Page 38 of Tiny Precious Secrets (The Brothers of Calloway Creek The Montanas #4)

Asher

Coming home to this house—to Allie—is like a dream come true. This is my home base now. She’s my true north. I can’t believe what a lucky man I am.

“Dad!”

I drop my bags inside the front door as Bug rushes through the living room and wraps me into a hug.

I was worried she’d hole up in her room the entire three days I was gone, but she’s here greeting me as she always has after a business trip. It gives me hope.

“Hey, sweetie. How did it go?”

She shrugs. “Fine, I guess.”

“Is your room unpacked? You need help with anything?”

“Nah. I’m good.”

I look around. “Where is Allie?”

“Shopping with her mom.”

“You weren’t invited?”

“I was busy.”

“With your room?”

She pulls me through the house to the very back. Through the sliding doors, I can see bright orange spray paint all over the back yard.

My eyes narrow. “You graffitied our back yard?”

“That’s going to be our pool.”

“Our pool?”

I open the sliding door and step out onto the deck, studying the outlines before I turn to her. “ You did this?”

“I had help.”

The smile on my face is a mile wide. I knew my being gone would somehow bring them together.

“Hi, Bug.” My head whips around and I see a boy on crutches standing on our property line.

He walks awkwardly, yet somehow confidently, toward me.

When he’s within arm’s length, he loosens his grip on the right crutch, still keeping his forearm clipped in, and extends his arm.

“You must be Darla’s dad. I’m Christian Cruz. I live next door.”

I shake his hand, suddenly realizing it wasn’t Allie who helped with this whole elaborate pool layout. It was him. “Nice to meet you. I’m Asher Anderson.”

“You picked a nice house for a big pool, Mr. Anderson.”

“Isn’t it great?” Bug says. “Christian had the paint in his garage. We looked up a bunch of stuff about pools. He said we should get a sports pool, which means it’s shallower on each end but deeper in the middle.”

“You could install a net in the center for pool volleyball,” the kid adds.

I study the young man. “You seem to know a lot about pools. Is your dad in the business?”

“No.” He holds up a crutch. “Pools are good therapy for people with CP.”

I crane my neck and look into his back yard. No pool. Why do I get the idea this kid will be spending more than a little time in ours? I look up at the outdoor entrance to Bug’s room and know I need to get busy padlocking the door.

I’m happy she’s making friends, but I was sort of hoping the first one would be a girl.

“Are your parents around?” I ask. “I’d like to meet them.”

“I don’t have a mom.” He juts out a crutch. “She didn’t want to deal with this. And my dad’s at the shop. I work there a few hours a day. It’s just down the street and around the corner.”

“On McQuaid Circle?”

“Near it, anyway. It’s the Cruz-In Auto Repair Shop. My aunt and uncles work there too. If you ever need work done on your car, it’s the best place to go. Even if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, we have a supply store.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I laugh. “I can see why they want you working there.”

“It’ll be partly mine one day. I’m going to be a mechanical engineer and work on engines. I’d prefer to work on race cars, but I guess you take what you can get.” He turns around. “I’d better get back. I like to have dinner started when my dad gets home. Nice meeting you, sir.”

“You too, Christian.”

I wait until he’s out of earshot to raise a brow at Bug. She rolls her eyes. “Oh, please.”

“First thing on my agenda today will be taking care of your outside entrance.”

“You saw him, Dad. He has trouble walking. You think he can climb a flight of stairs?”

I laugh. “You’d be amazed what people can do for love.”

“Gross.”

“Hey, you two,” Allie says from the back door. She scans the yard. “What’s all this?”

I hurry over and take her into my arms. “I missed you.” I kiss her chastely, saving the inappropriate stuff for later. “ This is what my daughter and the neighbor kid have been working on while you were shopping.”

Her mouth falls open. “Christian and Bug did this?”

I narrow my eyes. “You know about Christian?”

“He lives next door. He’s Mia’s nephew. Great kid. Darla could do much worse in the friend department.”

“But he’s a… boy.”

Allie giggles. “Beggars can’t be choosers. You wanted her to make friends, Ash.” She looks beyond me to Bug. “My mom is waiting for you out front.” She holds out a small bag. “But first I wanted you to see these.”

Bug looks at the shopping bag with great hesitation.

As if there’s nothing in the world Allie could buy her that she would like, even if it was something every teenage girl wanted.

She pulls two tiny outfits out of the bag.

One is pink and one is blue. The pink one reads: “Little Sis.” The blue one reads: “Little Bro.”

“I thought maybe these could be what they wear when they come home from the hospital. What do you think?”

Bug shrugs. “I think it’s not really my choice.” She shoves the bag into my arms. “Mrs. Montana is waiting.”

“What’s that all about?” I ask when Bug trots inside.

“She’s going for a sleepover at my mother’s. So is Charlie.” Her face cracks into a smile. “We’ll have the entire house to ourselves.”

I lean in and kiss her neck, right below her ear. “I like the way you think.”

Ten seconds later, we’re back inside and Bug is rushing down the stairs with a backpack slung over one shoulder. “Bye, Dad. See you tomorrow.” She starts to walk away then turns and looks at Allie. “Um, see ya.”

I’m stunned. It wasn’t much, but it was an acknowledgment.

I stare down at Al. “Something’s changed. She doesn’t look at you with such a sour face anymore.”

“She still won’t let me help her decorate her room or go shopping. And we’ve yet to sit at the same table for a meal whenever you’re gone. But, yeah, I feel something’s changed.”

“What happened?”

She shrugs. Because either she honestly doesn’t know, or she just doesn’t want me to know. I don’t push her, respecting her repeated request that I let them navigate this on their own.

“How was your trip?”

“Uneventful.”

“As in no ex-wives showed up at your hotel bar?”

“It wouldn’t have mattered.” I draw her close. “Because, sweetheart, I only have eyes for you.”

She grins. “Do you practice being so charming?”

I chuckle. “It comes naturally.”

Allie takes my hand and presses it to her stomach. “They’ve started kicking a lot more this week.”

A gentle tapping sensation against my palm occurs repeatedly. I take note of where it’s happening. “That must be our little boy.”

“I think so too. He’s slightly more active than she is.” She watches me enjoy the movements. “You pick a name yet?”

I don’t answer. Still concentrating hard, I don’t remove my hands until I feel the very last movement.

She smooths out her shirt. “If you want to name him Asher, I’d be okay with it. We could call him AJ.”

“Technically, a son needs to have the exact first, middle, and last name to be a ‘junior’.”

Sadness washes over her. “You want him to have your middle name?”

I gather her hands in mine, bring them to my mouth, and kiss them. “Not on your life. That’s already been decided.”

Her face softens. “We could still call him AJ informally. I mean, if that’s what you want.”

“I don’t know. Having a son named after me isn’t all that important.

Honestly, I’m just elated to be having another child.

” I swipe her jawline with my thumb. “And to be having two … you’ll never know what a gift you’ve given me.

We can call him Ralph, Ignatius, or Pikachu and I’ll still love him to the ends of the earth. ” I touch her lower belly. “And her.”

She giggles. “I’m glad you’ll love them no matter what their names are, because Bug has been coming up with some real doozies.”

“Just how long are you going to let that go on?”

“Do you really want to talk about this again? Because we could be getting naked right now.”

I sweep her into my arms. “I’ll take option number two.”

She laughs as I carry her to our bedroom. “You won’t be able to do this much longer.”

“Not true.” I lean down and peck her forehead.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I feel like Superman every time I’m around you.

” I stop cold when I step inside the bedroom.

My eyes dart from one side of the room to the other.

“You did all this in just a few days?” I set her down.

“Allie, please don’t tell me you lifted all those boxes. ”

“Mia helped. And my brothers. Even Bug brought some stuff in.”

I draw back and study her. “Stuff that wasn’t hers?”

She pulls her shirt up and over her head.

Then she shimmies her skirt to the floor, making me forget what I was asking.

I’m not sure how she’s become even more beautiful over the past few days, but she has.

My gaze shifts to her full breasts that are covered in black lace, then down to her protruding belly, where just beneath is a matching set of panties.

I hastily remove every stitch of my clothing and sit on the bed, drawing her to me so I’m eye level with her chest. When I inhale her scent—a mixture of subtle perfume and pheromones—my cock is instantly hard.

They say smell is the strongest of all the senses because of its close connection to memory and emotion.

I’d have to agree. Because right now, all kinds of emotions are swirling around inside me.

Gratitude. Love. Awe. Desire. Admiration.

But the one standing out the most right now? Happiness.

Lowering my head, I place a kiss on her rounded belly. “How did I get so goddamn lucky?” Then I look up into her intense, loving eyes. “Every day with you feels like Christmas.”

She runs her hands through the top of my hair, then her lips meet my forehead. “I’m glad to hear I’ve got you fooled. I’m the lucky one.”

Hooking my thumbs into the sides of her panties, I ask, “While we’re debating which one of us is the luckiest, mind if I remove these?”

Her flirtatious giggle answers the question.