Page 52 of Finding Home

I laugh. “Thankme.”

Caleb turns his head and flashes me a panty-melting smile. “I do thank you, Goddess Aubrey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Butterflies whoosh into my belly. “You’re welcome.” Clearing my throat, I offer Raine my hand. “Come help me make sandwiches for all of us, Boo. Let’s give Dadda a second to himself.”

“That’s okay,” Caleb says, sitting up. “Raine and I will make lunch together, while you read. We’ve got this.” He gets up, scoops up Raine, and heads toward the housewithout looking back at my shocked face. “Come on, Shortcake. We’ll make a picnic for Auntie Aubbey.”

“Apicnic?” Raine gasps out excitedly in his arms. “What dat?”

Caleb begins explaining the concept of picnics to Raine, but he disappears before he’s finished his explanation. I stand frozen for a moment, trying to wrestle with the yearning I’m feeling. The all-consuming attraction for Caleb that’s been wracking my body all morning. But finally, I settle into a beach chair with my book.

A couple pages in, music starts blaring from inside the house, followed by the unmistakable sounds of Caleb banging on his drums. I close my book, feeling annoyed. It’s too soon for Caleb to be finished making lunch, so he must have gotten distracted. Or worse, maybe Raine had some kind of meltdown, so Caleb plopped her in front of a cartoon, so he could bang on his drums to let off steam.

I head through the front door, fully expecting the situation to be problematic. But when I step into the front room, I’m met with the sight of Caleb sitting at his drum kit with tiny Raine propped on his lap. Raine’s got noise-cancellation headphones on, the ones Caleb bought for her in Billings, and she’s banging on a metal cymbal thing, not sure what it’s called, with a solitary drumstick, while Caleb keeps a steady beat with the other drumstick and with his foot below.

“Good job,” Caleb coos, his sparkling eyes trained on his daughter. “You’re a natural.”

He hasn’t noticed me yet. He’s only got eyes for Raine. So, I remain in the doorway.

“Likedis, Dadda?” Raine asks.

“Just like that. You want to play a song?” When Raine expresses enthusiasm, Caleb says, “I know the perfect one.Something with both our names in the title.” He pulls out his phone and begins to scroll. “It’s called ‘Fool in the Rain.’ Get it? I’m theFool, and you’re theRaine.”

Raine squeals and bops up and down in Caleb’s lap, making Caleb laugh. And a second later, a song begins wafting from Caleb’s phone.

I’ve heard it before, I think. Maybe? Although I’m not sure who plays it.

“Keep the beat now,” Caleb instructs. “Like this. Good. Just like that. Without someone to keep good time and lay down a really good groove, a band will always suck. No matter what anyone else might tell you, the drummer is the most important musician in the whole band.”

Raine is going for it now, causing Caleb to chuckle at her exuberance. “That’s it, Shortcake. Do you like playing the drums with Dadda? That’s ‘cause it’s in your blood, kiddo. You want to know who’s playing this song?”

“Me!”

He laughs. “Yes, but I meant who’s playing the song on my phone. It’s a band called Led Zeppelin. One of the best rock bands in the history of music.”

“Oooh.”

“Can you say Led Zeppelin?”

“Blebedah.”

Caleb hoots with laughter, as I do the same. I’ve never heard Caleb belly laugh quite like this. It’s a magical, glorious sound. Quite possibly, the sexiest thing I’ve heard in my life, even sexier than the sound of Caleb gritting out my name while jerking himself off.

At the sound of my laughter joining his, Caleb’s eyes shift to mine at the door. He beams a glorious smile at me, one that sends butterflies whooshing intomy belly and warmth oozing between my legs, before returning gleefully to his daughter in his lap.

“Let’s try that again. I’ll break it down. Say Led.”

“Leb.”

“Zep.”

“Zep.”

“Uh.”

“Uh.”

“Lin.”

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