Page 79 of Playboy

My cheeks flame in an unfamiliar way, and I turn my face into Daniel’s palm, hiding. “Bye, Noah.”

When the door shuts behind my stepbrother, Daniel chuckles and presses a soft kiss to the side of my neck. “Come on, dream girl. We’ve got a list to attack.”

“You really aren’t goingto tell me?” I ask for what has to be the fifth time since he merged onto I-95 headed north. I don’toften travel from Boston by car, so I don’t have the faintest clue where we could be going.

As promised, he’s let me control the radio the entire time. We’re currently listening to Tom Petty with the windows down and the warm summer wind whipping my hair all around. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face if I tried.

Daniel tips his head in my direction. The way he holds the steering wheel, with one hand, his arm relaxed and yet somehow the muscles still bulging, is so damn sexy. “Do you trust me?”

“I got in the car with you, didn’t I?”

He arches a brow, doubling down on his question. “Do you trust me?”

With an exhale, I relax against my seat. “Yes, I trust you.”

Daniel’s expression softens. “Then let me surprise you. Okay?”

Though my natural reaction is to argue, to demand I have at least a little control, I give in. “Okay.”

He switches arms and grasps my hand, giving it a squeeze.

It’s impossible not to smile down at them. I’ve never held hands with another person in a car, at least not that I remember. His hands are surprisingly soft for a hockey player’s, though they are huge in comparison to mine.

“Did Ava tell you they’re finding out the sex of the baby next week?”

I blink out of my rumination and focus on his face. “Oh yeah, she mentioned that at lunch.”

He licks his lips and peeks over at me quickly. “Do you want to find out what we’re having?”

“Yes,” I blurt out, and when he laughs, I straighten. “What? Don’t you?”

He nods. “Yeah, I’d like to know.” He clears his throat, his focus fixed on the road. “Do you have any feelings that make you think you know what we’re having?”

On instinct, I cradle my stomach with my free hand and close my eyes. It’s simple, in this moment, to allow myself to let go of all the stress I usually carry. Right here, with no work to worry about and Daniel’s hand in mine, the music playing and the sun warming my face, I feel nothing short of happy.

“I think it’s a boy.” I roll my head in his direction again and open my eyes. “What do you think?”

Daniel presses his lips together in the way he does when he’s concentrating. He sucks on them, making his dimples deepen.

I’m beginning to think this expression is one of his tells. Something he does when he’s trying to temper his words.

“I don’t really know what kind of symptoms you’re having. War said Ava hasn’t had heartburn, that she craves salty food, and that she’s carrying high—” He darts a look at my abdomen, sucking in a breath like he still can’t believe what he’s seeing. That, or maybe he’s overwhelmed. “I don’t even know what any of that means, though.”

With my head resting against the seat, I study him. The man I find myself more and more fond of every time we’re together. He’s nothing like the playboy good-time guy I thought he was.

“I always prefer salty over sweet, so I’m not sure that says much about anything. No heartburn, and as far as how I’m carrying—” I look down just like he did and shrug. “I have no idea. Probably too early. I guess maybe it’s not so much that I think it’s a boy but that I secretly hope it is.”

The happiness radiating from him as he smiles at me is so pure, so comforting. “You want a boy?”

“I wouldn’t be upset if it was a girl,” I say, glancing out the window at the scenery. “I just never had a great relationship with my mom, so I guess I’m nervous that if I have a daughter, we’ll have that same type of relationship. I worry that I don’t really know how to be a girl mom.”

Daniel gives my hand another comforting squeeze. “You’ll be a great mom, no matter what we have. I have no doubt.”

“You have to say that.”

“I had a pretty easy relationship with my mom,” he says instead of arguing. “But for our whole lives, she tried to turn my sister into what she considered the perfect daughter. She could be harsh and unkind to her, and she always pushed her own agenda rather than allowing Millie to pursue what made her happy. Honestly, I think what Millie went through has made her a better mother.” He lifts a shoulder. “Yeah, Vivi is only two, but already, it’s clear that Millie always has her daughter’s best interest in mind. She works hard not to be our mother, and I have no doubt you’ll do the same.”

Heart thudding, I have to focus on my breathing to keep the tears at bay. “Thank you, Daniel.” I look past him, focusing on the dense forest we’re passing. “My mom isn’t all bad. She’s just selfish.”

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