Hot Winter Nights

“Mmm,” he said, his voice pure sex. “Tell me all about this dream, slowly and in great detail.” He bent to kiss her again, but before his mouth touched hers, the doorbell went off several times in quick succession, prompting him to blow out a frustrated breath. “They’re not going away.”

“Take your gun,” she said. “Kill ’em quick and hurry back.”

He was laughing as he bent to pull on his pants.

“Don’t forget to hurry,” she said when he left the room.

She was thinking about all the ways she was going to make him stop laughing and start moaning her name when he came back. He stood at the side of the bed with a bag hanging off one shoulder and a baby on the other.

“That was Finn,” he said with a half smile. “Something you forgot to tell me?”

Finn had been behind the bar serving Girls Night, bemoaning that he needed to get Pru away for an overnight all to themselves, and somehow Molly had opened her mouth and promised to babysit for the next twenty-four hours. After all, what could wrong in twenty-four hours? “I’m babysitting tonight! I forgot!” She slapped her forehead. “Shit!”

Baby Penelope focused in on Molly with a toothless grin. A line of drool hit Lucas’s shoulder. “Shhhht,” the little cutie-pie said and bounced up and down in excitement at the sight of one of her favorite people.

Molly froze in horror. “Did she just—”

“Shhht,” the baby said again and laughed her full belly baby laugh.

Fighting a smile, Lucas dropped the bag onto the bed and smiled at Penelope. “Uh-oh. Someone’s in trouble . . .”

“This isn’t funny!” Molly cried, sitting up. “Shit can’t be her first word!”

“Shhht!” Penelope cried out again gleefully.

Lucas lost the battle and grinned. He pressed a kiss to Penelope’s sweet curls. “Time for a new word, sweetness, or your mommy’s going to kill the woman I love.”

Penelope tipped her head back and stared up at him in clear adoration as she let out a stream of gibberish syllables.

“That’s right,” he cooed at her. “Who’s my pretty girl?”

Penelope all but melted for him and Molly found her ovaries doing the same. “You look good like that,” she said softly.

He met her gaze, caught her serious expression and cocked his head. “Like what?”

“With a baby.”

He didn’t laugh, didn’t make fun. “You want one,” he said. Not a question.

She’d honestly never given being a mom much thought. But in that moment, she knew she wanted to try. With Lucas.

With a soft smile, he handed her the baby.

“Where you going?”

“A minute.”

He vanished in his closet.

“Lucas?”

“A minute,” he repeated.

She sighed at Penelope and tickled her belly. “Men are from Mars.”

Penelope giggled.

Then Lucas was back, still in nothing but his cargos. Bare chest, bare feet, expression baring his heart and soul as he sat next to her on the bed and handed her a small black velvet box.

“Merry Christmas, Molly.”

She stared at him. “Is this . . .”

On his knees on the mattress before her, he smiled. “I’ve known you were meant for me since that very first night you slept with me.”

She might have rolled her eyes, but her heart was pumping so loud she couldn’t concentrate. Penelope, sensing the attention was off of her, patted Molly’s cheeks. She took the baby’s little hands in hers while continuing to stare at Lucas. “I didn’t think we were going to go there—”

“I wanted to give you time,” he said. “But I also want you to know that you’re my heart. My soul.” He shook his head. “My entire life. I tried fighting it, but I lost that battle a long time ago. I love you, Molly. Will you marry me?”

“Are you asking me so that I’ll give you a baby as cute as Penelope?”

Penelope smiled at the sound of her name, farted, and then spit up down the front of Molly.

Lucas laughed and easily scooped up the baby, handing Molly a towel sticking out of the baby bag. He was good at this, she thought, and opened the ring box.

And gasped at the beautiful diamond solitaire.

“I’m asking you,” Lucas said quietly because Penelope had set her head down on his shoulder and her eyes were drooping, “because I can’t imagine you not in my life. With a baby, without a baby . . . I can go either way. What I can’t go either way on, Molly, is you.”

She felt her eyes go misty and her heart swell at the words as she slid the ring on her finger. “It’s a perfect fit,” she whispered.

Leaning in, Lucas kissed her over Penelope’s head and smiled. “Yes. We are.”