Page 46 of Calamity Rayne Knocked Up

Pleased, but suspicious, he said. “That depends. What’s on the menu?”

“Um, ribs.” I wanted to get him situated and seated before I started with all the baby-themed stuff.

“Ribs?”

“Is that okay?” Hale didn’t typically enjoy messy food.

“It’s fine. I, uh, guess I’ll have…a beer?”

“Oh, I have beer!” I raced to the fridge and removed one of the cute pony bottles I grabbed at the store.

His hand engulfed the small bottle, and he chuckled. “Where’s the rest of it?”

“What? It’s cute.” I steered him toward the dining room table and pushed him into the seat at the head of the table. “You stay here. I’ll be right back with ourfirst course.”

He caught my hand as I tried to leave. “Wait. How about a kiss?”

I paused and bent to press my lips to his. He deepened the kiss, sliding his hands up my back and into my hair. “I missed you.”

I smiled against his mouth. “I always miss you.”

“Wait,” he said as I tried to pull away again. “Where are you going?”

“I have stuff on the stove.” I laughed nervously. “We wouldn’t want anything to catch fire.”

“Fine.” He let me go.

I quickly tossed the salad, stirred the carrots, and checked on the ribs. I returned to the dining room with nicely dressed salads topped with candied pecans, goat cheese, and sliced apples.

“This looks delicious, baby. What kind of lettuce is this?”

“It’s baby spinach.”

“I’m impressed.”

“Me too.” I dug in, suddenly ravenous. The apples smelled so fresh and the sweet vinaigrette was delicious. “Oh, my God, I’m an outstanding chef.” I shoveled in another bite. “These pecans are orgasmic!”

He chuckled, takinghis first bite with much more decorum than I could muster. This eating for two thing was real.

“Mmm. Delicious,” he praised. “So, what did you do while I was gone?”

I heaped another bite onto my fork. “Elara had her checkup. She’s cutting her second molars, and the doctor said it’s time to start hardcore potty training.”

“Really? I guess we need to read up on that.”

“I went to the store and got some potties to put in the bathrooms. I also made a reward chart for her.”

He smiled. “You’re cute when you do teacher stuff.”

I shrugged. “It’s the only thing I’m officially trained in.”

He neatly sliced his salad into manageable bites while I wolfed mine down as if someone might steal it from me. “Do you ever wish you stuck with it?”

“Teaching? Oh, no. I’m not a fan of kids.”

“Just ours?”

“Well, yeah. Elara’s special. I think she was always meant to be mine.”

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