His Hotcakes Baby (21 page)

Lucy smiled and he chuckled.  He
picked Carter up who sat on the floor playing with his toys.  He smiled happily
at his father and gurgled nonstop as if having a conversation with him.

“How is Daddy’s little boy?  Did you
have a better day with Grams than I did with your grumpy old Mommy?”

“I am not grumpy and most definitely
not old!” 

Mackenzie muttered as she walked back
into the room and continued to the kitchen.  Carter cried our excitedly when he
saw her and started jumping up and down on Chase’s lap.  When she did not pay
attention his lower lip pulled and he shrieked angrily.

Chase laughed and started playing with
him to draw his attention away from his mother.

“I know exactly how you feel, little
buddy.  Your mother has the ability to draw blood when she gives you the cold
shoulder.”

“Unlike others that deserve receiving
a cold shoulder, I will never do that to my gorgeous son.  Look what Mommy’s
got!”

“Oh no!  I hope you have not started
feeding him ice cream already!  He is too small!”

“Argh … boo hoo … I hardly give him a
tablespoon’s worth!”

“Hotcakes, you sho … hmmphf.”

Mackenzie plunged a large spoonful of
ice cream in Chase’s mouth to shut him up and he glared at her.  Carter noticed
the spoon and obviously already knew what it was judged by his excited shriek and
waving of arms.  He has been on solids for a month and loved his food, but he
was crazy about the ice cream. Mackenzie spooned small amounts into his mouth
in between her own and he smiled and laughed after each bite.

Every now and then she would pop a
spoon in Chase’s mouth as well. He was not an ice cream lover at all, but could
very easily become addicted to it if she fed it to him all the time. His shaft
stiffened in memory of the time he ate ice cream off her. She gave Carter his
last spoon and another hovered in front of Chase’s who scowled at her.  He
shook his head and resignedly opened his mouth. 

He barely swallowed it when
Mackenzie’s lips closed over his and she ran her tongue over his lips, tasting
the bubblegum flavored ice cream.  She stroked at the seam of his lips and he
opened his mouth to allow her entry.  She moaned when she tasted the ice cream
on his tongue as did he.  She twirled and sucked his with sensual persuasion,
which he could not deny.

Both of them forgot that Lucy was
sitting in the chair opposite them and hardly acknowledged her when she took
Carter from Chase’s lap and disappeared into the other room. She shook her
head, but was elated that her son at long last was loved without any
reservations. 

Mackenzie lifted her leg over Chase’s
and sat on his lap without breaking the kiss.  She widened her legs and settled
tight against his crotch and moaned at the hard ridge he pressed against her. 

“So, Babe.  Do I rub just as nicely as
they do?”

“Lord Woman!  There is no one that
rubs like you do! Nor anyone that has an effect on me as you do!”

Carter
was a bit under the weather the following day and they decided that Mackenzie
would take him to the doctor first.   She would then join Chase at the hotel
where he had a meeting with the producer that bought the movie rights to the
book.  He was not in the conference room where the receptionist directed her to,
but she bumped into Michael Jones, his publisher.   He told her Chase went with
the producer’s to his penthouse suite for a drink.

She followed his directions to join
them. A very distinguished man waited to enter the elevator as she walked out
of the elevator.  He introduced himself, having recognized Mackenzie from the
photos in the press.  He admitted that Chase was still inside, but seemed to
try and keep her from entering.  She frowned when he left and Mackenzie walked
to the penthouse door with trepidation.

The door was slightly ajar, and she
walked inside.  She was shocked to a halt to find Chase with a beautiful, sexy
redhead in his arms.  She had her arms wrapped around his neck and clutched his
neck tightly.  His hands were clasped on her hips, just as tightly.  She was so
shocked and hurt, she spun around and headed back to the door.

Just as she reached it, she decided she
loved him too much and was not prepared to walk away from their life together. 
She has always been a fighter, and Chase Paxton was worth fighting for!

She turned back. She realized, looking
at the embracing couple that Chase was annoyed.  His eyes were open and he did
try to push the clinging woman away from him.  Not hard enough in Mackenzie’s
estimation!

She cleared her voice loudly and the
woman pulled her head back, but still clutched him around his neck.  Chase’s
livid eyes swung to Mackenzie’s, only to change into shock and immediate
resignation.  He already accepted that she would blame him.  Her eyes fell on
the woman he pushed away roughly.  Anger in every fiber of his body.

“Well Babe, aren’t you going to
introduce me to your latest groupie?”

The woman gasped.  “Your bitch!   I am
not a groupie!  I am the …”

“Yeah … the one that just can’t get
the message.  So let me spell it out to you very clearly, Miss Vivienne Willis,
Chase is now a married man and his wife … that would be me, in case your
muddled mind has not grasp that yet … is very possessive.  She might just go as
far as to throw women that can’t keep their hands off her husband, over the
balcony.”

She gasped and shuffled closer to
Chase but stopped when Mackenzie growled angrily.

“You take another step closer to my
man and I swear I will rearrange your nose for you.  Now, you don’t seem to
want to accept it when he tells you, so you better heed me and heed me well, because
I promise you, between the two of us, I am the violent one.  Hit the road, doll
and don’t ever turn back.  If I ever find you anywhere near my husband again,
you will never find a man that would be interested in you again.”

Vivienne paled visibly and she took a
step back when Mackenzie walked closer threateningly.  Her eyes swung to Chase
who appeared to be amused.

“If I were you Chase Paxton, I would
wipe that smile off my face.  This is the same woman, whom you told me numerous
times you were not interested in.  There was no reason why you, who are hundred
times stronger than her, could not have pushed her on her ass the moment she
wrapped herself around you.  You have a damn lot of explaining to do.  And this
time, Babe … I might not be so understanding.”

She swung around and walked out the
door and into the elevator that was still open.  Chase came stomping after her
and she pointed her finger at him.

“You Chase Paxton, better make sure
she is in the lobby by the time this elevator door opens.  If not … you will
have very and I mean very, dry months ahead!”

He knew exactly what she meant and he
believed her. He jammed his hand on the elevator button as soon as the doors
closed.  He sighed in relief when the other elevator arrived within seconds and
he shouted Vivienne’s name.  She came huffing closer and slammed the door
behind her.  He walked inside the moment the doors opened and ignored her all
the way down, although he could not keep the smile from his face.

He immediately searched for Mackenzie and
saw her getting into a cab. Her glare over the distance that separated them, clearly
indicating her irritation with him.  He sighed in resignation.  She was right. 
He did not owe Vivienne any consideration and should have shoved her on her ass. 
Vivienne touched his arm and he shrugged it off.

“You heard my wife, Vivienne and as I
have told you numerous times, I am not interested … in anything you have to
offer.  Stay away from me and my family.”

He walked away to follow Mackenzie
back to their hotel, but Michael stopped him and ushered him back to the
conference room for the book signing session.

By the time he got back to the hotel,
both his mother and Mackenzie were gone.  A lonesome note was the only thing
awaiting him.

“I’ve had it, Babe.  You finish this
tour yourself, because the next one that rubs against you, I will probably
kill!  You, Chase Paxton, better have something to tell me when you’re back. 
I’ve waited long enough!”

He frowned. There was no way he was
going to spend two more weeks on the tour and on his own for that matter! 
Michael would just have to cancel the rest of the tour.

He read the note again, frowned and
read the last two sentences once more.

What
the devil was she on about now?

Chase
was quite worked up by the time he arrived home two days later.  Michael
managed to get the balance of the promotion tour cancelled, but he had to
attend the promotional dinner.  A dinner he hated and all he could think of was
his wife and son that he missed by his side.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

If anyone told him eighteen months ago
that he would be a married man with a small baby and be elated about it, he
would have laughed at them. 

Now look at me!  I can’t even be
without them for a day!

Billy waved him goodbye after he
dropped him off.  Luckily they were visiting for the weekend and he collected
Chase from the pier on Nassau.  It was late afternoon and he rushed towards the
house.  Silence met him as he stepped through the front door and he frowned. 
An excited shriek drifted from the pool to lead him there and he halted in the
arched doorway.  He leaned against the door frame and a tender smile formed
around his lips.

Mackenzie was in the pool with Carter
who splashed and kicked crazily, screaming excitedly.  Chase turned and ran to
their bedroom to change into his bathing suit to join them in the pool. 
Mackenzie’s back was towards him when he walked back outside.  He lowered
himself soundlessly into the pool and walked towards them.

Carter noticed him over Mackenzie’s
shoulder and started screeching and was so excited, he tried to climb over her
shoulders to reach him.

“Careful Carter!  Stop it!  Mommy is
going to drop you!”

The closer Chase got, the more excited
he became.  Mackenzie battled to keep a hold of him as he started jumping up
and down in her arms.

“Da … da … da …da!”

“Oh, my God!  Carter!  Did you just
say Dada?”

He gurgled and shrieked and hurled
himself out of Mackenzie’s arms.  Chase caught him and threw him in the air. 
He shrieked with laughter and wrapped his little arms around his father’s neck
when he lowered him.

“Da … da … da … da!”

“He did!  Did you hear, Chase?  He
said Dada!”

“I heard, hotcakes.” 

His voice was thick with emotion and
he kissed him on his cheek.  He reached out and fisted his hand in the hair
behind Mackenzie’s neck and drew her closer.  His lips closed over hers and he
kissed her deeply and hungrily.  He ended the kiss and looked deeply into her
eyes.

“I missed you, hotcakes.  I did not
like to sleep alone.”

“Nor did I.”

He hugged her tight against his side
and Carter started splashing and kicking the water, shrieking for attention.

“What are you doing here?  I thought
you still had another two weeks left on your tour.”

“Yes, but then my possessive wife
upped and left me alone and I had to cancel it.”

“You cancelled it?  But how could you,
Chase?  What did Michael say?”

“Well, he gave me the responsibility,
agreement speech and reminded me of the penalty I will have to pay, but then he
realized I won’t change my mind.”

“Penalty?  What penalty?”

“Nothing to worry about, honey.”

Chase Paxton!”

“I lose a certain percentage of my sales.”

“Oh no!  Then we must go back.”

“Too late hotcakes.  It’s already been
cancelled.”

“Then I’ll go back to work.  I don’t
make too bad a salary.  At least I’ll be able to … what’s so funny?”

Chase laughed and hugged her, kissing
her hair.

“Honey, you are being ridiculous.  I
write because I enjoy it.  It is not my biggest source of income.  You do know I
own an investment company as well.  A million dollars is not going to make us
poo …”

“A million dollars?  You’re losing a
million dollars!  Oh, my God!”

Mackenzie hyperventilated and Chase
shook his head, laughing at her.  He pushed her to the edge of the pool.

“I think we better get out of the pool
before you drown.”

“But Chase!”

“Enough, hotcakes. It is really not an
issue for me, nor is it the first time it has happened.  At a guess, I would
say it is bound to happen a few more times.”

Chase dried Carter amidst a lot of
laughter and fun. He struggled to be put on the ground.  Chase lowered him and
watched him as he immediately crawled to his toys, spread out on a blanket.

He started crawling three weeks ago
during the tour and he was a real rascal.  They had to keep their eyes on him
the whole time or he’d disappear.

“Babe, you better close the pool
cover.  You know how fast he is.”

Chase got up and pressed the pool
shutters switch and made sure it was properly locked in, before he took a seat
next to Mackenzie.

“Where is Essie?”

“She is busy baking biscuits.  She is
a real grandmother.  She spoils Carter rotten and missed him like crazy.”

“I suppose that means she won’t mind
looking after our little boy this evening?”

“Well, that depends.”

“On what.”

“Exactly why she has to look after
him.”

“You and I have to talk.  There is
this little matter of you just walking out on me.  Then there is also the
cryptic letter you left me.”

“Cryptic? There was nothing cryptic
about my letter, Babe.  It was direct and to the point.”

He scowled at her. Carter crawled to
his feet and groaningly pulled himself upright against his father’s legs. He
chuckled when he managed it and slapped Chase on his legs, pumping up and down on
his legs.  His mouth drawn in a wide toothless smile.

Chase picked him up and hugged him.

“Daddy missed you so much, little
buddy!”

Carter snuggled into his neck and laid
on his chest. 

“Oh no, you don’t!  It’s bath time. 
If he falls asleep now, he will be awake the whole night.  Up with the two of
you.  Will you bath him, Babe?  I better get his dinner and bottle ready.  I
don’t think he is going to last long tonight.  It is probably the excitement of
you being home.”

Chase got up and walked towards the
stairs.

“Oh, Babe, do I prepare dinner for us
or do you have other plans?”

“All been arranged already, hotcakes. If
you want to, you can take a bath or shower before we go.”

“Where are we going?”

“Not far.”

“Chase!”

He disappeared up the stairs and Mackenzie
stamped her foot.  She spun and went to the kitchen to prepare Carter’s dinner.