Page 50 of Buckin' Around

Daddy, whose gravelly sigh makes his throat bob, his Adam’s apple rising and falling as he swallows.

My gaze rises to his jaw, clenched as always.

Someone should focus on his own cup.

I slide my hands under Ivy and whisper to her as I lift her from Spencer. Quickly grabbing up the pacifier, I pop it in to keep her quiet, and we have snuggles before I lift her to sniff-test her diaper.

Phew, little lady.

“Oh, Ives, you stinky little poppet.” I hold her to my shoulder, making my way down the hallway. “Daddy is lucky he didn’t wake up to that, hey?”

I lie her down on the bed and set up the changing supplies. I have her almost cleaned up when heavy footfalls close in behind me. A groan slips, and I glance back to find Spencer leaning on the doorframe, a hand running through his hair.

“How was class, O’Malley?”

I finish with Ivy and pick her up.

To my surprise, he reaches for her.

I hesitate for a beat.

Remembering my place, I hand her over with a smile that never reaches my eyes. “Class was good. Get some sleep?”

A soft smile pushes his mouth up, eyes crinkling. “We had a great nap, didn’t we, kiddo?”

Ivy kicks her legs, her little butt resting on his forearm, his hand holding her in place. Must be nice to have such big hands...

“Go-good. I-I mean . . . that’s good.”

Geez, Mary, and Mackerel.Apparently, the English language and my ability to form a sentence has vanished. I fold my arms over my chest and sniff as I tilt my chin up. “Is that all?”

Spencer slowly raises one brow. “Yeah, O’Malley, that’s all.”

He shifts his focus to his daughter and disappears toward the kitchen.

I close my bedroom door, letting my forehead meet the cool, hard wood.

“Feckin’ Christ.”

My heart is racing. My skin is heated like it’s being ravaged by the midday sun on a summer’s day, not the last few weeks of winter still cold enough to warrant a light jacket.

“Riley! Fuck, Riley!”

I jerk up off the door and swing it open, taking off toward Spencer’s panic.

Chapter 13

Spencer

“Go-good. I-I mean . . . that’s good.”

Riley’s face flushes, and her neck is the same shade a second later.

Why does that make me so fucking happy? Ivy wriggles on my arm. Little lady is never still these days. I have no idea what babies do and when, but she is growing bigger every day.

Riley crosses her arms over her chest. “Is that all?”

“Yeah, O’Malley, that’s all.”