The Virgin Cowboy Billionaire’s Secret Baby(69)
Matt Coolidge, you really did grow up, didn’t you?
He glanced at her, then did a double take, apparently realizing she was staring at him. “What?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head and fussed with her reins. “I was just thinking…” That either the hormones really have gotten the best of me, or you are a lot hotter than you have any right to be. She cleared her throat, turning to him again. “This kid’s going to be born hooked on horses.”
“Good.” Matt smiled, turning her insides to liquid. “We can teach him to swear while we’re teaching him to ride.”
Dara laughed. “Obviously. No one can ride without swearing.”
“Exactly.”
And I swear, I’m losing my mind.
Chapter Nineteen
Between the trail ride and a shower after they came back to Dara’s place, Matt finally felt human again. Some faint throbbing lingered in the base of his skull, and his peripheral vision still wasn’t great, but the hungover feeling was gone. All he needed was some food and caffeine, and he’d be good as new.
Neither of them was in the mood for anything complicated, so Dara pulled out some sandwich fixings. Despite the cramped confines of the kitchen, they navigated without tripping over each other. Not that making a couple of ham-and-cheese sandwiches and pouring some coffee required a lot of elbow room.
They leaned against the counter, each holding a plate to catch crumbs, and didn’t talk as they ate. The silence was comfortable, though—it was one of the things Matt had forgotten he loved about Dara. They could talk until they were blue in the face, but this was fine too. She was one of the few people in the world he could sit with in silence and not be sweating over what to say or wondering why the other person wasn’t talking.
Eventually, Dara set her plate on the counter and dusted the crumbs off her hands. “So, I think I came up with at least one possible name for the baby.”
Matt raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m still drawing a blank for a girl, but if we have a boy…” She looked in his eyes. “I think we should name him after his dad.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Middle names, I don’t know.” She smiled. “I do like the name Matthew.”
His heart fluttered. He put his own plate aside. “You know that’ll be a dead giveaway, right? To anyone who knows us?”
Dara nodded. “Yes. I do. And I think I’ve just run out of energy to care about what people in this town think.” She came across the kitchen, rested her forearms on his collarbones and slid her fingers into his hair. “Let them think whatever they want.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. “This is… I don’t even know what to say.”
She smiled. “This is our baby, Matt. Not mine. Every time I start thinking about names, I just keep coming back to yours.” She shrugged. “It just makes sense, you know?”
“I think I’m still getting it through my head that we’re having a baby at all.”
“Tell me about it.” She kissed him lightly. “But we don’t have to make a decision tonight. It’s just an idea.”
“I like the idea so far.”
“Me too.”
He smoothed her hair. “So, what do you want to do with tonight?”
“Well, there’s always Call of Duty if you want to shoot some shit.”
He grimaced. “I’m not sure my eyes are quite ready to focus on the screen.”
“I thought the migraine was gone.”
“It is, but it can kind of fuck up my vision for a while.”
“So, a game wouldn’t trigger another one?”
“No, no.”
“But your vision would give me a notable advantage.”
A laugh burst out of him. “Only you would look at it that way.”
“Hey, I’ll take any advantage I can get.”
“Mmhmm.”
She trailed a fingertip up the back of his neck. “Okay, so games are out. What do you want to do with the evening?”
Their eyes locked.
Dara grinned. “Let me guess…”
He pulled her closer. “Is that a no?”
“Of course not.”
“Good.” He kissed her lightly. “Because I’ve got something up my sleeve tonight.”
“Oh, do you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You going to tell me what it is?”
“Not while you’re dressed, no.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Now I’m definitely curious. Upstairs?”
“Upstairs.”
Dara took his hand and practically dragged him out of the kitchen. He laughed as he jogged up the stairs behind her. She had no idea what he had in mind, but evidently she wanted to find out sooner than later. He just hoped he didn’t disappoint.