Page 39 of Covert Affair

“I know how that is,” she laughs nervously, focusing on Heidi instead of meeting my gaze.

I can tell she’s still uneasy about what she’s shared with me.

“Sooooo. Motherhood. How old is this cutie now?” I ask, knowing that asking a mom about her baby is the most sure fire way to divert any other conversation.

Sure enough, Molly’s eyes light up and she goes on to tell me that Heidi is 14 months old. Suddenly we’re into safe territory and discussing Heidi’s milestones and all of the cute things she does.

At least I thought we were until Molly finally took a breath and asked me if I wanted children.

“Me. Oh. Uhm. Well…”

Did I want kids? Certainly not with Waylon. Ever.

With Cody?

There’s a thought that shouldn’t even be crossing my mind right now.

After seeing the way he interacts with Heidi, I can tell that he’d be an amazing father one day. But I know if I’m the one who is worthy of giving him that.

“And…I did it again. Sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s just me and Hiedi around here with all these guys. And well, she,” Molly pokes Heidi’s stomach making the toddler laugh, “doesn’t quite do the girl talk thing.”

“Don’t worry about it. I think we’d be good friends if I didn’t live such a crazy life.” I pull my phone out of my back pocket and pull up my contacts. “On second thought, why don’t we swap numbers? I could use a friend of the female variety. If you want to, that is.”

Molly blinks then shakes her head. “This is real life. You…you want to be friends. With me?” She leans down to whisper in Heidi’s ear. “Stacey Mae wants to be my friend.”

It’s my turn to laugh. “Stacey Mae is just a normal southern girl who used to have a recording contract.”

Okay so maybe that last part isn’t so funny, but the whole thing is true.

“Right. Fair enough. Just a normal girl. Like us, right Heidi?”

Heidi babbles something back with a few understandable words filtered in, including a loud squeal in the direction of the office that Cody is now walking out of.

“Co-eeeee, up!” She squeals again and wiggles out of Molly’s arms again to toddle her way over to Cody.

“Were you a good girl?” he asks with a grin that stretches from ear to ear as he scoops her up in his arms and blows raspberries on her cheek.

Ovaries. Explode.

I feel like such a whore for even thinking half of the things that have run through my mind over the last twenty-four hours or so.

First he swoops in to rescue me the minute I call him. Then he’s carrying me from the shower when I fell apart and seeing to it that I’m in clean clothes. All without batting an eye or making sexual advances at me.

Something that Waylon would never even think about doing.

When the hell did my heart and my head get so mixed up?

18

CODY

“How was your meeting?”Stacey asks once we’re back in the truck and heading back to my place.

“Oh. It…it went well.”

“Hmm…” She turns in her seat a bit and looks at me. “I hear Cole Security is expanding. A little birdy told me you’re heading up that expansion…in Nashville.”

Little birdy my ass.

---