Free Happily Ever After: A Day in the Life of the HEA (Rook and Ronin #3.5) by J.A. Huss Page B

he got the impression that I am part of his production line.
    “No,” I deadpan back at him. Five was never into toys that needed to be put together. He liked musical things. Puzzles and computer games. And Kate, well, she did like that stuff, but she grew out of dollhouses by the time she was eight. After that it was all horses all the time. She got a new horse last year. Charlie. And she’s not ready to upgrade. So this year she’s getting gear from that equestrian catalog the girls will be modeling for. “I already put together the Tiny Town Garage, the Tiny Town Hair Salon, and the Tiny Town Pet Groomer. I’m on strike.”
    “We’re done, dude. I was just going to ask if you guys could watch Cindy for a few hours.”
    “It’s two AM. What kind of child needs watching—”
    “Yes,” Ashleigh says, already on her feet, reaching for Cindy. “We’d love to. Go see what Veronica’s doing.”
    “Thanks, man,” Spencer says to me, like I’m the one doing him a baby favor.
    Rook and Ronin are already in bed, so now it’s just me, Ashleigh, and the third wheel. “Well,” I say, taking a sip of Scotch as I glance at Cinderella. What kind of name is that? I don’t even bother. Spencer took his pack of princesses way too seriously. “I feel like I haven’t seen you all day, Ash. I missed you.”
    She smiles at me. No, wait. She’s smiling at Cindy.
    I forgot. She wants another one.
    “Ford,” she says in her serious tone that means she’s got something on her mind. “I think—”
    “Wait,” I say, stopping her mid-sentence. “I know what you’re going to say. I’ve seen the signals.”
    “You have?”
    “Yes. You’re sad that the kids are growing up and you want another one. I get it, Ash. And I know why you haven’t made a big deal about it all these years. I appreciate that, you know.”
    “Yeah, but Ford—”
    I put another hand up. “Ashleigh, wait. I’m just saying that I sorta agree.”
    “You do?” Her eyes go wide.
    “Yeah. Kate, man.” I have to laugh. I told Ashleigh what she did on the slopes today. We are alike in that respect. We get a kick out of all the strange stuff our children do. Most parents would be upset about their fifteen-year-old practically kidnapping a princess and taking her all over Colorado. And we gave him a stern talking-to about that when he got home. The whole united front thing. He’s in charge of shoveling the driveway tomorrow morning before we leave to go to my mother’s.
    But secretly we love how innovative he is. And Kate. She lights up my life. I don’t know how all these years got away from me. I don’t understand how she went from footied sleepers to selling ski lessons to buy a car. It doesn’t make sense.
    “I’m with you, Ashleigh. If you want a baby, I’m ready to make another one.”
    She laughs.
    “What?”
    “Who says that? Make another one?”
    “What? That’s how it happens.”
    “OK, never mind,” she says, still shaking her head. Cindy is half asleep, but fighting it hard. Her teething seems to be under control, but now her schedule is all off. “But that’s not what I was going to say.”
    “What? I thought you had empty-nest syndrome? I thought you were craving another baby? I thought you missed all the spit-up, the dirty diapers, and the constant neediness?”
    “Well, that’s all sorta true.”
    “Then why have you been acting weird?”
    She shoots me a sly grin. “I can’t believe you haven’t noticed.”
    “Noticed what?” I ask, taking another sip of my drink.
    “My candy pussy.”
    And my fifty-year-old Scotch goes shooting out my mouth. “What did you just say, Miss Li? I might owe you a spanking for that remark.”
    She laughs hard. Hard enough to wake up Cindy from her almost-slumber. Cindy quickly gets a cuddle to soothe her back to sleep.
    Once that crisis is averted, I get another giggle. “I’m pregnant, Ford. I took the test last week and I didn’t know how to tell you, so I’ve been