Cassidy
THE SOUND OF rain pounding on my window, along with the unending laughter of my child, woke with a start. I threw the covers off my body and sat up, my heart racing until I rembered that Carter was here.
I took a few seconds to listen through the closed door, wondering when that had happened. I could only assu Carter had closed it so I could sleep. I climbed out of bed and sneaked down the hall to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth and hair before following the sound of voices.
Arriving at the kitchen, I laid my hand over my chest, the scene so unbelievably adorable, it was almost as cute as a kitten hugging a puppy. Maverick was kneeling on a chair at the counter, whisking batter in a bowl while Carter stood at the stove, cracking eggs over a pan.
"Mom," Maverick exclaid. "I’m helping Carter with breakfast."
"I see that, baby." I closed the distance between us and he lifted his head for a kiss. I hoped he always wanted to kiss in the morning. "You’re doing such a good job."
"Hey, what about ?" Carter challenged.
"What about you?" I said.
He tugged to him and covered my mouth with his. I mumbled against his lips in an effort to break our connection, but he slid his hand to the back of my head to hold to him.
"Good morning," he whispered once he released .
I narrowed my eyes at him and his response was a smug grin, so I wagged my finger and shook my head. "Behave."
"So, if you kiss Mommy, does that an I can still kiss Katie?" Maverick asked.
"Busted," I mouthed.
Carter flipped the eggs and then faced Maverick. "Here’s the deal, buddy. Mommy and are gonna get married, so it’s a little different."
"You’re gonna get married?" he asked.
"Carter," I warned.
"Yeah, buddy, we are."
"Mav, will you please go to your room for a minute?" I said. "Uncle Carter and I need a second."
"Okay, Mama," he said, and jumped off the chair. He left the bowl on the counter and headed to his room.
"Are you kidding with this?" I snapped.
"What?" Carter slid the eggs from the pan onto a plate.
He’d made himself comfortable in my kitchen and he looked good there. Damn it!
"You didn’t think this might be sothing we’d discuss first and then decide how to tell Maverick together?" I crossed my arms. "You had no right to blindside like that."
Carter flipped off the burner and leaned against the counter, thus beginning the first of many epic stare-off battles. His slow, sexy smile ultimately solidified my loss. Unable to continue to look at him in all his glory, I picked up the bowl Maverick had left and began to whisk the hell out the pancake batter.
"Babe."
Whisk, whisk.
"Cassidy."
"What?" I swiped the whisk around the side of the bowl and then began to beat it again, but found them gently removed from my hands and set next to the stove.
"The batter’s done."
"Okay." I stepped to the sink and washed my hands.
"Cass, you need to look at , baby."
I grabbed a towel and faced him, glancing up at him as I dried my hands.
"I’m sorry," he said. "You’re right. We should have talked about it."
"Thank you."
"How would you like to proceed?"
"I think we should just move past it," I said.
Carter frowned. "We’re not movin’ past it, baby, so let’s figure out what we want to say to Mav."
I set the towel on the counter. "Excuse ?"
Carter lit the stove again and started the pancakes. "I say we head down to the courthouse next week and take care of the legalities, I can have Mack draw up adoption paperwork, then we can talk to our families and go from there."
"I’m sorry, can you back up a little?" I requested.
"How far?"
"Carter Michael Quinn, you do not get to talk over on this! I have not agreed to anything, especially considering the fact you haven’t actually asked anything..." I let out a frustrated squeak. "Stop looking at like that!"
"Like what, baby?"
Carter had always had this annoying tactic of barreling over with his dominant personality and he’d usually get his way, but I was older and wiser now and wasn’t going to let him do it to again. "Get out."
He chuckled and flipped a pancake.
"I an it, Carter, get out of my house."
"And why would you want to do that?" he challenged.
"Because you’re being..." I lowered my voice, "...an overbearing ass! Out or I’m calling Jaxon."
"Why would you call Jaxon?"
"Because he’s the only one I can think of who has the power to bodily remove you."
Carter chuckled. "Call him, then."
I huffed and turned away from him, making a valiant attempt at removing the nonstick coating from one of my baking sheets. Not the smartest thing I’d ever done, but I needed sowhere to focus my annoyance.
Carter set the pan at the back of the stove again and turned the water off, handing a towel. "You done?"
"No."
"Babe, you’re not gonna call Jaxon and I’m not going anywhere. We’re gonna talk about this and then it’s done."
I felt tears of frustration well up in my eyes and fisted my hands at my side.
"Cassidy." Carter sighed and pushed away from the counter. "I didn’t an to make you cry."
"You know I only cry when I’m pissed. I can’t out talk you when I’m flustered, and doing that to in front of Maverick was totally unfair."
He wrapped his arms around , despite the fact mine were still at my side. "I know. That wasn’t my intention, I just didn’t want you to say no."
"I haven’t been asked anything to say no to!"
Before Carter could charm further, my phone pealed, and I stepped away from him to grab it, seeing Kevin’s na pop up on the screen. "Hey, Kev."
"Hey," he said brightly. "We on for tomorrow? I never got a response."
"Ohmigod, Kevin, I’m so sorry. Yes, definitely. Seven, right?"
"Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow."
"’Bye." I hung up and set my phone back on the counter.
"Mom, can I co out now?" Maverick called.
Crap, I’d forgotten about Mav.
I jabbed a finger at Carter. "Conversation shelved but not over, got it?"
He gave a cocky grin. "Yeah, baby, got it."
"Co have breakfast, honey."
"Whoo hoo!" he sang, and rushed to one of the stools at the island.
Carter set pancakes and eggs in front of him while I grabbed syrup, and then we joined Maverick and finished our breakfast without any drama.
"Maverick, go wash up, okay?" Carter said, and Maverick jumped down from the island.
"Hands and face, please," I called to his back.
"Okay, Mom."
"How about we hang out, watch a movie, or play a ga?" Carter suggested.
"It’s not like we can go anywhere I guess."
"That’s the spirit," Carter droned, and smiled. "Am I forgiven?"
"Yes, of course you are."
He kissed , and we went about our day.
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