Page 51 of Baby Daddy
CHAPTER 23
Dee
Clean up was a breeze, thanks to the paper plates and plastic utensils I used. I simply wiped them off and tossed them into our recycle bin. All I had to wash were a few serving plates and pieces of silverware. Scrubbing the stubborn frosting off the cake knife with a sponge, I thought about the great day Ty and I had. All thanks to Drake. My blood pulsed through my veins at the thought of him. Memories of the day whirled around in my head, and as I relived his kiss—oh, that incredible kiss!—a wistful smile spread across my lips and a tingly feeling flooded me. As I let out a sigh, a pair of large hands cupped my shoulders and a warm breath skimmed the back of my neck.
“Can I help?”
Drake. Both the sound and touch of him sent a rush of goosebumps to my flesh. “Thanks, but I’m almost done.”
“There’s got to be something I can do.”
Take me in your arms. Smother me with another kiss.My eyes darted to the counter where the leftover ice cream cake was beginning to melt. “You can put the cake in the freezer.” And your tongue in my mouth before my heart melts.
“Sure.” He sidestepped to the cake, but before grabbing the platter, he dipped his long middle finger into the chocolate frosting and then sucked it off. My insides fluttered as I watched him lick his luscious lips.
“Mmm. That cake was so frickin’ good. My mother always got me a birthday cake from Baskin Robbins.”
And my mother never got me a single one.Pushing the painful memory aside, I told him how thoughtful it was of his mother to get Ty a skating outfit. I was as blown away as Ty was.
“It came from her heart. And she’s serious about the skating lessons. I think she’s fallen in love with your little girl.”
“That’s not hard to do.”
“I know.”
Finishing the dishes, I processed his words and spun around.
“Did you have any problem getting her to sleep?”
He grinned. “Piece of cake. No pun intended.”
I hoisted myself onto the kitchen counter, keeping my eyes on him as he put the cake in the freezer. He noticed the fortunes we’d gotten earlier glued to the fridge with the silly sperm magnet and grinned. I thought he’d make a smug comment, but he didn’t so I continued.
“Really? It usually takes me an hour. That’s amazing. Thanks.”
“Any time.” He shut the freezer door and headed back my way. He stood directly in front of me, his hands anchored on the counter.
“Ty is really something.”
Smiling, I took what he said to be a compliment. “Yeah, she’s really special.”
“You know, she’s really mature for her age.”
“What makes you say that?” Of course, I already knew the answer to that question as Ty had been around adults most of her life and had endured many of my hardships. But I still wanted to hear his thoughts.
“We had a really grown-up conversation.”
I raised a brow. “About what?”
“About you.”
My heartbeat sped up and my muscles tensed.
“She said you really like me.”
I gulped down a breath of air. I’d never told her anything of the sort, but my precocious daughter was wise and perceptive way beyond her years. My heart thudded, the obstructive lump in my throat hindering my speech as my new boss tilted my chin up.
“Do you?”