Page 23 of One Unexpected Gift

He wouldn’t relent, she knew, and she didn’t want him to. Flirt texting was too much fun.

Nick: Darlin’ challenge accepted.

A giggle escaped her lips.

Skylar: Noon sounds perfect.

Nick: I’ll pick you up at Owen’s at noon.

Sky flicked her gaze to her sleeping baby. That would mean she’d need to nurse Gabby by eleven, drive her to Gina’s, and then rush back here. Which also meant Gabby would be ready to nurse again by two, cutting their lunch short.

Asking Gina to haul her sewing machine and jewelry to the house so she could work while watching Gabby was out of the question. To save on time, Sky would need to drive.

Skylar: I’ll meet you at The Zone at noon. Gotta go. ‘Night.

She set her phone back on the nightstand resisting the temptation to read through his texts over and over again. She fluffed her pillow and curled into a ball under the covers begging sleep to come quick.

It didn’t. She tossed and turned and had just drifted off to sleep when Gabby started crying. Sky moaned and dragged herself out of bed, blindly picking up her daughter. They had the routine down pat now. Sky changed her diaper in the dark and then slipped into bed, resting her back against the headboard as Gabby nursed.

If she didn’t move too much and didn’t talk, Gabby would fall right back asleep. She squinted over at her phone and reached her free arm out to pick it up.

No new messages from Nick. Part of her was happy he didn’t argue with her, but the other part wanted him to send more flirting messages.

Gabby’s three AM feeding was quick, and now she’d sleep a solid four hours before needing to be changed and fed again. Sky was a feeding machine. She loved the newborn phase but couldn’t wait to have a little more control over her body.

And to get some sleep.

CHAPTER SIX

Nick would have rather picked up Skylar, but he figured he wouldn’t press his luck. Getting a text from her last night shocked the hell out of him. After her somewhat snub yesterday afternoon, he figured she was more than done with him.

He may have taken the flirting too far, but she didn’t seem to mind. Besides, he couldn’t help who he was. If she didn’t like him because of it then they weren’t meant to be.

He dumped his darks into his washer and paused. “Woah.” Where the hell did that come from? Meant to be? Sure, he liked Skylar. Not only was she breathtakingly beautiful, but she was fun to be around. Maybe not the risk taker he was—as in past tense—but she didn’t seem the type to shy away from challenges.

The fact that she was only in Maine for a few weeks made the situation too perfect. He didn’t have to risk the attachment, something he wasn’t very good at. His ex-wife made a show of letting everyone in the state of Texas know about it.

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