Free Destined To Be A Dad (Welcome To Destiny Book 9) by Christyne Butler

college following his official retirement from the rodeo circuit found him more often drunk than sober, barely getting to his classes and alienating everyone from his family to old rodeo buddies who’d tried to stay in touch.
    He’d been lost in a world of self-indulgent pity over the way his life had turned out at the ripe old age of twenty-one, while Missy had been busy raising their daughter as another man’s wife.
    Damn, they still had so much to talk about, but it was late.
    “I should head back,” he said, “and let you get some rest.”
    “Yes, that would be...good. It’s been a long day.”
    He read exhaustion in her eyes, in the drop of her shoulders. The need to pull her into his arms again, to comfort her this time, was so strong he took a step back.
    “Well, good night then,” he said instead, heading for the stairs. Pausing at the top step, he gestured over his shoulder. “I don’t know what happened to the light out here, but I’ll check on it tomorrow.”
    “My fault, I fear. I must have mishandled the switches in the kitchen while learning my way. Will fix that straight away when I go back inside.”
    “Okay, then. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” The small talk was inane, but his feet refused to move. “Or rather, later today.”
    She nodded. “Right. Later today.”
    Don’t look at her and you might be able to get your ass out of here!
He listened to the internal command, focused on the stairs and started down. “Good night, again.”
    “I’ve decided we’re staying.”
    He froze, his gaze darting back to her. “You are?”
    “We have a month or so before we need to be back in London, when Casey’s second school term begins.” Hands clasped against her stomach, Missy came a few steps closer. “That should be long enough to get back test results... Of course, we can make other arrangements to stay in town—”
    “You’ll stay here.” He cut her off, elation racing through his veins that she and Casey were going to be in Destiny, were going to be at his family’s home, at least for now. “The apartment is yours for as long as you want it. Mom will insist on it.”
    “But most of our luggage is still at the hotel in LA. I’m not quite sure how we go about getting it here.”
    “I’ll get Katie on it,” Liam said, adding the item to the mental list of things he needed to take care of in the morning. “First thing tomorrow.”
    “Katie?”
    “She’s the office manager for the company. Believe me, the woman can work wonders. You won’t have any issues canceling your vacation rental?”
    Missy joined him at the landing. With him two steps down, their gazes were even. “The use of the beachside villa was a thank you from a producer friend at the film studio where I work. I’ll let him know of our change of plans tomorrow.”
    Liam brushed aside the flicker of annoyance her words created. So her friend was a man. Big deal. She probably had a lot of male friends.
    Casey had made that crack about her mother not dating much, answering his unspoken question about whether she’d ever married again.
    Hell, he’d given it a second go himself right after college and failed miserably for the second time. Not that he’d led the life of a monk since then, but after just having this woman in his arms, his mouth on hers, the last thing he wanted to think about was a friendship that netted her the use of a Hawaiian beach house.
    No, what he wanted was to lean over the railing, wrap his hand around the back of her head and bring her mouth down to his.
    Bad idea. Not when he had just gotten what he really wanted. A chance to get to know Casey. To get to know Missy, again...
    Yeah, not helping, man.
    He blinked away that thought to find her still standing there, watching him. She had something else she wanted to say. He was sure of it, but her staring at him while swiping at her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue wasn’t helping his resolve to get out of here.
    “Was there anything