Labor of Love by Duke Regina

Author:Duke, Regina
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary romance
Publisher: RD Books
Published: 2019-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 4

Sunday morning, Callie awoke from a wonderful dream. It took her a few moments to realize it hadn’t been a dream after all, but rather memories of a delightful day at the beach. She sighed heavily and attempted to lull herself back into another ten minutes of slumber, but Louie had other ideas. She heard his hungry cry and rolled out of bed.

The night before, she’d sorted three baskets of laundry, feeling embarrassed about having Andrew in the apartment with dirty clothes scattered in every room. They were still dirty, but at least she looked like less of a slob. She wondered how long he would actually stay, once he realized how small her washer and dryer were.

She propped Louie on her bed with pillows and a bottle and spent ten minutes deciding what to wear. Needless to say, the volume of laundry cut down on her choices. But one whole basket was baby things, so she didn’t feel too bad about the buildup. Late summer temperatures made shorts and another tee the only choice, especially since the A/C in the apartment was less than iceberg quality.

If her life were a romance novel, she would have arranged things differently. She would have preferred a formal introduction through friends at Church (though she hadn’t had the energy to go in weeks) and her second date would have been a night of dinner and dancing (something with noodles and scampi, a gown to make up for the one she never had for the prom, and a surprising spurt of confidence and choreography, making the whole thing “big screen” romantic). But that was not her life. She settled on khaki shorts and a pale yellow tee paired with her old running shoes (because her newest ones hadn’t yet dried from her dip in the lake). Louie let out a big belch and she scooped him up before he could dribble recycled milk and rice cereal all over her pillows.

She barely heard the rap at the door, and nearly stumbled over the baby bouncer in the living room on her way to answer it. Louie found the stumble highly entertaining and gurgled happily. Callie realized he probably had his father’s love of danger, and wondered how long it would be before he began asking for a motorcycle of his own.

She opened the door, and there stood Andrew, the handsomest man in at least four states...or maybe outside of Hollywood altogether. Even in civvies he carried himself as if he wore a uniform. She melted a bit inside and said sweetly, “Good morning.”

His smile made the sun shine brighter. “You look amazing,” he crooned.

She blushed and hefted Louie on her hip. “Now you’re just being kind.”

“Nonsense. You’re gorgeous. This is the kind part.” He pulled a hand from behind his back and a pastry bag beckoned. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Callie nearly drooled. “Let me make coffee,” she said. “Come on in.”

She felt suddenly nervous as he bounced Louie on his knee and watched her every move in the kitchen.

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