Page 12 of Cuddling Carly

“Unfortunately, it’s pretty typical for her.”

“I’m sorry she’s like that. You deserve better.” Wade stopped walking and turned toward Carly.

She stopped walking too and faced him, their eyes locked on one another.

“We need to celebrate. Are you free tomorrow night?” he asked.

Carly tried hard to keep from blushing. Was he asking her out? Like a real, actual date?

“I am,” she said, hoping she sounded confident instead of her voice quivering.

“Let me take you out. I would tonight, but I’ve got some guys coming in from Houston who are interested in my beef. If this deal goes through, I’m going to have to hire more hands and really step up my operations.”

“Wade, that’s wonderful! I bet it’ll work out.”

“Thanks.” With a slightly cocky smirk, he added, “I’d rather have dinner with you, but I guess we can wait one more day.”

Now Carly couldn’t keep from blushing. This wasn’t her imagination. Wade was being pretty overt with his feelings.

And she loved it.

“One more day,” she said. “And if you need any cupcakes in the meantime, drop by my place.”

Worried it might sound like an innuendo—a pathetic one, at that—she quickly added, “I’m going to bake some more when I get home. I’ve had people request orders, so I’ll be busy. But there are always extras if you want one…”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want Wade to drop by for…other things. She just didn’t want him to think her flirting skills were that bad.

Which they were.

You really need to brush up on how to do this, Carly.

“Sounds good to me,” he said. “Come on, I’ll help you pack up your gear. And you can tell me all about what the mayor was saying to you. It looked important.”

“You’ll never believe it! It’s so exciting!”

A little giggle escaped Carly’s lips. The county fair that year had turned out to be one of the best things that had ever happened to her. Winning the ribbon. The opportunity to possibly open up her very own bakery.

And, best of all, a date with Wade.

She couldn’t wait to get home and tell Mr. Pumpkin Head all about it.

Chapter Seven

“This is the best day ever!” Carly said as she picked up Mr. Pumpkin Head and waltzed across her living room, turning graceful circles to the smooth vocals of Tony Bennett coming from her Bluetooth speaker.

Her diaper crinkled loudly with her movements.

The fair had been wonderful—and she wouldn’t trade it for anything—but now that it was over and she was coming down from it all, she figured she deserved some Little Space.

As she stopped dancing, she had the brief worry that if Wade could see her now, he would instantly cancel tomorrow’s date. Yet she just couldn’t stop herself from reaching for her sippy cup of juice that rested on the coffee table.

After taking a drink, she used her phone to turn off the music and then reached for the remote control and flipped on the TV. After getting her favorite cartoon going, she spread a blanket on the floor, got out her coloring book and crayons, and laid on her stomach.

The last step was putting her pacifier in her mouth before she began to color.

During the therapeutic activity, her mind wandered to thoughts of Wade.

He gave off so many Daddy vibes! What if she truly could be his babygirl? What if she could color pictures for him while he watched from the couch, admiring how cute she was and just waiting to hold and cuddle her?