers along the edges of the single-basin sink and three-burner stove. Last, she opened the mini refrigerator for a quick peek at the contents, which consisted of a can of tomato juice and a box of baking soda.
“No oven,” Clay said, “so you can’t prepare a huge meal. But between the stovetop and the microwave, you and Jamie won’t starve.”
“There’s always the meals we share with you.”
She would bring up that condition.
Leaving the stroller outside the bathroom, she went in to explore. Clay was glad he’d spent the extra money and had a whirlpool tub installed.
“This is great,” she exclaimed.
He smiled to himself.
Was she remembering that night they’d spent at the Phoenix Inn and their room with the built-in Jacuzzi? They’d drunk champagne and eaten strawberries amid swirling water and shared a continental breakfast in bed the next morning. In between, they’d made love. For hours.
Then, a week after Sierra went home, Jessica had crooked her little finger and Clay went right back to her like a trained lapdog.
Would he have been so eager if he’d known Sierra was pregnant?
Definitely not.
He’d have done right by Jamie, been a better father than his own ever was— would be a better father than his own. Put his family first, not his insatiable greed.
And he’d have done right by Sierra, too. Married her if that was what she’d wanted. Taken care of her, certainly.
What if she’d told him about the baby after he and Jessica had renewed their engagement? Would he have still married Jessica?
Clay was honest enough with himself to admit he had his doubts. Oh, he’d have still taken care of Jamie and Sierra. But left Jessica? Hard to say. The spell that woman cast on him had been strong and blinding.
“Da, da, da!”
Clay swung around. Had Jamie just called him Dada? He went to the stroller and knelt in front of his son, who wore an enormous grin and waved his pony in the air.
“Da, da, da, ba, ba.”
“Hey, pal.” Clay tugged on the brim of Jamie’s ball cap, emotion thickening his voice. “I’m here.”
“Hard consonants are easier to pronounce than soft ones.” Sierra had stepped out of the bathroom and was standing beside Clay and Jamie. “They aren’t necessarily words.”
Guess Jamie wasn’t calling him Daddy yet. “Is that what the baby books say?”
She blushed guiltily. “I have been reading up.”
Clay stood and waited. After a moment, she met his gaze. They were closer than he’d first thought. So close the fronts of their jackets brushed. With the wall on one side and the stroller on the other, there was little room to maneuver, unless Sierra twisted and ducked into the bathroom.
She didn’t.
Her eyes, a vivid blue and by far her most striking feature, held him immobile. He had only to lower his mouth a few inches and he’d be able to taste her lush pink lips. Slide his tongue over them until they parted and she leaned into him…
“Da, da, ba, da.”
Clay jerked. What the heck just happened?
He was angry at Sierra. Furious. Didn’t trust her. And with good reason. He was not in any way whatsoever attracted to her.
His pulse and sudden rapid breathing were making a liar of him.
Maybe her living in such close proximity wasn’t a good idea after all.
Chapter Five
“We’d better get a move on.” Sierra slipped gracefully out from between Clay and the wall. “I have that errand to run.”
Clay watched her lean down to fix Jamie’s loose shoe. The curve of her shapely posterior didn’t go unnoticed.
Dang. If she could have escaped all along, why hadn’t she?
Perhaps this zing of
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