“We’re here,” he says and I turn as the cute little cottage comes into view.
“This is where you grew up?”
He nods as he pulls the car to a stop and puts it in park. “Yep. You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I answer with a nod and he shakes his head as he climbs out of the car. I suck in a breath before slipping out of the car and he’s already at the back door, unbuckling Brooklyn. Once he has her out, he carries her over to me and grabs my hand. She lays her head down on his shoulder as she plops her thumb into her mouth and my heart aches at the sight of them. He’s so damn good with her and she absolutely adores him - something that surprised me since she’s usually so reserved around strangers but from the moment they met, she’s been head over heels for the man.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything cuter,” someone says and I turn toward the cottage, smiling at the dark haired woman in the doorway. Her gaze moves to me and she smiles. “You must be Quinn.”
“I am. It’s so nice to meet you,” I tell her, holding my hand out but she bypasses it and wraps me up in a hug as the warm scent of apples and cinnamon surrounds me.
“Come on in,” she urges as she pulls away and turns to Lucas. Brooklyn pops her head up, with her thumb still in her mouth, and stares at Iris, who smiles at her. “Hello, gorgeous girl.”
Brooklyn smiles around her thumb and Iris lets out a chuckle before glancing back at Lucas.
“You look good with a baby on your hip, kid.”
He peeks over at me with a grin. “You hear that, babe? I look good with a baby on my hip.”
“She’s not wrong,” I answer, fighting back a smile. My stomach growls, drawing the attention of everyone on the porch and Iris backs up toward the door, ushering us to follow her.
“Come on, y’all. Pizza got here just before you did.”
Lucas wraps his free arm around my waist as we step into the cottage. “Iris isn’t much of a cook,” he whispers and she turns to glare at him.
“I heard that.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
She sneers before turning back toward the kitchen and he laughs, pulling me into his side.
“Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll even get to hear the Christmas ham story.”
“Oh, Christ,” she calls from the kitchen as a cupboard slams. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Riz, we could have demoed a house with the thing after you got your hands on it.” He laughs and she steps out of the kitchen with plates in her hands as she glares at him.
“So you say. Personally, I think it wasn’t that bad.”
“It broke a knife!” he exclaims, pulling me closer and I laugh as Iris rolls her eyes.
“You keep heckling me, boy, and I’m gonna kick you out on the front porch with no pizza.”
He nods. “Okay, you win.”
“Finally. Y’all sit down and I’ll be right back with the pizza. Quinn, I hope you like pepperoni.”
“Sounds good,” I tell her and she flashes me a smile before disappearing into the kitchen as Lucas and I sit down at the table. I turn to him and hold my hands out. “Here. You want me to take her?”
“Naw, baby. You relax; I’ve got her.” He places her in his lap, facing the table and wraps his arm around her belly to keep her secure and my heart warms at how good he is with her. I reach into my bag and pull out the little container of fruit, crackers, and cheese I brought with me for Brooklyn’s dinner and set it out in front of her. As soon as the food hits the table, she leans forward and snatches up a quartered grape before popping the piece into her mouth.
“Mmm,” she hums and I smile as Lucas laughs.
“Is that good, pretty girl?” he asks her as she shoves another piece of grape into her mouth. I glance up and notice Iris watching us from the opening to the kitchen with a soft smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She dashes them away before motioning for me to be quiet as she steps into the room.
“Here we go,” she calls and sets a box of pizza down in the middle of the table. I grab a slice of pizza and slip it onto a plate before setting it in front of Lucas.
He smiles and leans over to kiss my cheek. “Thanks, sweetheart.”
“You’re welcome.” A blush creeps up my cheeks and when I glance across the table again, Iris is watching us with a wide smile on her face.
“You know, when Lucas told me he was bringing a girl home, I knew you must be special but seeing the two of you together is something else. You’re so good for him,” Iris says.
I peek over at Lucas as I fight back a smile. “You didn’t like his other girlfriends?”
“Honey, he’s never brought another girl home. You’re the first and that alone earns you some major brownie points.”
“Told you, Quinn,” he whispers in my ear. “I’m all in.”
I pull back enough for our eyes to meet as I try to discern what that means. Does he mean that he’s all in for the long haul with not only me but my daughter, too? Or is he just trying to say that he’s ready to kick things up a notch? Am I ready for that? He offers me a reassuring smile as my head swirls with questions.
“Mamamamama,” Brooklyn babbles, drawing my attention down to her.
“How old is she?” Iris asks and I push back all my questions as I look up at her and smile.
“Thirteen months.”
Iris smiles at Brooklyn, who watches her carefully. “She is just adorable and so sweet.”
“Thank you.”
“Excuse me if this is too bold, but I wanted to tell you how brave I think you are for raising her on your own. I know how hard it can be,” she says, glancing over at Lucas with a fond smile. I nod, darker memories threatening to resurface.
“Thank you. She makes it all worth it.”
She nods. “I hear you there. I never thought I’d end up with two young boys but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“All right, y’all. Enough mushy stuff. I’m starving,” Lucas says, grabbing his slice of pizza and biting it in half as Iris laughs at him and grabs her own slice of pizza. The conversation flows easily as we eat and we sit around talking and laughing until Brooklyn falls asleep in Lucas’s arms. As I watch her snoring on his broad chest, I know that he’s stolen another little piece of my heart.
Chapter Ten
Lucas
“Morning,” Chance mumbles as I sink into the chair next to him with a steaming cup of coffee in my hand. I nod in agreement as I bring the mug to my lips and take a deep breath. Quinn, Brooklyn, and I stayed out at Iris’s until almost midnight before I drove them back to their house and crashed at the clubhouse. Chance crosses his arms over his chest and sinks into his seat before letting his head fall back as his eyes close. He and Moose had an equally late night working a job and I’m surprised he’s even awake at this hour.
“Got plans today?”
He shakes his head. “Nope, just couldn’t sleep.”
Before I can ask him why, the sound of yelling echoes down to the bar from upstairs and we both glance toward the stairs.