Page 140 of Mountain Daddy

“Positive.” I smile.

He’s nice, but I don’t remember his name.

I think Luther and I have done a good job of acting casual around each other, but I can feel the possessiveness radiating off Luther, and letting another man close to me might make him unreasonable.

Excusing myself, I make a quick detour to the powder room, then grab two beers and a cider from the garage before heading back into the living room.

No one has moved, so my spot on the end of the couch next to Luther is still open.

I give the beer to the other guy first and sit back in my spot, tucking one leg underneath me.

“Here you go.” I hold the beer out for Luther.

He sits up from his reclined position, taking the bottle. “Thanks, Baby.”

My heart stops.

He just called me Baby.

In front of his daughter.

“Goats.” Luther coughs the word while he pats his chest, like he swallowed something wrong. “You can hire them to eat your lawn.”

I cannot with this man.

It’s the worst recovery in the history of recoveries.

I’d laugh if I didn’t instead want to spontaneously combust and die.

The side conversations that had been going on are now quiet. And I don’t know if it’s because they heard him call me Baby, or if his dramatic chest thumping caught their attention.

Pretending none of this is happening, I open my can of cider and bring it to my lips as I lift my gaze.

Ashley is on the other side of Luther, so I can’t see her expression, but one of the girls on the couch across from ours is smirking at me.

When we lock eyes, she mouths,Lucky.

Chapter 85

Luther

I makeit halfway through the beer Kendra brought me before I need to get up.

Sitting forward, I turn my head toward Kendra. “I’ll be right back,” I tell her quietly.

She nods. “’Kay.”

I want to touch her so fucking bad.

Even just a squeeze of her knee.

But I control myself and keep my hands to myself as I stand.

Wanting to use my own bathroom, I cross the great room and head up the stairs.

I internally berate myself with each step, not believing how badly I messed up by calling KendraBaby.

I could feel Ashley’s narrowed gaze on the side of my face the whole time but pretended not to notice.