Page 94 of Claimed By the Cowboys
“Well, that was a lot of excitement for the heavily pregnant one. I need to go lie down. All this standing on edge has my back aching like I slept on a rock. Plus, I need to pee. Again. And at this rate, I’m going to pop.”
Zeke laughed, already rubbing her shoulders. “I got you, Pipes. And I can rub your feet too.”
“Oh,” Piper moaned gratefully. “Yes, please. And get snacks.”
That had all of us laughing, and I followed them out into the hall, pausing before I went to take that shower.
“I’ll be down as soon as I’m clean. I need your scent all over me, gorgeous.”
Piper grinned, and the knot that had been tied around my heart all this time finally unwound.
Chapter 44
Zeke
After Clayton’s dramatic reveal to Caroline the other night, Mr. Menucci had called me to let us know that Caroline and Pack Adamar had officially withdrawn their case. There would be no need to be in further contact about paperwork or future court dates.
We were once again free to focus on planning for the new baby.
Clay had agonized over every detector and monitor installed in the space, Dakota had done a beautiful job of refinishing Maisie’s old pink and white crib into a soft yellow and elephant gray, and Montana had added some of his beloved trinkets to make the room feel cozier. There was now a dangling mobile made out of stuffed birds, and a small shelf filled with children’s books that Maisie helped line up neatly on the shelves.
With everything we were dealing with, the doc said we could all do with some relaxation.
The Sweetwater summer-festival over the weekend was the perfect opportunity to spend some time together as a family.
Even though Maisie was taking all the focus on the pending arrival of her new sibling in stride, we wanted to make sure wereminded her just how special and important she was to all of us. So, we agreed to take the night off to go to the carnival in town and eat dinner from the different food stalls and vendors. Maisie could hardly think about anything other than the cotton candy she’d sampled last year. She yapped about it to Piper, who smiled and nodded patiently as our four-year-old yammered on about the heavenly qualities of the sweet treat.
Piper was looking about ready to pop—carrying her belly low, big and round beneath the pale pink cotton and spandex maxi dress she wore. Maisie wore a coordinating pink dress, and they were adorable together.
“Let Daddy Kota help you into the truck tonight, Maisie-Rae,” Dakota offered brightly, swinging Maisie up and into his arms.
I sidled up to Piper, offering her my elbow.
“Are you gonna help me into the truck, Zeke?” She giggled, waddling down the short walkway to the driveway on her swollen ankles with my support.
“Of course, Pipes.” I beamed, leading her to the passenger-side door. “You know I’m always right here for you,” I added, opening the door and chivalrously offering one hand to help Piper up.
“What a gentleman,” she grunted, gripping my hand and the passenger seat as she pushed off from the running board, my spare hand moving to cup her ass, giving her a bit of a squeeze and a lift at the same time.
“Wow, a little grabass during the family-friendly portion of our date,” Montana grumbled just over my shoulder.
“Don’t be jealous, Monty,” I tutted, kissing Piper chastely on the cheek before closing the truck door behind her.
He gave me a withering look, but I just smiled and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll see you over at the fairgrounds?” I gave him a friendly shake.
“Yeah, yeah.” He shook his head.
“Oh, and Monty?”
“Yeah?”
“That’ll be fifty cents in the swear jar when we get home.”
“Mama! Can I ride the Ferris wheel with Papa Kota and Daddy Monty?” Maisie shrilled, yanking on Piper’s hand, nearly pulling her from beneath the drape of Clayton’s arm.
“If Kota and Monty want to go with you, baby, it’s fine with me. Afterward, we can get something to eat.” Piper gave her hand a loving squeeze, then booped her on the nose with the tip of her index finger.
