Here’s a sneak peek at Shannon and Declan’s new book, Shopping for a Baby’s First Christmas:

 

“Mmmmm,” I hear myself purring as I open my eyes in the big king-size bed at our Victorian B&B here in the Berkshires. A bed that I can stretch out in, because I smell coffee from afar and Dec isn’t between the sheets.

Neither is our seven-month-old daughter, Ellie.

I have the entire bed to myself. I might be married to a billionaire, but when you’re the mother of a clingy baby, this right here is true luxury.

A whiff of cinnamon accompanies that coffee and now I wonder if I’m dreaming. My naked body rolls against the high-thread-count Egyptian cotton and my legs are smooth. As I stretch, I realize my nipples are free. No one is touching me.

This must be a dream.

In real life, there would be a baby babbling “Da da da da da” in tones that either mean happiness, terror, hunger, or plain old pay-attention-to-me-now-because-I-am-the-center-of-the-universe, you-underling.

But not now.

In real life, there are always busy fingers exploring my ears and pulling my earrings and poking into my my mouth when I try to talk on the phone.

And in real life, little teeth bite down, hard, when my milk runs out.

So I must be dreaming, because as I open my eyes, a handsome, hot, endlessly naked man is smiling at me, hair tousled over his forehead as he holds two steaming mugs of coffee and says in a low, happy voice, “You’re up!”

I look at the end of his thick, dark happy trail. “So are you.”

His smile widens. “Coffee first. Up-ness second.”

“Up-ness?”

He shrugs and climbs into bed with me. I admire the muscularity of his legs, toned and strong, curved lines with edges upon edges under tanned skin that is covered with dark hair. “It’s up for now. I’m more focused on its in-ness.”

“You’re inventing words, Declan. I can’t understand new words before I get enough caffeine.” I bend over him and grab my mug.

He grabs my breast.

“I’m awake!” I squeak, belly moving as I laugh, his body hard and radiating post-sleep heat.

“You thought this was a dream?”

I move as close to him as I can with a hot mug of coffee in my hands. I sip. “I know this is a dream, because this is the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

“High praise from a woman who owns a national chain.”

“That cupping class we took yesterday was worth its weight in gold.”

His hand moves to my other breast. “Speaking of cupping.”

“That joke is so old, Dec. You’ve used it at least ten times since we’ve been here.”

“Any joke where I can legitimately grab your boob will never get old, my dear.”

“We’re married. You can grab my boob any time.”

“They’re usually occupied by a feisty velociraptor disguised as an adorable seven-month-old these days, Shannon. I’m not fighting Ellie for your breasts. She’d win.”

“You’re comparing our baby to a dinosaur?”

“She hisses. She moves fast. She has tiny arms. She bites.” He frowns. “Are you sure you didn’t just hatch her from an egg?”

Preorder Shopping for a Baby’s First Christmas now. Coming December 6! So soon!

 

 

 

By Julia on December 1, 2018   /   Excerpts, Upcoming releases   /   4 Comments