Page 86 of Fierce-Baker

“I’m trying. Micah.” She turned. “Come, give me a kiss. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Micah’s little legs had him racing back, his arms out, a big hug received and a wet sloppy kiss on the cheek. “Bye, Mama.”

She kissed his cheek and handed him over to her mother. If she put him on the floor he might make a dash for the door while she went out of it.

Her mother was holding her son, the two of them waving in the doorway as she pulled away and drove the few miles back home to shower and change.

She was finishing up her makeup when the doorbell went off.

Looking at her watch, she realized Baker was early and took off for the door, opening it wide and seeing him standing there in cotton pants and a button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking so yummy that she almost wanted to tell her mother to keep Micah for the night.

Maybe he could still stay some after Micah was in bed.

She’d let it fall the way it would. Organically as her mother said.

“Look at you,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. “I just realized I’ve only seen you in jeans and shorts with T-shirts.”

“The same. If you twirl does that fly up in the air?”

She did a little spin in her summer dress. Nothing fancy, but dressier than what he’d seen her in.

“Did it?”

“Not enough for me to see your ass.” He reached toward her, pulled her close, his hands slapped her hard on her butt cheeks and yanked her against his crotch. Then he planted a kiss on her as if he’d been gone for years rather than her seeing him last night.

“Maybe you can see it later,” she said. “Much, much later once we know Micah is fast asleep.”

He leaned back. “Do you want that?”

“I think that it’s a step I’m willing to take, unless you’d rather not.”

Could she have been so wrong about things? Or putting herself out there too quickly?

“I’m fine with it. It’s like I told you before, you’re the one setting the pace.”

“I seem to be running. Or at least my mother thinks so and she’s pretty happy about it.”

She stepped out of his arms. “What did she say when you dropped Micah off?”

She walked toward her room to get her sandals with Baker at her heels. “She was thrilled that I’m not keeping you a secret like I have other men in the past. She even admitted that I could have easily found someone else to watch Micah if I wanted to do that.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He looked unsure. Or maybe uncertain of even the words coming out of his mouth.

Telling him about Shane had been difficult and she looked for any sign of him stepping back. Any sign that he was changing his mind about her or how he felt.

She’d seen nothing.

Either it wasn’t there or he was good at hiding it.

She didn’t want to think it was the second.

“I don’t know if I’ve got the energy to keep up the ruse. Hiding one more thing. I know that’s horrible, but it’s so hard to have the weight of it in me. I don’t have any flags with you like I have other men in the past.”

She didn’t want to think it was because of Jolene, but maybe it was.

Or if it wasn’t Jolene, then it was the fact that there were so many stand-up people in her life who knew Baker. Who had nothing but good things to say about him.