“She’s gorgeous,” Patricia said, gazing down in profound adoration at the little bundle nestled protectively in her arms.

Jon couldn’t stop staring at her. She looked absolutely beautiful like that, and he was suddenly struck with a vision of what Patti would look like, lying in a hospital bed, having just birthed their son or daughter. A wave of emotion slammed into him, nearly buckling his knees. He couldn’t wait for that day to come.

“You’re turn, Uncle Jon,” she said, turning to him and offering up the baby.

He held up his hands to ward it off. “No, I can’t. I’ll drop it,” he warned her, but she was already placing the baby in his arms.

“No, you won’t,” she said with so much confidence that he almost believed her. “See, you’ve got her.” She leaned in to stroke her finger across the baby’s chubby cheek. “Isn’t she the most precious thing you have ever seen?”

Jon took in the scrunched face, button nose, pursed lips, stubborn chin and tiny fingers grasping the edge of the soft pink blanket, and then he looked at Patricia. “Not even close.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Piper gushed. Jon looked up to realize that they had a ready audience. “Tate, did you hear what he said?”

Tate affected a stern look that wasn’t even close to passable as he left his wife’s side to retrieve his daughter. “Hell, yeah, I heard what the bastard said.” Gently, he dug the baby from the cradle of Jon’s arms and clutched her close to his heart. “How dare you call my daughter anything less than the most beautiful creature you have ever seen on this planet. Aside from this woman,” he amended, placing the sleeping baby on her mother’s chest and leaning down to place a tender kiss to her lips.

“Language,” Piper murmured, smiling softly up at Tate when he drew away.

“Shit, I forgot. I mean, damn.” He sucked in a breath and grimaced. “Sorry.”

Everyone laughed softly at his expense. They only stayed a short while longer before leaving to give the new parents some time to get to know their daughter and catch some much-needed rest.

“Well, I could use a drink,” Felix announced as they exited the lobby. “You guys want to hit up a sports bar or something, grab some lunch and a beer?”

“Yeah, man, sounds good,” Tom agreed.

Jon didn’t even have to look down to know that he and Patricia were on the same page. They loved their friends, but the last thing they wanted to do was go out when they could be in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms. “Maybe another time,” he told him, already guiding Patricia toward the truck.

“Are you sure?” Felix called after him. “My treat.”

Jon just held up his hand and continued walking.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather hang out for a while?” Patricia asked him once they were buckled into their seats.

He started the engine and waited until they cleared the parking lot before responding. Taking her hand, he brought it to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I have you all to myself for the next eight and a half months,” he said, glancing over at her, “and I don’t want to squander a single second of it. I hope you enjoy take-out.” The smile that spread across his face was nothing less than devilish.

The way Patricia looked at him, her blue eyes soft and full of love reserved only for him, filled him with more pleasure than he knew what to do with. Her hand fell to his thigh and she smoothed her palm from knee to hip, sending bolts of pulsing heat between his legs.

“Then you’d better step on it,” she purred, scooting closer. “Because I have a wicked craving for something hot.” She kissed the underside of his jaw. “And hard.” Then ran her tongue down the side of his neck. “And wet.” Her palm covered the hard ridge pressing against the fly of his pants, and pressed down.

Jon groaned and his foot pressed down on the gas pedal. “Did I ever tell you how dangerous you are?”

“Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Epilogue

“I am so happy that the two of you worked things out.” Jon’s mom was beside herself as she leaned across the table and enveloped her son in a warm, one-armed hug.

Jon chuckled. “It’s been over six months, Mom. You can stop saying it now. We know you’re happy.”

“What your mother is trying to say,” his father chimed in, “is that we are all very happy for the two of you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bradshaw.” Patti smiled demurely.

“How many times do I have to tell you, young lady,” his father said with a disapproving frown. “Call me Walter.”

“Or Dad,” his mother suggested with a toothy grin.

Jon chewed his food happily, glancing at Patti in time to catch the shy smile crossing her face as she tipped her head down and focused on her plate. After having lost her own father, he knew she would never claim his as her own, but he also knew his mother would never stop offering. She was simply too eager to have a daughter-in-law.

Under the table, his hand rested on Patti’s thigh, and he moved it higher, skimming the silky flesh beneath the fluffy fabric of her dress. Her eyes darted to his, and she chewed her lip, making his mind run wild with ideas for what they’d be doing later.

“So,” his mother said, breaking the heated moment of silence. “How are you handling everything at the office, Patti? My son isn’t working you too hard?”

A secret smile passed across her face before Patti looked away from him to answer the question. “Everything is going great. I love working with Jon.”

He squeezed her upper thigh, the tip of his pinkie finger tracing the edge of her panties. “I love working with you, too,” he told her. To his parents he said, “This way we get to spend the whole day together. I’m glad I thought of it.” He winked at Patti. Despite her initial claim that she never mixed business with pleasure, once they’d decided to move in together, merging their lives in every possible way, she saw how much trouble he was having finding an accountant worth their salt, so she finally agreed to sign on for the job. They both agreed it was one of the best decisions they had ever made.

“You’re such a smart man,” Patti said sweetly, then nudged him playfully in the side.

“He gets it from me,” his father said proudly. Biting off a hunk of his dinner roll, he grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

“Behave,” his mother scolded, tossing a cloth napkin across the table and hitting him square in the face.

His father’s eyes widened innocently. “What did I say?”

“So it’s not too tough on you and the baby? You get off your feet often?”

“Believe me,” Jon said, laughing. Removing his hand from her thigh, he slung his arm over the back of her chair, absently caressing the length of her arm. “I make sure she’s taken care of.” Beneath the table, Patti gave his foot a warning kick. “Plus, a couple of her friends work there, too. I’m beginning to wonder if all those hours they spend working in the break room is them actually working, or if I’m really just paying them to conspire against us men.”

“Definitely conspiring, honey,” Patti teased.

Jon pressed a kiss to her temple. “Then it’s money well spent.”

“Speaking of money well spent,” his mother said as she cut into her chicken cutlet, “are you ever going to put a ring on this woman’s finger?”

“Good segue, honey,” his father said with a grin. “How ‘bout it, Jon. There isn’t much time left before the baby gets here, and I hear that shotgun weddings are all the rage.”

Jon sighed. This had been the main topic of interest since his parent’s had learned they were expecting, but he and Patti had already agreed that they didn’t want to rush things. Everything about their relationship had moved at warp speed from day one. For now, they just wanted to focus on each thing one-step at a time, starting with the birth of their child. He’d already explained this to his parents, but that didn’t mean they would stop pushing. He couldn’t begrudge them for wanting to ensure their son was happy, though.

“It’s like I said before,” Jon said. “We’re good with taking it slow. I think me selling the condo and moving in with Patricia is pretty good start toward showing my commitment to our relationship.” He passed a look to his mother, and she held up her hands in defeat.

“Okay, I get it. No more pushing. You’re going to be a father, and I just want to make sure you are both happy.”

We are, Mom,” Jon assured her.

“Then we’re happy for you, son,” his father returned.

After dinner, Jon and Patti spent another hour hanging around the house talking with his parents. They were ecstatic that they were going to become grandparents soon and insisted that they be present for the delivery. They also made it quite clear that they’d be an active part of the baby’s life, starting from day one. Jon groaned teasingly over what a hardship it would be to have them around so much, but in reality, he was thrilled to have their support. He had no clue how to raise a kid, so their input would be invaluable.

By the time they left, it was getting late. He’d noticed several times Patti trying to hide her yawns, and so with a practiced ease, they had said their goodbyes and headed home.

Jon knew that Patti would be asleep by the time her head hit the pillow. Over the past few months Patti had begun taking naps, which soon grew to include early bedtimes, but tonight, Jon needed just a few extra minutes.

He had a surprise for her.

While they were gone, he’d arranged for Travis to stop by the house and get everything ready. The closer they got to home, the more his nerves jangled.

To calm himself, Jon reached over and placed his hand against Patricia’s rounded belly. He didn’t say anything. Instead, Jon focused on the road and the feel of his son or daughter’s little feet pounding against his palm. Could there be anything more perfect? Each time he touched her stomach, he experienced the deep, abiding love coursing through him for his little family.