Removing the carafe, I began pouring two cups of steaming coffee before replacing it in the holder. Petunia was making a calming moaning noise, which was her way of showing that she was loving the attention. I wanted to grumble under my breath but refrained from doing so because it would make me seem like a jealous nitwit.
“Oh my god,” I said aloud without any intention to do so, “I’m jealous of my dog.” I turned around and took a sip from my steaming mug and leaned against the edge of my countertop. Baylor’s eyes were instantly trained on me and a smile was playing on his mouth. “Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, laugh it up,” I said to him in the midst of an eye roll. I pointed to Petunia who was still as relaxed as before, showing her belly and allowing her tongue to hang freely from her mouth, “Don’t you forget where you came from and who fed you all of those treats for so long.”
That was all it took for Baylor to go completely ballistic. He fell over to his side barking out a laugh at my expense, but all in all it was pretty hilarious that I would get so bent out of shape because my wonderful Petunia was receiving all of his attention when it should’ve been me. I joined in on the laughter because Baylor’s reaction and his contagious laugh from deep within his belly made it too hard to contain.
He braced an arm on the floor so he could push himself to a standing position, then moseyed his way over towards me to encircle his arms around my waist. I turned to place my hot mug down on the counter and turned back just in time for him to run his nose along my collarbone and up to my ear.
“Was my Eden really that jealous of the attention I was showing to my new dog?” Shoving at his shoulder I released a drawn out huff and tried to cross my arms over my chest. “Does Eden need me to scratch behind her ears?” He teased and ran his finger lightly behind my ear, descending all the way down to the swell of my breasts that were peeking out from the top of my tank top. My annoyance was quickly dissipating; all this man had to do was gently touch a random place on my body and I proved to be putty in his hands. “Maybe she needs some kisses?” He asked then leaned forward and swiped his tongue across his lips before biting down softly on the apex of my neck and shoulder, sending chills rushing down my spine while his hands moved back to my hips, lightly fingering my exposed flesh. “Or perhaps she needs a good old-fashioned,” I was lost in his words, anticipating what would come next. Would he tease me more, turning me on a little more with each movement? I wasn’t expecting what came next, “tickling!” he yelled before pinching his fingers on my sides and going to town, tickling away at my stomach and under my breasts.
Erratic laughter spilled from my lips at an uncontrollable sound level; my hilarity was teetering on the verge of being a cackle. “Seriously, stop!” I yelled, trying to catch my breath but failing miserably. “I can’t breathe,” I relented, trying to think of anything that would make him stop his tickle assault. “I gotta pee!” I screamed next, but he wouldn’t take the bait, just kept ignoring me as he continued. “Oh my crap, Baylor, you’ve gotta stop! I’ll cut you off from sex!” I said next, knowing that he would immediately halt his movements and release me, which he did. I knew I had gone a bit too far, but my ribs were screaming out at me from the mixture of tickling pain and laughter. “You punk,” I shouted and launched myself into his arms, encircling his waist with my legs as I wrapped them around him, locking my ankles together. In my mind I was some superhero about to bring the evil, or in his case, sexy, villain to justice.
But the next thing I knew I was being placed on the countertop, Baylor’s hands enclosing my face, and at the last moment, right before he completely smothered me, he cupped my cheeks and initiated contact, invading my mouth in a silent but feral attack. I melted into his embrace as he caressed my tongue with his but pulled apart way sooner than I would like to have because we really needed to get a move on. Once his eyes opened he had a serious pout marring his face, and it was my turn for payback.
“Oh, is my Baylor sad?” I teased as I braced his head and brought him close enough to press my lips against his forehead. “Does he need some more lovin’?” I said in a voice usually reserved for Petunia and proceeded to softly kiss both of his cheeks. “I’m sorry, but we need to get a move on. So much to do today and first things first I have to make sure my best friend won’t kill me for moving away from her.” I took the pad of my thumb and tried smoothing away the pout from his lips when he took it into his mouth and gave it a subtle nibble, creating a rush of wetness at my core. Unfortunately it was definitely not the time to pursue that any further.
“Baby, I love you and all but if we continue to sit here we won’t get anything accomplished at all. The faster we can get things done, the sooner we can be in our house, the three of us together, well, four including Petunia.”
He released my thumb from his mouth, rested his forehead against mine and intertwined our fingers together, “I love the sound of that. But now I’m seriously going to be outnumbered, three girls in the house and me.” He brought a hand forward and rubbed my belly ever so lightly, “I’m going to have to rectify that soon.”
My heart completely melted and it would give me no greater joy than to give him a son, when the timing was right. Our relationship was all too new and we each needed to settle into our new changes. Not only was my life going to chance by being completely uprooted, I had to think of how everything would affect Norah. She seemed to be a strong young lady and an absolute trooper, so I just hoped that everything would transition smoothly for her. I decided to be a smart ass instead of melting even further with the thought of having a baby, “Oh, you mean we should get a male dog for Petunia to have her own playmate?” I joked and immediately his brows furrowed. “One thing at a time, Baylor. Let’s adjust to everything that is going on then we’ll definitely discuss having a baby, that is, if that’s what you want.”
“My heart has never been more completely full than it is right now. Bringing you into our life and home will be the best thing that has happened to Norah and me in a long time. But I do agree, when the timing is right we can discuss having a baby, and in the meantime won’t all that practicing be a thrill?”
“Julia Caldwell, if you don’t remove that scowl from your face I won’t allow you within five feet of my hair with those scissors,” I warned, almost feeling like a mother scolding her young. I had just barely stepped in through the front doors of Violet before Jules came charging my way with a menacing expression and her scissors in tow. I was officially scared for my life and I couldn’t very well leave because Baylor had dropped me off on his way to pick up Dean and check out of their hotel.
Her shoulders slumped forward and a few tears glistened in her eyes; at any moment they would spill over and then I would have to cry right along with her. In all the years that I had known Julia I’d never known her to shed one single tear. She had already gone through husband number one and was on the verge of divorcing number two when we met, so her heart was already a cold and frozen organ. It took her a while to even warm up to me, and I would like to think it was because of our friendship that her hardened exterior began to thaw.
“You can’t leave me, Eden, you’re all the family I’ve got,” she exclaimed, coming closer towards me and allowing that first initial tear to finally fall free down her cheek.
I opened my arms to allow her entrance and embraced her tight. Talk about heartbreaking, I knew our goodbye was going to be bad, but I had no idea it would become that brutal. I rubbed my palm up and down her back, “Oh, sweetheart, I know it’s so soon but I’ll only be a phone call away. And besides, there is nothing tying you to Nashville, why don’t you think about moving to Oregon too?”