Page 179 of Under Her Skin

Though all I really want to do now is pick her up and spirit her away to our massive bedroom, I pull away from her and laugh. “Okay, tell me. No more playingaround.”

“You are so damn good looking, Blake!” She tries to pull me to heragain.

I hold her arms and make her stay still. “Tell menow!”

Her cell phonerings as it lies on the bar near us and we both look over to see Peyton’s name flashing. “I should answer that,” she says. “They’re all on the way over. She may want to tell me somethingimportant.”

Reluctantly I release her and let her answer the phone. “Hey girl!” she says and looks at me. I start to walk away and get a glimpse of that cake that looks like there’s writingon.

Her hand darts out, and she grabs my wrist and hangs on tight. I look back at her and she shakes her head then says into the phone, “Okay, we’re here. See you guys in about an hour then.” She ends the call and places the phone on the bar again. Her arms go back around my neck and she asks, “Now, where werewe?”

I wrap my arms around her waist and answer, “You were about to tell me why you went to thedoctor.”

“Was I?” she asks as she smiles innocently at me. “I’m not sure I was going to do that. I think I was going to kiss you a little bitmore.”

“Your eyes are dancing with delight, baby. Just tell me so mine can too.” I kiss the tip of her cute little nose and give her ass a slap. “Don’t make me take you up to ourroom.”

Her eyes light up and she wiggles against me. “Hmm. Maybe that would be evenbetter.”

“Rachelle, now!” I order and give her my no nonsense look that really doesn’t get anyone to do what I want them to, but I haven’t seemed to let it goyet.

“Okay, bossy!” she says as she turns in my arms and takes me to the cake. “Readit.”

It’s my favorite cake, a French vanilla and there’s lavender writing on it and four candles for some damn reason. I read it out loud, “To Blake, the best daddy in the world.” I turn to her as she begins to light the candles. “Well, thanks, sweetie, but what are the candlesfor?”

“They’re for your kids.”She gives me a smile and places my hand on her flat stomach. “You have one morenow.”

“What? How the hell? Rachelle, I thought you were taking birth control! I mean, I know you were, right?” Ishout.

The way she looks at me has me regretting how I’m shouting. She has this hurt expression and her cheeks are going red. “I’msorry.”

I pull her into my arms and laugh. “No! Don’t be sorry. I’m surprised is all. I’m happy about it. I just thought we were going to wait a couple of years that’s all. You know, we talked aboutit.”

“Well, I forgot to take my pills a bunch here lately, and I messed up and now we’re pregnant again. I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m just so busy with the restaurant and the kids and everything that I kept forgetting,” she says with tears in hervoice.

“Don’t cry, baby!” I hold her tight. “This is greatnews!”

“Is it? I mean, are you really okay with this?” She looks up at me with shiny eyes and it makes my heartheave.

“It’s more than okay with me, Rachelle.” I take her lips in a tender kiss as she runs her hands up and takes my hair into herfists.

Now I know why she got so hot so quickly when she brought me in here. The last pregnancy showed me a side of her I never knew before. The hormones make her nearlyinsatiable.

Luckyme!

Rachelle

Crickets chirp and coyotes howl as I lie in bed and wait for Blake to come join me after telling the kids their bedtime story. He is hands down the best father in the world. He’s right up there as the greatest husbandtoo.

Six months ago I found out I was pregnant again. This is our second natural child, and she was unplanned, but loved no less than any of the rest ofthem.

In only three years, we managed to fill our huge mountain cabin with a real family, complete with the dog my husband dreamed of. My mother we got into a facility to help her with her many problems. My father was a bit of a nightmare to get help for, but eventually I found an organization to get him out from under thebridge.

He is still crazy as hell, but he’s crazy as hell inside a building now. I found it best to stay away from him as he tended to go off on me, ranting about my mother and throwingthings.

It’s enough for me that I got him off the side of the road. I can live withthat.

I’d love to report that I am one hundred percent fixed and have no more emotional problems, but that would be a lie. I have to fight myself to let Blake love me like he wants to. I sometimes think he’s too good to be true and find myself becomingdistant.