Baby Daddy

by Lauren Landish

“You’ve done more than that,” I assure her. We start talking about Nic as a boy, their myriad of adventures, and how she worried he’d never settle down. All in all, it’s a wonderful first meeting with Nic’s parents, if all too short.

  “Okay, well one of the drawbacks of our lifestyle is limited internet, but unlimited minutes,” Nic’s dad says. “And we’ve got a date with a meteor shower tonight at dusk, so we need to run. You look famished, so we’ll cut this short for now so that boy of mine can feed you dinner. Rose, it was such a pleasure to meet you.”

  “You guys too,” I say, grinning as Nic starts plating dinner in the background. “By the way, whoever taught him to cook, thank you.”

  The call ends with them promising to see us soon. I set the phone down with a smile, glad that went so well, and turn to admire my man. He’s still in his gym clothes, probably relishing the slightly unseasonal warmth, but to me I just like seeing his arms and chest rippling with muscle in his tank top.

  And he can cook, how perfect is that? “So, you’ve got two plates of heaven for me?”

  Nic laughs. “You haven’t even tasted it yet, how could you know it’s heaven?”

  “If it tastes half as good as it smells, it’s got to be close,” I tell him, finally undoing my jacket to hang it up on the coat rack. “How was your day, besides the talk with your folks?”

  Walking over, he plants a big kiss on me, tongue and all, definitely not bad for a pre-dinner appetizer. “Much better now. Not that it was bad before, but… well, seeing you makes the day near perfect. So, you up for some linguini with my secret tomato sauce?”

  “Can’t wait,” I reply, feeling Amelia turn in my tummy. She’s so big we’ve actually been able to watch her squirm now, it’s sort of weird and wonderful at the same time. “Just give me time to get to the table.”

  Nic shakes his head and guides me towards the living room. “Have a seat on the couch, I’ll bring yours to you. There’s dessert too, chocolate pudding.”

  Not needing to be told twice, I plop down and perch my feet on the edge of the coffee table. “You’re a figment of my imagination, aren’t you?” I call out, earning another laugh. “Nope, no way are you this good. I’ve got to be imagining that you worked all day and made dinner and are serving me. I’ve officially gone off the deep end.”

  Nic calls out from the kitchen, a playful note in his voice. “Nope, not imagining things. I’m just buttering you up.”

  Oh, shit, what’s he got up his sleeve now? I was teasing about his working all day and still handling dinner, since really, in the last few months, that’s become our standard operating procedure.

  It’s been two months of bliss in a lot of ways. After he got back from Maine and we had our ‘Come to Jesus’ talk, along with mind-blowing sex afterward, Nic has been with me every step of the way. He’s cut way back on his travel and has spent the majority of the last few weeks permanently delegating his accounts over to his sales guys and taking on a more managerial role versus his usual more hands-on approach.

  I know it’s been tough on him, mostly because he’s put himself under a lot of pressure. I don’t know what the deal is with his boss, but Nic hasn’t complained. Still, he’s trying to please everyone when all I want him to be is . . . him.

  There have been two overnight trips where he went almost as much to teach as to be the salesman, from what he told me. He’s shown the ropes to his newer associates, introducing the new agents around and making sure the right people are getting to know each other. Mostly, though, he’s spent the past two months working out of the house, remote officing everything possible while I run the Mountain Rose.

  At the end of the day, we meet for dinner. Sometimes, he brings takeout, but most nights are like tonight where he cooks. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised he’s an amazing cook and an even better griller. Nic’s joked that his skills come from all the campfire cooking he’s done. “When the only thing you’ve got is a survival knife, two sheets of tinfoil, and some stuff you dug up in the woods . . . you get creative.”

  Creative, indeed, and so far, no ‘mystery mushrooms’ from the nearby woods. Bringing in the plates, he sets them on the coffee table and sits down beside me, handing me a wineglass of sparkling water. “My lady.”

  “Ooh, fancy,” I reply, sipping my Perrier. “You’re pulling out all the stops here, mister. What’s up?”

  There’s a tiny piece of me that’s worried because as awesome as Nic has been lately, I know that he’s still a bit of a wanderer and I sometimes feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, especially after hearing his parents talk about going here and there and the magic of meteor showers. And here in Great Falls, it’s just. . . me. The stress of his job and, from what I understand, the loss of his sales commissions, have to be weighing on him. But I’m putting my faith in him, and so far, we’ve done awesomely. If anything, I’ve told him numerous times that we’re a team. The Mountain Rose is continuing to do well, and we’ll be fine. I think my reassurances have helped. At least, they seem to.

  “I checked a few more boxes off the to-do list today,” Nic says as he tells me about his day. “Well, I got a good workout this morning, and yeah, I know I’m still dressed, but you see . . . the nursery is done.”

  “That’s great news!” I cheer, knowing Nic’s been working hard to try and get everything squared away there. “Even the crib?”

  “Double-checked and verified by Brad himself. He said that he’s got your baby shower under control and not to worry about a thing. I signed over two more contracts to my team for monitoring and support, just one big one left. And—”

  I interrupt with a smile, knowing where this is leading. “And that one deal is why you’re buttering me up?”

  He nods, and I lean back against the couch, looking at him expectantly. “That obvious?”

  “A little. All right, well hand me a piece of garlic bread. Nothing can be that bad with garlic bread in my mouth.”

  He smiles and hands me a slice, waiting till I take a big bite and wave my hand for him to continue.

  “This last contract is the one I want to keep as my own. It’s not about the sale itself. Their monetary value really is small potatoes compared to some of the other contracts I’ve handed off. I want to keep this because I like the couple that runs the company a lot. They’re the ones out in Oregon I told you about. And well, they’re sort of a sentimental place for me because of some of the stuff they told me.”

  I search my mind for a second then make the connection, as Nic mentioned it one night when we went for a moonlit walk. “Sam and Susan, right? The off-grid adventure tours?”

  Nic nods, smiling a little. “That’s them. Look, for me to be able to stay home for a while with you and Amelia after the birth, I need to make a trip out there to do a meet-and-greet and make sure everything's running smoothly. And with your being thirty-two weeks now, I need to do it sooner rather than later and as fast as possible to get back.”

  “That’s it? You need to run to Oregon for a quick trip?” I ask, surprised. I thought this was a big deal or something, what with the spread he’s got in front of me. “What’s the catch?”

  Nic tilts his head, and I can see that he’s got more to tell. “Well, ‘quick trip’ is relative here. These guys are totally off-grid. Last time, I spent a few weeks there all told with getting there, the sales and stuff, and then ferrying back and forth to a damn internet connection to get it done and then back. Don’t worry, though. This isn’t anything like that. But I’ll need at least a week . . . and I’ll miss the baby shower.”

  I smile, relieved. “It’s okay, honey.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nod, taking his hand. “I’m sure. I’m sad you’ll miss the shower, but I’d rather have you here after Amelia is born to change poopy diapers and to deal with my hormones going apeshit again. I’ll be using this as a bargaining chip for a long time, Daddy. Brad and Trey can help me get to and from the shower and take care of me for a wee
k if I need anything. Devon is doing great at the shop, and Dr. Stevens says everything looks great so I’m still fine to work for a few weeks. It’ll be fine.”

  Nic lets out a big puff of breath, the tension leaving his shoulders. “God, I’m so glad you’re okay with it. I really don’t want to leave you, and I knew that’d be a hard thing for you to handle, but I need to do this so that we can hibernate after Amelia is here, just turn off the phones and disconnect from the world to be our own little family. I just want you to know that I don’t want to go, but I need to so that I don’t have to leave for a long time after this.”

  “I get it, and I do appreciate how much work you’ve done to stay here with me and to plan ahead to be here for Amelia,” I reply. “I can handle a week apart when I’ve got at least six weeks to go.”

  He leans in to give me a kiss, smacks and sweetness, and whispers in my ear, “I love you.”

  The words still thrill me, and I kiss him back, loving the tenderness in his every move. “I love you too.”

  He lowers down to my belly, pushing my oversized maternity top up to kiss my belly too. It makes me giggle. I’m unfortunately very ticklish recently, but he knows just how to do it so that I’m not laughing out of control and peeing myself.

  Talking to my belly, he croons to Amelia. “Daddy will be back before you know it. Be nice to Momma while I’m gone, okay?”

  Unable to resist, I lift my belly up a little toward him and mimic a little kid voice. “Only if you feed me some of that damn spaghetti right now. Bitches gotta eat.”

  Nic shakes his head, leaning back and putting his hand to his forehead like some sort of wannabe Southern belle. “Oh, my poor ears! The mouth on this kid already. She’s gonna be a spoiled brat if Brad has anything to do with it. Look what he’s done to you.”

  He smirks like he got me good, but he still goes to my plate and twirls up a forkful of pasta that looks so delicious I’m thinking I’m the winner here either way.

  Chapter 20

  Nicolas

  All of my bags are packed and it’s nearly time to go. Just one last call, and it’s gonna be a bitch, but I need to do it. I’ve taken care of as many other things as I can, even speeding up the process by taking this ungodly early flight today so I can land tonight and jump right in the rental to get out to Sam’s camp early tomorrow. After a couple of rings, Brad answers, the sound of a high-pitched motor going in the background. “Bitch, there’d better be a damn fine reason you’re calling so early in the morning.”

  I cringe, knowing he’s not too happy with me, but there’s nobody else I can really trust with this. “I know, I know. Sorry, but I needed to check in one last time before I get on my flight. You’ve got my back here while I’m gone, right?”

  Brad tsks through the phone, and I can practically imagine him rolling his eyes at me. “No, I don’t have your back, but I have Rose’s. Anything she needs, I’ll take care of. Just go do what you gotta do and get back here.”

  I can live with that. “Thanks. I hate that I’m leaving,” I say before adding, hoping this’ll get me a few brownie points, “and that I’m going to miss the fabulous shower you’re throwing for my girls. Jesus, man, what the hell is that sound in the background?”

  “Gasoline-powered giant vibrator,” Brad replies. “Why, wanna ride?” he pauses a beat like I’m actually gonna answer that before continuing, “It’s the blender for Trey’s smoothie.”

  “Very funny,” I shoot back. “But seriously, man, thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can, but I have to do this so I can be here.”

  My plea seems to have worked as Brad’s voice sounds a little less grumpy when he answers. “I know. I’ll handle anything that comes up. It’s fine. I’m just grumpy at this time before the rooster even crows, and it’s my turn to make the damn breakfast smoothies. But now that I’m up, I guess I could go for a little cock-a-doodle-doo, if you know what I mean.”

  I laugh but attempt to cut off details before he thinks he can give them to me. “Well, thanks again. See you guys when I’m back.”

  I’m not sure if he realizes he hasn’t hung up yet, but before the line goes dead, I hear him in the background. “Tre-e-ey, I have a nice breakfast sausage for you!”

  Thankfully, that’s all I hear. I take one last look at my sleeping Rose, memorizing the spray of hair across the pillow, her mouth soft in sleep and her hand resting protectively on her full belly. Not wanting to disturb her nest of pillows, I land a light kiss to her forehead and whisper in the bedroom air, “I love you, baby.”

  It’s a long day of travel, commuting first to the airport and then flying into Oregon. My secretary arranged all the travel and assured me that the best option was to stay at a hotel my first night in Oregon so that I could safely ride an ATV out to Sam’s place in daylight hours. Admittedly, my first reaction was ‘fuck that’, and I’d planned to travel straight through, but now I’m glad I listened to reason because the long flight has me exhausted, and a ride as the sun sets and the woods become darker and more dangerous is definitely not the best option.

  Settling into the hotel, I look around and realize how alone I feel. “Homesick already,” I muse out loud as I fire up my computer, glad the motel’s got Wi-Fi. Dialing up Rose, I hope she’s still awake. Time zones can be a bitch at this distance. After a couple of rings, her face fills the screen and I feel my heart jump in my chest.

  “Well, hello there, stranger. I missed you this morning,” she greets me. “Didn’t even leave a note.”

  I chuckle, knowing that her soft chide is just a joke. “I couldn’t bear to wake you up. You were sleeping so well, and I know that’s harder these days, so I wanted you to get your rest.”

  Rose smiles, leaning back on the bed. “I did sleep well for a bit and then went into the shop for a few hours. Two hours after I got there, Devon sat me in a tall chair behind the register and told me not to move. She helped all the customers and just sent them to me to ring out.”

  I laugh, knowing that Devon’s totally one of those people that I’m so glad is in Rose’s life. “Sounds like she’s got it under control . . . the shop and you.”

  Rose fakes indignation, pointing a finger at me. “Hey, I don’t need anyone to control me. I’m doing just fine.”

  I tilt an eyebrow, thinking that a little bit of control is exactly what we both need right now. I drop my voice down, letting the gravel rumble the way I know she likes. “Rose . . .”

  I see the smirk cross her face as her eyes light up, realizing that I’m shifting the mood. She almost wiggles, and I wonder idly just how far we could take this if we ever wanted to. “Yes?”

  I lean forward, undoing the top button on my shirt and showing her a little bit of my chest. “I was thinking back to when I traveled before and missed you so much. Do you remember what we did?”

  I watch as her eyes go to my exposed skin while she bites her lip and nods. “How could I forget? And I am rather . . . needy tonight. These damn hormones make me horny all the time.”

  I smirk, knowing that it’s not just the hormones that are making her feel so needy for sex. Because I feel the same way every time I look at her. “I know, and I fucking love it,” I half growl, undoing my cuffs and rolling them up my forearms. “You just do what I say, and I’ll take care of you, okay?”

  Rose purrs, looking into my eyes. “Okay, and just what do you want me to do?”

  “Thought you didn’t want anyone to control you?”

  Rose smiles, trailing a finger down her neck to her chest, where I can see her nipples already poking through the thin cotton of her t-shirt. “At work, I’m the boss there. Like this, with you, it’s different. Now, are we gonna have a therapy session or are you gonna make me come long-distance?”

  I laugh a little. No matter what, the woman’s got sass. “Oh, I’m definitely gonna make you come, but not till I say you can. Deal?”

  Rose grins, and I realize again that somehow, I’ve found the perfect woman for me. “Deal.”


  “Take off your clothes and lie back on the bed, spread your legs wide, and set the laptop down between them so I can see your whole body.”

  Rose does as I ask, and I say a little prayer of thanks for HDMI cables, because after plugging my laptop into the TV in the motel room, I can see every inch of her body in sexy thirty-six-inch detail. My cock’s already throbbing, and we’ve barely begun.

  “Lift your shirt and tease your nipples nice and slow,” I command, my voice raspy. “Just like that. Now, lick your fingers and circle them around your nipples. Slow circles, baby . . . tease yourself for me.”

  I watch as she does as I ask, circling closer and closer to her peaked nubs with each hand. Through the video feed, I can see her eyes almost glowing, staring as she watches me.

  Rose’s fingernails catch the sensitive tips of her breasts and she takes a huge inhale, trying not to give herself away.

  “Nuh-uh,” I playfully admonish her. “I didn’t say you could touch your nipples, naughty girl. You do exactly what I say and only what I say. Understood?”

  Rose whimpers but nods. It’s not quite domination. We both know that as much as I’m commanding her, she’s just as much in control . . . but whatever it is, it’s sexy as fuck. “Yes, baby.”

  I nod, making my voice stern even as my hand reaches down to massage my cock through my pants. “For that, you’ll have to be punished a little bit. Pinch your nipples, both at the same time.”

  Rose does as I say, throwing her head back to gasp, and I reward her by stripping off my shirt, letting her see all of my upper body.

  “Now,” I continue, standing up to let her see me better, “push your tits together. Lift them up and let me see how big and full they’ve gotten. And slide your thumbs across your nipples. Soothe that bite away from the pinch.”

  She does as instructed but suddenly jolts as her nipples start dribbling a little milk. She stops, blushing nearly bright pink as I watch the whiteness dribble down her skin. “Oh, shit, sorry.”