Page 36 of Sweet Escape (Whispering Oaks Ranch #1)

Craving you

? Craving You - Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris

Olivia

“Time for bed, Emmy Lou.”

She played in the bath for what felt like hours, drawing on the tiles with her special crayons. None of it was discernible, but seeing her pure joy makes it all worthwhile. Now she’s in her favorite footie pajamas with the pink bows all over them, while I tie off the end of her second braid.

“Where’s daddy?” she asks.

“He’s still working with Uncle Jaxy and Griff. Would it be okay if I tuck you in tonight?” Wilder texted to let me know they were on their way back, but he’d be a little late once they got the horses turned in for the night.

“Will you read me a story, Livie?” she asks with her adorable lisp. Her face pulls into the most heartbreakingly cute pout, making it impossible to tell her no, not that I would want to. I’d do just about anything for this little girl.

“Of course. Why don’t we go pick out a book right now?” I hold out m y hand for her to take, and she leads the way down the narrow hallway toward her bedroom.

Emmy stops in front of the bookshelf that’s shaped like a tree, each of its branches lined with colorful children’s books.She releases my hand, hopping up and down on the spot, trying to reach a book on the top branch.

“This one?” I ask, pointing at a princess book.

She shakes her head and points again. “What about this one?” I pluck another off the shelf.

She shakes her head again. Sensing where this is going, I decide to make things easier and lift her up into my arms so she can grab the book herself.

She smells like her lavender baby lotion, and something about the scent is almost comforting.

“This one,” she says with an air of exasperation, far too advanced for her age. It’s a picture book called Goodnight Sister, and it looks brand new. Did Wilder buy this for her?

“Ok, sweet girl. Let’s get you all tucked in.”

She climbs into her bed without protest, then pats the comforter next to her, eying me expectantly.

I settle in beside her, and she scoots into the crook of my arm, her little hand resting on my belly.

I take a moment to blink away the stinging sensation building behind my eyes—I’m an emotional wreck on a good day.

The spine gives an audible crack when I open the book between us.

“Are you ready, Emmy Lou?”

She lets out a muffled “mmhmm” around a yawn.

We only make it three pages in before she’s fast asleep, snuggled against my side, her long lashes fanned out over her freckled cheeks.

She really is a beautiful little girl, and I wonder if she looks anything like her mom.

Wilder doesn’t have any pictures around the house, so I’ve never seen her.

I know Emmy looks at least a little bit like Evie, but those eyes belong to someone else.

Enraptured by the quiet moment, I glance around the bedroom, not icing all of the little details.

The walls are a pale pink gingham on top, with white wainscotting and a chair rail on the bottom half of the wall.

The white princess-style bed set takes up most of the room, with a large pink rug spread out across the hardwood.

The bedspread is a soft ivory with delicate pink flowers and ruffles around the edges.

It’s every little girl's dream bedroom, and it’s clear it was designed with the utmost love and care.

It’s not lost on me that this is the only room in the house that’s complete.

Wilder’s room is still full of unopened boxes, the guest room I’m borrowing is furnished with the bare minimum essentials, and even the kitchen has only mismatched dinnerware and toddler-sized place settings.

It’s almost like he’s waiting for something, or someone, to put all of the other pieces back together.

I look down at the sleeping toddler at my side and gently kiss the top of her head, vowing to do everything I can to be that someone, even if it’s not me he’s waiting for. It’s not long before I drift off to sleep to visions of a nursery for another little girl, one who looks just like her daddy.

Wilder

The house is quiet when I step over the threshold, only the faint glow of the oven light guiding me through the empty kitchen and on toward the bedrooms.

Emmy’s door creaks as I push it open, and the sight that greets me has me nearly falling to my knees.

Emmy is there, but so is Olivia. She has an arm curled protectively around my daughter, Emmy’s little hand lying on top of Olivia’s bump as her head rests on her chest. They’re beautiful, and perfect, and I don’t know how I’m going to survive when Olivia moves back to the apartment.

We still haven’t figured out how any of it is going to work.

Her ap artment isn’t exactly baby-friendly.

There’s an entire flight of stairs to go up and down, and there’s only one bedroom and nowhere to put a nursery.

I need to bite the bullet and ask her to stay.

She’s already made herself at home here, and it will be easier to co-parent if we’re under the same roof.

I intend to be there for all of it, one way or another.

Diapers, feedings, bath time. I want to experience it all with Olivia.

I only had six months before Jess was taken from me, and the rest of that first year was the most challenging of my life.

I won’t make Olivia experience being a single parent if I can help it, but she’s stubborn and unpredictable. She’ll try to fight me anyway.

Doubt creeps in as a thought comes to me—what if she wants to do this with someone else? There’s still one thing I can’t give her. Am I being selfish if I ask her to stay anyway?

I hear the bed shift, and Olivia’s quiet voice brings me back to the present. “Wilder?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

She carefully extricates herself from under Emmy, then tucks the blanket around her and kisses her forehead. The sweet gesture makes my heart leap inside my chest, and in that moment, I have my answer. I can’t let her go.

“Everything okay?” she asks, stepping into the dim light of the hallway. Her hair is disheveled, and her cheeks are flushed from sleep. It’s exactly how she looks in the morning when she walks into the kitchen, and I ache to see her this way every morning forever.

“All good. Emmy go down okay?”

“She was an angel, as always.”

I reach up and smooth a palm over her hair, resisting the urge to plant my lips on hers. “Sit with me for a minute?”

Her brows draw together, but she nods. I lead her into the living room, flicking on the lamp. Neither of us says a word as we settle on opposite ends of the sofa, but I can’t stand the distance. I pull her legs onto my lap and begin massaging her feet.

“What are you doing?” she asks through a laugh.

“Making sure my baby mama is well taken care of.”

“If I had known getting pregnant would come with foot massages, I might have done this sooner.” She’s joking, but the thought of Olivia with any other man makes my stomach clench. She closes her eyes and lays her head against the cushion, groaning.

“Liv?”

“Hm.”

“Have you thought about what you want to do once the baby is here?”

“Honestly? I’ve only just stopped throwing up every day. I haven’t really given it too much thought. Why?”

“Stay. Make a home with me.”

Liv averts her gaze, fidgeting with her ring in that all-too-familiar way. “Are you sure?” She asks, her voice filled with trepidation. “What about Emmy? Won’t that be confusing?”

“Emmy adores you. She’s never known anything else.

It might be nice for her to have a woman around.

” Trying not to think too much about everything she’s missed out on, I clear my throat and continue.

“Maybe I’m being selfish, but I want you here.

I’ll make it work if you insist on moving out, and I won’t force you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, but?—”

“Wilder…” She laughs, moving to sit directly beside me, that bright smile painting my world in technicolor. “I was just waiting for you to ask. This is your home with Emmy, and I wasn’t sure if I had a place here.”

“Come here.” I lift my arm, and she snuggles in next to me, the scent of her shampoo washing over me. “You have a place here as long as you want it. ”

“I feel like I should warn you. I come with excessive baking supplies, debilitating, unmedicated ADHD, insane mood swings, and three a.m. pregnancy cravings.”

“Hmmm. In that case…”

She elbows me in the gut.

I let out a grunt of pain. “Fine. I guess you can stay.” I make a show of checking the watch I don’t have. “Would you look at that? It’s three a.m. Any cravings?”

“Just one.” She swings a leg over to straddle my lap. Her soft hands frame my face, gliding over my beard as she leans in and presses her lips to mine. “Mmm. Perfect.”

My cock hardens at the sound of her breathy voice. “What are you doing, Pretty Girl?”

“Satisfying my craving, Big Guy. Unless, of course, you’re not up for it.”

I thrust up into her, letting her feel every hard inch of me between her creamy thighs. “Does this feel like I’m not up for it?”

She moans, and I know I can’t resist this. I can’t resist her . It feels too fucking good.

“Tell me what you need.” I tug her hair free of the clip that was holding it hostage, and the golden strands cascade around her shoulders. Wrapping her hair around my fist, I force her head to the side, baring her neck to me.

Her hands glide down my chest, and she rocks forward, her perfect tits brushing my chest, begging for my mouth. Who am I to deny them?

I tug on the top of her flimsy tank, giving myself access to her rosy-pink nipples. My tongue flicks against her right breast, and her mouth drops open on a gasp. “Need you to be quiet for me. Can you do that? Can you be a good girl for me?”

She nods jerkily and I suck one perfect peak into my mouth, releasing her hair to trail my hand down to her ass as she rocks ag ainst me, seeking friction.

I slide farther down the couch and haul her higher on my lap, so her pussy hits my belt buckle through her thin sleep shorts.

“Ride me, Pretty Girl. Get yourself off.”

She doesn’t hesitate, swiveling her hips forward and back, her lips parting when the buckle seems to hit in just the right spot. “Oh my God,” she breathes.

Wrapping my hand around her throat, I pull her mouth to mine, swallowing her gasps. Her body continues to rock against me, and I groan into her mouth, my cock pulsating beneath my jeans.

“That’s it. Take what you need. Use me.”

“Fuck. I’m so close.”

Me too.

She nips at my bottom lip, a small smile playing at her lips. My hand connects with her right ass cheek, and she whimpers. I thread my fingers through her hair and tug on the roots, taking her mouth in another delicious kiss, tasting the peppermint on her tongue.

Her movements slow, and she cries out her release against my lips, her body shuddering above me.

Once she comes down from her high, I shift her off my lap, laying her on her back.

Her tits are bared to me, and a pool of wetness is visible against the fabric of her shorts, giving me a glimpse at the outline of her swollen pussy.

With one knee on either side of her body, I release my weeping cock. “Be a good girl and push your tits together.”

She looks up at me through hooded eyes, biting down on her bottom lip as she follows my order.

“That’s it. Fuck, Liv. You should see yourself.”I slip my cock into the crease and thrust forward. Each brush of my rigid length against her soft flesh pushes me closer to the edge. I let out an involuntary whimper, every thrust feeling like ecstasy .

“Come for me,” she murmurs, opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue.

This woman is going to be the death of me.

I’m trembling as I reach the precipice, sweat beading down my back. A few more thrusts and I’m coming between her tits, coating her chest in my cum, scattered droplets landing on her chin and tongue.

She releases her breasts and trails two fingers through the mess I’ve made, then brings them to her mouth and sucks.

As if she couldn’t get any fucking hotter, her hand slides around my neck and she brings my mouth to hers in a filthy kiss.

If I hadn’t just come, I would be ready to go all over again.

Replacing her tank top, I tug her into my arms bridal style and carry her down the hallway to the shower.

“What’s with you wanting to carry me?” she asks. “I can walk.”

“Clearly, I need to work harder, so you can’t. Get in the shower so I can make it up to you.”

It takes two more orgasms before Olivia’s well and truly spent.

I carry her out of the en suite bathroom in nothing but a towel, set her down on the side of my bed closest to the window, and pad over to the dresser to grab one of my battered tees.

Returning to her side, I tug it over her head and pull the covers up to her chin.

She smiles lazily up at me. I kiss her swollen lips, replaying the vision of that mouth wrapped around my cock moments ago in the shower.

I don’t bother walking around the bed. Instead, I crawl over her body enough to lay my head against her soft stomach, wrapping mys elf around her as I trace circles just below her belly button.

“Hi, little Hayes,” I murmur. “It’s your daddy.”

Her breath catches, and her fingers brush through my hair.

“You probably already figured this out, but your Mama is amazing. So kind and fierce. You have a big sister to look up to, maybe even torment a little. Siblings are funny that way. Your Uncle Jaxy and Uncle Griff were always a pain in my ass, but I love them. And Auntie Ruby is going to be obsessed with you, I just know it. You have a big, beautiful family that loves you so much already. We can’t wait to meet you. ”

I glance up at Olivia, who is fast asleep with her lips slightly parted.

“I love you,” I whisper, kissing her belly. “So much.”