to be able to. Having a baby has wreaked havoc with my body.”
Rick gave her another one-shoulder shrug. “I don’t mind a little extra work. It’s fun. You look amazing. You taste great.” He smiled shyly. “You’ve got some wicked skills, yourself.”
His smile reeled her in. She nearly told him how sweet he was, but didn’t want him going and getting any funny ideas about the two of them. She had enough funny feelings for the both of them.
Kissing her other foot, he smiled. “Come back to bed.”
“We’re not married, Rick.”
He cocked his head to one side. “Well, technically, we sure are.”
“What happened last night can’t happen again,” she said. “I have a daughter who needs one hundred percent of my focus.” The selfish pursuit of pleasure would lose her her baby.
“Kids are resilient.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “I’m going to be like my meddling, overbearing, overprotective, bothersome parents, squared or cubed.”
“Your mom and dad never took a couple selfish moments for themselves?”
Still shaking her head, she said, “Pretty sure they didn’t.”
“That’s all my mother did,” he muttered. “Any romantic weekend getaways?”
She didn’t recall any public displays of affection. With a Jewish father and a Chinese mother, there must have been a love connection at some point. Neither set of grandparents seemed particularly keen on the union. “Not that I remember.”
“They must have been intimate.”
“Not to my knowledge.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t even imagine. I don’t want to think about it. Can we change the subject?”
Chapter Eleven
Jade lay sprawled beside Rick on the bed, her hair splayed out on the pillow. He’d had a helluva time talking her back to bed a few hours earlier. She’d wanted to stay on the futon near Coral. Or away from him. He couldn’t be sure which.
Hearing Coral cooing from the monitor resting on the nightstand, Rick pulled a T-shirt over his head and tip-toed across the hall to her room.
Leaning over the rail of her crib, he tickled her feet. “Hey, you. Whatcha got for me this morning?”
She gurgled and reached for her feet. He knew the drill, disposing of her wet diaper. He cleaned her up with a wipe and powdered her bottom before snugly fastening the clean diaper. This morning her pajamas were dry, so he didn’t risk dressing her inappropriately and suffering Jade’s ridicule for a job poorly done. Point was, he learned from his mistakes and improved on his past performance. By the time they divorced, he’d be a damn expert on diapering.
“Gimme a minute, kiddo.” Rick stepped into the adjacent bathroom and splashed a handful of water on his face. He brushed his teeth and decided he felt a little more human. A lot more ready to tackle the whims of a needy baby. How Jade did it looking like a goddess, he’d never know.
Down in the kitchen he heated up a bottle of breast milk and took a seat outside in the warm morning sun. Rick picked the same seat Jade had that first day he’d met her. He rocked the baby slowly. Her eyes peered intently into his. He detected a sort of all-knowing, all-seeing wisdom in her baby stare. She knew things. For example—she knew he had it bad for her mommy. But Coral wasn’t sharing her wisdom, spilling her secrets or his. Actually, lucky for him, she couldn’t spill any secrets until she developed some speaking skills.
“Good morning,” Trudy called out cheerily. She did most everything cheerily.
Turning his head toward her, he returned a greeting. She was already dressed for the day in tourist clothes. He suddenly felt a little naked in his pajama bottoms and T-shirt, but it was his house. Not so much his house as his brother’s house, but she thought it was his house. Close enough.
“Oh,” she cooed in her baby talk, “how cute are you?” Trudy poked the infant playfully in the belly. “Would you like some coffee?’ she asked
Rick gave her another one-shoulder shrug. “I don’t mind a little extra work. It’s fun. You look amazing. You taste great.” He smiled shyly. “You’ve got some wicked skills, yourself.”
His smile reeled her in. She nearly told him how sweet he was, but didn’t want him going and getting any funny ideas about the two of them. She had enough funny feelings for the both of them.
Kissing her other foot, he smiled. “Come back to bed.”
“We’re not married, Rick.”
He cocked his head to one side. “Well, technically, we sure are.”
“What happened last night can’t happen again,” she said. “I have a daughter who needs one hundred percent of my focus.” The selfish pursuit of pleasure would lose her her baby.
“Kids are resilient.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “I’m going to be like my meddling, overbearing, overprotective, bothersome parents, squared or cubed.”
“Your mom and dad never took a couple selfish moments for themselves?”
Still shaking her head, she said, “Pretty sure they didn’t.”
“That’s all my mother did,” he muttered. “Any romantic weekend getaways?”
She didn’t recall any public displays of affection. With a Jewish father and a Chinese mother, there must have been a love connection at some point. Neither set of grandparents seemed particularly keen on the union. “Not that I remember.”
“They must have been intimate.”
“Not to my knowledge.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t even imagine. I don’t want to think about it. Can we change the subject?”
Chapter Eleven
Jade lay sprawled beside Rick on the bed, her hair splayed out on the pillow. He’d had a helluva time talking her back to bed a few hours earlier. She’d wanted to stay on the futon near Coral. Or away from him. He couldn’t be sure which.
Hearing Coral cooing from the monitor resting on the nightstand, Rick pulled a T-shirt over his head and tip-toed across the hall to her room.
Leaning over the rail of her crib, he tickled her feet. “Hey, you. Whatcha got for me this morning?”
She gurgled and reached for her feet. He knew the drill, disposing of her wet diaper. He cleaned her up with a wipe and powdered her bottom before snugly fastening the clean diaper. This morning her pajamas were dry, so he didn’t risk dressing her inappropriately and suffering Jade’s ridicule for a job poorly done. Point was, he learned from his mistakes and improved on his past performance. By the time they divorced, he’d be a damn expert on diapering.
“Gimme a minute, kiddo.” Rick stepped into the adjacent bathroom and splashed a handful of water on his face. He brushed his teeth and decided he felt a little more human. A lot more ready to tackle the whims of a needy baby. How Jade did it looking like a goddess, he’d never know.
Down in the kitchen he heated up a bottle of breast milk and took a seat outside in the warm morning sun. Rick picked the same seat Jade had that first day he’d met her. He rocked the baby slowly. Her eyes peered intently into his. He detected a sort of all-knowing, all-seeing wisdom in her baby stare. She knew things. For example—she knew he had it bad for her mommy. But Coral wasn’t sharing her wisdom, spilling her secrets or his. Actually, lucky for him, she couldn’t spill any secrets until she developed some speaking skills.
“Good morning,” Trudy called out cheerily. She did most everything cheerily.
Turning his head toward her, he returned a greeting. She was already dressed for the day in tourist clothes. He suddenly felt a little naked in his pajama bottoms and T-shirt, but it was his house. Not so much his house as his brother’s house, but she thought it was his house. Close enough.
“Oh,” she cooed in her baby talk, “how cute are you?” Trudy poked the infant playfully in the belly. “Would you like some coffee?’ she asked
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