Jacked Up (Fast Track #6)(45)
Author: Erin McCarthy

“You’re good with babies,” Ryder said.

“Seriously.” Suzanne looked awed. “I’ve been trying to get him to sleep for the last hour.”

“I have fourteen nieces and nephews.”

Suzanne gave Eve a searching look that made her uncomfortable. “I see,” Suzanne said.

Eve didn’t want to see anything. How had this turned from her birthday party to Nolan’s potential as a father?

“I’m getting a glass of champagne.” She beat a path across the carpet for the makeshift bar that had been set up. Nolan was good with babies. He looked very natural and very, well, sexy holding baby Track so easily in his arms. It was scary as hell.

Especially considering that their condom-free incident meant she could be pregnant right now. Of course, she wasn’t. She knew it wasn’t possible, given her ovulation app on her smartphone. So she wasn’t going to worry about the fact that for a split second she had liked the idea. Nor was she going to stop herself from indulging in a glass of champagne. They said you should drink wine if you were trying to get pregnant so surely if wouldn’t be harmful if she was.

There wasn’t an open bottle yet, but she unwrapped the foil and untwisted it until the cork was accessible. Then grabbing a hotel napkin off the sideboard, she covered the cork and yanked and pulled until it popped. Unceremonious, but that suited her style better. She was pouring herself a glass when her mother appeared at her side.

“Hi, Mom.”

Her mom bussed her cheek. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks. Thanks for coming.” She took a big sip, a gulp really, of her bubbly. “Were you planning to be here this weekend?” She honestly couldn’t remember. She’d been too preoccupied with a certain jackman to make note of her parents’ schedule. They usually attended half a dozen races or more a year, especially the big ones like Daytona. Vegas offered more than just racing, too, so it wasn’t out of the question they’d already been planning to attend this race.

“We were on the fence, but once we heard about the party, we decided to come. Tamara was sorry she couldn’t make it, but she has the kids and work.”

“I understand.” Elec’s wife was a college professor and her schedule wasn’t flexible. “I didn’t expect any of this. This was really sweet of everybody.”

“Well, that man of yours was so determined to do this, how could we say no?” Her mother leaned closer and murmured in her ear. “He’s even cuter in person than he is on TV.”

Amused, Eve laughed. “Back off, Cindy,” she told her mother. “He’s mine.”

“Fine,” her mother grumbled. “But in all seriousness, you might want to hang on to him. Someone will snap him up if you don’t.”

Her father came up behind her mother. “Well, I guess Nolan’s alright. I still don’t think you should date him, but I see the attraction.”

“He’s pretty cute, isn’t he?” Eve said, nudging her dad in the chest.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant he seems like a good guy. I mean, he’s wearing a pin with a cupcake on it. That either means he’s a nice guy or a total pansy. Now that I think about it, I’m leaning towards pansy.”

“Be nice.”

“Nice is overrated.” With that, her dad grabbed a beer and strolled off.

It occurred to Eve that she was more like her father than she cared to admit. He could be a real grump. She didn’t want to be that person. But she already was that person. She took another sip of her drink.

Fabulous.

“Don’t listen to your father. He’s just never going to think anyone is good enough for you.”

It was more like she wasn’t good enough for anyone. Eve drained her glass and refilled it. She wasn’t going to do this. She wasn’t going to feel bad on her birthday when all these people had taken the time to wish her well.

She wasn’t going to do this to Nolan, who was the nicest man she’d ever dated. She’d been fine until two seconds earlier when her dad had served as a mirror to her own flaws.

Tonight wasn’t about flaws. Tonight was about celebrating. About being with the people she cared the most about.

About being free . . . free to enjoy herself, free of worry.

“Nolan’s more than good enough for me,” she told her mother sincerely. “I can’t believe he did this for me.”

“My pleasure.”

Eve jumped when she heard Nolan’s voice right behind her. God, had she said anything embarrassing? But a quick glance showed he was the same as always—smiling and calm. How did he achieve that sense of easiness? She’d give her condo and everything in her bank account if she could figure out how not to stress.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Monroe.” Nolan stuck his hand out to her mother, still comfortably holding the sleeping baby in the crook of his left arm.

“Call me Cindy, please.” Her mother shook his hand and smiled.

Oh, Lord, her mother was thinking about Nolan’s ass. It was as clear as the nose on her face.

He seemed to realize it, too, because he looked a little flustered and cut the handshake short. It was amusing enough to dash off the remains of her bad feelings.

“I’ll leave you two kids alone,” her mom said with a wink. “Let me take that baby from you.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, just took the baby from Nolan and left with a “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Your mom is a firecracker,” Nolan told her.

“You seem to bring out the flirt in her. It’s your sexy factor.” She raised her glass to him. “Want a drink?”

“I want a kiss.”

“I’m not kissing you in front of a roomful of people.” Displays of affection were reserved for private. Holding hands had been enough for her, thank you very much.

“Even after I threw this party for you?”

Eve rolled her eyes. “Please, like I’m falling for that emotional blackmail. You should know me better.”

“I know you well enough to know that you want to kiss me, you’re just being uptight about it.”

Shit. He also knew her well enough to know that she was bound to react to that precisely the way he wanted her to. “I’m not uptight.” Might as well play out their roles.

“So kiss me and prove it.”

The worm smiled because he knew he had her. He knew he was going to win this round.