by Erika Kelly
“What’s in your eye?” Posie cupped his jaw. “Let me see. Maybe you got a eyelash in it.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” He shot Coco a look. Tell her.
“Sweetheart, remember I told you that Beckett’s my friend?”
She nodded.
“Well, until a couple weeks ago, we hadn’t seen each other in six whole years.”
Posie looked like she couldn’t have cared less.
“And back then, when we knew each other, we were very close. But then we lost touch.” Coco crouched. “Posie, sweetie, Beckett’s your dad.”
“I didn’t know that your mom was carrying you in her tummy. If I’d known, I’d have been here sooner.”
“But as soon as he found out about you,” Coco said. “Well, that’s why he stayed with us this summer. Because I was finally able to tell him—”
“About my gift.” Beckett touched her cheek. “The best gift I could ever ask for.”
Posie looked at them like she had no idea what they were talking about.
He sat on the top step. “I’m your dad.” His voice cracked.
Posie peered into his eyes. “Are you crying?” She patted his arm, and then climbed onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around him, just as he’d imagined. “Don’t cry. It’ll be all right.”
“You don’t have to call me dad right away. We can take more time to get to know each other, but I want you to know that I lost you and your mom, and now I’m so happy I found you, so we can be a family together. I love you, Posie.”
She hugged him. “I love you, too, Beckett.” And then she pulled back. “Can we get ice cream now? I want the bubblegum.”
Beckett burst out laughing. He swiped the tears from his eyes. “Not right now, because we’re taking you to school. But after, on the way home, we’ll get it for you.”
“Go get in the car,” Coco said.
“Okay.” She shot off his lap. “I can’t wait to tell Margot I’m getting bubblegum ice cream. She says there isn’t an ice cream with gum in it. Mommy, will you take a picture of my cone? I want her to see it.”
Beckett watched his daughter open the door of the Jeep and climb inside. “Well, that didn’t go how I expected.”
“It never does with kids. Maybe it’ll hit her later.” She locked the door and headed down the stairs.
He stopped her, cupped her chin, and planted a kiss on her mouth. “I love you, Coco. I love you with all my heart.” Seized with a punch of affection and gratitude, their sweet kiss turned hot.
Posie called from the car. “Come on. I’m going to be late for school.”
If he could, he’d frame this moment and hang it on the wall.
And always remember it as the day he’d found his way home.
Epilogue
With the car door open, the interior light shone on Beckett’s newborn daughter. His breath caught in his throat, and his heart filled with unspeakable joy. “Look at her.”
Images of the future shuffled through his mind. Changing diapers, bathing her, dressing her, feeding her, holding her hand as they crossed streets. All the things he hadn’t gotten to do with Posie...he’d get to do it all with Violet.
This time, he’d gotten to be there when Coco read the pregnancy test stick. He’d watched her belly grow, felt his baby kick. He’d held his wife’s hand, as she gave birth to their daughter.
And now…they were bringing her home.
Coco waited patiently beside him. “You want me to show you how to detach the car seat from the base?”
Shit. She’d given birth eighteen hours ago, and he was standing in the driveway like a moron. “No, I know how to do it.” He’d practiced in the last few weeks of her pregnancy. “I’m not going to bring it in. I want to hold her.” He wanted his child to feel loved and cared for every second of her life. “You go in and lay down.”
She gazed up at him with a thoughtful expression. “What’re you thinking?”
“That I don’t want to mess this up. So many things can go wrong.”
He’d have to cut up her chicken into tiny bites because, even at two years old, her esophagus would be no bigger than a straw. And the stairs? He’d install gates at the top and bottom. He’d already added covers to the light sockets.
“It’s a miracle that any of us makes it to adulthood.” She tugged on his arm, forcing him to turn to her. “But we do, you know? We make it.”
He’d lived a reckless life, not sparing a thought to his mortality. With his daughters…holy shit, if they even suggested bungee jumping—
“Hey.” Coco cupped his jaw to get his attention. “It’s you and me, remember? We got this.”
He nodded, but he wasn’t convinced he got it at all. It seemed so overwhelming.
“You know how to eat an elephant?”
He looked at her like, What kind of question is that?
“One bite at a time. And that’s how we raise kids. We take it one step at a time.” She got up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Beckett. Our girls are so lucky to have you as their daddy.”
He drew her closer, a fierce sense of love overwhelming him. “They’re lucky because you’re their mom. You’re the most patient, kind, smart, beautiful woman in the world. And you’re mine.”
“Yes. I am completely yours. Do you know I wake up every single morning feeling unbelievably grateful that I get to spend my life with you? That we’re raising this perfect little family together? You make me so happy.”
“That’s all I want.” And to think, a year ago, he’d lived only for himself, for his adventures. Now, he had no greater purpose than loving and taking care of his three girls.
Violet made a mewling sound, and he turned to make sure her neck hadn’t bent over. He’d read it could cut off her breathing. “All right, sweetheart. Time to bring you home.” He reached for the buckle.
And stalled out once again. The nurse had shown him how to hold an infant, but Jesus…she was so damn fragile.
“You want me to do it?” she asked.
“No. I got it.” He slid his hands under her warm, swaddled body. “Come on, sweet pea.” He cradled her against his chest. She was so tiny. And practically boneless—he had to be careful with her head.
Coco closed the door and locked the car, and together they headed across the lawn to the house. It was a chilly night, the smell of snow in the air—a big storm was coming, not all that unusual for April in the mountains—and he wanted to get Violet inside, where she’d be safe and warm.
The moment they stepped into the mudroom, they heard the usual Cavanaugh boisterous conversation, punctuated with bursts of laughter. He couldn’t believe how easily he’d fit into this family, how readily they’d all welcomed him, especially after bailing on Coco when Posie was still in the hospital last summer. Even the Bowies had come to feel like brothers.
They entered the living room, and everyone got up and surrounded them.
“Let me see all that cuteness,” Gigi said.
“She’s kind of squished, no?” Cassian asked.
“I can’t believe how much she looks like Posie did when she was born,” Tyler said.
While the others fawned over the infant, he noticed Coco pulling her younger sister aside. “How’d it go?”
Posie had fought like hell to stay at the hospital with them, but a complication had kept them longer than expected, so they’d sent her home with her grandparents and aunts. He wanted to hear how she’d done without them, so he joined them.
Lulu rolled her eyes. “She was livid with us for taking her from you guys. And she fought sleep every step of the way. But she’s out now. It’s all good.”
“I can’t believe you came home for this.” Coco hugged her sister. “I know how busy you are.”
“Of course I did. Like I’d miss meeting my niece?”
“But you’re the executive chef. It’s your dream job. I don’t want you to risk it.”
Beckett thought he saw a stricken look in Lulu�
��s eyes, but it was gone in an instant. “That’s right. Executive chef. That means I run the place.”
“Damn right she runs the place,” their mom said, directing the group’s conversation toward Lulu. “Most people in her position have twenty years more experience. It’s unheard of for a twenty-six-year-old to become an executive chef at such a high-end restaurant. We’re so proud of you.”
“Okay, we need to get going,” Lulu said, clearly uncomfortable. “Coco’s got to be dying right now.”
“Absolutely,” her mom said. “We’ll go. Do you want us to come back in the morning?”
Itching to check on Posie, he left them to hash out the details of who would do grocery shopping and when they could come back to visit. He appreciated their support—but mostly he liked that they knew when to back off and give them space. The Cavanaughs were good people.
As he climbed the stairs, he reminded himself that, with a new baby in the house, he needed to be careful Posie never felt left out. He would make sure to give her the same amount of attention, even while meeting the needs of a newborn. Like tonight, for the first time, she’d gone to bed without a story from him. Couldn’t be helped. They’d needed to keep Violet a little longer to get her bilirubin level down.
He needed to see his little girl. Even if she was asleep, he wanted to whisper the words he said nightly to her.
“You’re welcome to spend the night, Lu,” he heard Coco say. “We turned the guest bedroom into a nursery, but we kept the futon in there.”
“What?” Her mom almost sounded offended. “She’s staying with us.”
“Guys, I’m flying out first thing in the morning,” Lulu said. “I’ve got a room near the airport.”
“This storm’s supposed to be colossal,” her dad said. “I don’t think any flights’ll be going out tomorrow.”
“Just stay with us,” her mom said.
“It’s coming from the north, and my flight’s out of Salt Lake City. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” Coco asked.
At the top of the stairs, Beckett took in the framed photographs lining the hallway. Lit up by the soft glow of a nightlight, he caught the familiar glimpses of Coco’s family and the countless images recording every moment of Posie’s life. He’d be sure to chronicle Violet’s childhood, too.
He passed the section of Ari’s pictures—just a handful capturing a few moments in her short life—but hung in a place of honor over a table. As often as they could, they filled a vase of daffodils, her favorite flowers, right beneath them.
When he reached last year’s Christmas card, he stopped. Shifting his daughter to a football hold, he touched the glass, warmth spreading through him.
Coco had already been five months pregnant, so really all four of them were in this shot. She sat beside him, with Posie straddling their laps. Beckett’s hands spanned both their waists, as if he was holding them all together.
And for the first time in his life he understood his purpose.
This is what Brodie and Will meant. Tasked with loving three women, making them feel beautiful just for being the powerful, strong, intelligent and perfect humans they were…this is what I’m put on this earth to do.
He continued on to his daughter’s bedroom, smiling when he saw her sprawled across the mattress—evidence she’d fought sleep with all her formidable might. Entering quietly, he leaned in and whispered, “Good night, sweet dreams, see you in the morning…Daddy loves you.”
His daughter shifted and said sleepily, “I love you, Daddy.”
Tears burned, and he didn’t blink them away. Not tonight. Not when he had his two little blessings right here.
Damn, he loved his girls. He would protect them with his life.
As he headed out, his heart so full of love he could practically hear it sloshing around inside him, he found Coco waiting for him in the doorway.
“She asleep?”
“Out like a light.” He pressed a kiss to his wife’s mouth. “You get ready for bed. I’ll make your tea.”
“Perfect.”
He kissed her again. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For letting me take this wild ride with you. Hands down, it’s the most thrilling thing I’ve ever done.”
Whole Lotta Love
Coming January 2021
I’m the worst person in the world.
As the mountain road hit a steep incline, Lulu Cavanaugh pressed the accelerator. Cold air seeped up from the floorboard, and she raised the heat in the rental car.
Executive chef?
Oh. My. God. She was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a liar.
Except, of course, she was. She’d been lying to her family for a month.
Snowflakes dusted her windshield. Dammit. She shouldn’t have spent so long at the grocery store. She’d hoped to get to her family’s cabin long before the storm hit. Remote, it would be impossible to access once the snow started coming down in earnest.
Hurry, hurry, hurry. She hadn’t lived in the mountains since she’d graduated high school seven years ago, which meant she didn’t feel safe on snowy roads at this elevation.
She blew out a breath of frustration. Why did I lie? She should’ve had the lady balls to tell her family she’d gotten fired. What’s the big deal? Everybody gets fired at some point in her life.
Even prodigies.
God. As a teenager, she’d eaten up that kind of praise with a spoon. Getting to cook for The Homesteader Inn, one of the finest restaurants in the West, as a teenager? Oh, yeah, she’d gotten off on it, all right.
But it was damn hard to keep up a reputation like that.
As evidenced by the fact that she was currently unemployed.
But she had a plan. And she’d spend the coming week alone in the cabin putting it into action. As soon as she sold her cooking show to the producers, she’d come clean to her family.
Reaching the tiny road that led to the cabin, she exhaled with relief. She’d made it. Thank goodness. Her tires slid a little on the icy road, but she smiled for the first time in ages when her headlights lit up the house. This is going to be a great week. Alone, doing what she loved most in the world.
Wait…was that a light on? It couldn’t be. She’d just left her family at Coco’s house. Everyone was accounted for.
No, she distinctly saw an orange glow in the living room.
Crap, had a hiker gotten caught out in the storm and broken in?
Yeah, but orange?
Oh, God, was the house on fire? Slamming her foot on the brake, her car fishtailed, knocking her and her twenty grocery bags around, but it came to a stop slightly off the driveway. She cut the ignition and raced toward the house, the air scented with campfire. Her boots crunched on fresh snow, and she dashed up the stairs to the porch.
Inserting the key, she turned to find it already unlocked.
Only her parents could tell her if someone was using the cabin, but of course, there was no reception up here. Okay, stay calm. She had her knife set.
As she headed back to the car, she heard, “Fuck,” in a booming male voice.
A moment later, as she unlocked the trunk, she heard the man bellow again. “Motherfucking fuck.”
Okay, maybe she should head back to town. But the snow was coming down hard now, so there wasn’t a chance she’d be driving down the mountain.
Digging through her bag, she found her knife set and pulled out the most dangerous one, and then jogged back to the house.
I can’t believe I’m walking into a house to confront a strange man with a damn boning knife.
She pushed open the door, stepped inside, and found an extremely muscular man in his boxers standing before the fireplace with a bottle of tequila in one hand, head tipped back as he guzzled it. The rush of cold air must’ve caught his attention because he whirled around to find her standing there.
“Who the fuck are you?”
Also by Erika Kelly
Thank you for read
ing CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE! It’s the sixth book in the Calamity Falls series:
KEEP ON LOVING YOU
WE BELONG TOGETHER
THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
IT WAS ALWAYS YOU
CAN’T HELP FALING IN LOVE
COME AWAY WITH ME
WHOLE LOTTA LOVE
Have you read the Rock Star Romance series?
Come meet the sexy rockers of Blue Fire:
YOU REALLY GOT ME
I WANT YOU TO WANT ME
TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT
MORE THAN A FEELING
And Erika Kelly’s super passionate Wild Love series:
MINE FOR NOW
MINE FOR THE WEEK
MINE FOREVER
Look for the next Calamity Falls book—COME AWAY WITH ME—a Christmas novella coming this December! And then WHOLE LOTTA LOVE will be out January 2021! Sign up for my newsletter to find out when it goes up for preorder and get a FREE copy of PLANES, TRAINS, AND HEAD OVER HEELS. Come hang out with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Pinterest or in my private reader group.