Hobie smiled and stretched as the morning sunlight sliced across the bed. She breathed in and smelled the rich odor of freshly
___
LJ
Maas
brewed coffee. That was when she recalled who else was in the house with her. She remembered a time when she would have dashed into the shower, brushed her teeth, and put on makeup before letting her new bedroom partner see her. She couldn’t understand why she didn’t feel that same urgency now. It all felt so natural with Baylor.
She replaced her sleeping shirt with a longer one and went in search of the source of the delicious aroma. “Good morning.”
“Mornin’, Mom!” Noah hugged Hobie when she bent to kiss his cheek.
“Morning, Mom,” Baylor added, holding out a steaming mug of coffee.
“Thanks. Nice hairdo you’ve got going there.” Hobie pointed out the cowlick that Baylor couldn’t keep plastered down.
“Speak for yourself, bedhead.” Baylor smiled and ran her fingers through Hobie’s unruly locks. She was surprised. She had expected Hobie to walk out of the bedroom, but she wasn’t sure who this woman was. The previous evening’s confessions had caused her to look different today. As sappy as it sounded to Baylor’s own ears, she thought Hobie looked much more angelic.
She leaned in for a kiss, only to have Hobie pull back ever so slightly.
“I, um...” Hobie began.
Baylor looked at Noah, who was calmly watching them. She hadn’t thought about him being in the room, but Hobie obviously had. “Oh, I’m sorry, I—”
“No! No, it’s not that at all,” Hobie said with an embarrassed grin. She set down her coffee cup and backed away toward the bedroom. “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. Be back in a sec.”
Baylor chuckled. She leaned against the counter beside Noah and sipped her coffee. She turned to him. “Women. Go figure,” she said and shook her head.
“Yeah,” Noah agreed, shaking his head the same way.
Hobie returned a few minutes later wearing a sheepish expression. “Do you think it’s humanly possible for me to embarrass myself any more this morning?”
___
Rebecca’s
Cove
“Not if you don’t count the fact that the back of your shirt is tucked into your underwear,” Baylor said casually.
“Aw, geez!” Hobie exclaimed, her face turning red. She quickly reached around and pulled it loose. “I must look—”
“Beautiful,” Baylor finished. “Right, Bubba?” “Yep! You look beautiful, Mom,” Noah added.
Hobie leaned her forehead against Baylor’s chest as Baylor wrapped her arms around her. “Thanks, guys. You two are good for my ego.” She tugged on Baylor’s T-shirt to get her attention. “Hey, you. Come on down here.”
Baylor bent down and Hobie sweetly kissed her lips. Noah giggled and Baylor opened one eye, finally pulling away. “What are you laughing at, huh?”
Noah pointed at Baylor. “You like Mom!”
“I do not!” Baylor winked at Hobie and mustered up a false expression of disgust.
“Do too. Baylor and Mom, sittin’ in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g...” “Oh, now you’re gonna get it.” Baylor moved toward the boy
just as he leaped from the chair.
Hobie watched as the two ran screaming and laughing through the house. “Hey, who wants chocolate-chip pancakes?” she asked after a few moments.
All action in the living room stopped. Baylor had let Noah pin her to the ground, but both turned their heads and answered. “Me, me!”
I’m not sure whether I just gained a lover or another kid, Hobie thought as she moved around the kitchen. The thought frightened her, but then again, the future always frightened Hobie.
She smiled as she listened to Baylor and Noah in the other room. How often did a woman find a partner who loved her child and whom her child loved in return? Did some kisses and a declaration of love necessarily mean a lifetime commitment, though? Would Baylor move to Ana Lia? Could she? Hobie thought about Chicago. The city was wonderful, with opportunities unavailable anywhere else, but did she want to raise Noah there?
Hobie sighed deeply. Now she wondered if falling in love with Baylor was a good thing.
Chapter 22
“Hey.” Baylor slumped into the chaise lounge beside the pool, Arturo in her lap. He had been happy to see her, leaping into her arms the minute she had entered the house.
“Hey.” Juliana looked up from the manuscript she was reading. “Well?”
“Well what?” Baylor asked. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
“Hurt me? Oh, yeah. Like you tried to do last night? You hit like a girl.”
The two friends paused to look at each other and burst into laughter. They had been through much worse over the years than the previous night’s encounter. They had, and always would, remain friends, no matter what idiotic things they might say in the heat of the moment.
“About last night,” Baylor began, “you know...Well, I’m sorry, I just—”
“Don’t sweat it, mate. So,” Juliana drawled with a leering grin, “how was last night?”
Baylor grinned without realizing she had done so. “I guess that smile says it all. About damn time.” “No thanks to you.” Baylor laughed.
Juliana just kept smiling. One thing she would never reveal to Baylor was that she had played a part, albeit the tiniest part, in setting the two women up. Baylor didn’t like to be pushed. If she felt that she’d been manipulated in any way, she’d ruin her life and hurt Hobie just to spite everyone.
“So tell me the good parts,” Juliana said.
“It was all good, but not in the way you’re thinking.” “Did you tell her?”
___
Rebecca’s
Cove
“Yep.” “Atta girl.”
“We spent the night together, but we slept...that’s all.” “Right,” Juliana said sarcastically. “I bet there was some
major snogging going on over there.”
“Nope, that’s the honest truth.” Baylor cleared her throat self-consciously. “We sort of agreed to wait, you know, take it slow. Till the cast is off, then we can—”
“You mean she said no.”
“Yeah, pretty much. I did everything but get on my knees and beg.”
Juliana laughed. “It’ll be good for you. Build your character. You know, women like this aren’t just flings, mate. Hobie’s the real deal.”
“I know.” Baylor stretched in the chair. “You’d think I’d be more, I don’t know, scared of that. Wouldn’t you?”
“Knowing you, I’d have to answer a big fat yes. Usually, you’re running for the hills about this time.”
“I know. I can’t figure it out. I just know I’m not going to let that son of a bitch beat me anymore.”
Juliana looked at her friend. She knew Baylor was referring to her father. Baylor lay stretched out with her eyes closed and the white pup snoring in her lap. Juliana couldn’t remember a time when Baylor had looked this comfortable in her own skin.
“You deserve this girl, mate,” Juliana said softly.
“I don’t know about that, but I’ve got to try. I better get cleaned up. Hobie’s coming by and we’re going to see Tanti. Want to come with?”
“Nah.” Juliana wasn’t sure she could keep from spilling any secrets in a room with Evelyn, Hobie, and Baylor. “I’m gonna work on my tan. I’ll go up this afternoon and visit with her.”
“Check. Thanks for taking care of Arturo while I’m out, too.”
“No problem. He’s a lot of fun once you get used to being his puppy pillow.”