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were here. His gaze tracked to his ring on Lucy’s finger. Twenty-four hours ago if someone had told him that they’d be engaged, he would’ve laughed in their face. But here she was broken and alone and now his, finally his.
    As he bent down and kissed Poppy’s then Lucy’s cheeks, he swore that they would never again want for anything. As long as he was in their lives, they would never be insecure and afraid.

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    Lucy woke up with the worst hangover she’d ever had in her life. Or else she was dead and the pain in her head was punishment for all the bad things she’d done. She risked opening her eyes to a dark room she didn’t recognize.
    Where was she? Where was Poppy?
    She climbed out of bed faster than she should have, swaying so badly she had to grab the bedpost to keep from falling over. She found the door after three tries—who in the world had two closets in their bedroom?—and stumbled out into the hall. Wait. She knew this house.
    Cal’s.
    Locating the staircase, she made her way downstairs. Last night came back to her in drips and dribbles with each step. Oh my God. Had they really made a sexual option agreement? And had it notarized? No. That couldn’t be right. What exactly had she agreed to?
    Noises from the kitchen drew her that direction. She stopped in the doorway, gaping at the unexpected vision that greeted her. A shirtless Cal had Poppy down to her diaper, tied to a chair with a towel, and he was feeding her applesauce. It had to be the strangest, sexiest, and most confusing sight she’d ever seen.
    He’d always had a great body, but now… She resisted the urge to fan herself. Holy cow. He must work out every day to get a body like that. Not an ounce of anything except hard, chiseled muscle on him. Da-yam.
    It took her a moment to find her voice. “What are you doing?”
    Cal looked up at her and grinned. “Breakfast. How are you feeling?” He spooned some applesauce into Poppy’s mouth, then held out a bowl of Cheerios for Poppy to feed herself.
    “You let me drink too much.”
    “I cut you off. You snuck more.” He turned, running his gaze over her. “There’s coffee if you can handle it.”
    “Ugh. Maybe.” She watched as he wiped Poppy’s face and hands with a washcloth. “How do you know how to do all this baby stuff?”
    “Told you. My parents foster children. Even now when I visit, I’m drafted into diaper duty.”
    She made her way over to the coffeepot and poured a cup. “Wow. Cal Sellers, the internationally known business mogul, changes diapers and feeds babies. Who would’ve guessed?”
    “I’m a man of many talents, aren’t I, Poppy?”
    Poppy squealed as he lifted her out of the chair and stood up. Lucy nearly lost her breath. Cal looked so good, so right holding her daughter that she had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from bursting into tears. Kevin had only ever held Poppy if he had to. He’d never fed her or changed a diaper in his life. And here was this man who’d broken her heart—but not nearly as devastatingly as Kevin had—caring for her baby as if she was his own. She’d made many mistakes in her life, but choosing Kevin to help raise her child had to be the biggest, most irreversible mistake she would ever make.
    Cal wiggled his nose against Poppy’s, making her giggle. Poppy slapped her chubby hands on Cal’s cheeks, trying to get him do it again. He did, and Poppy put her head back and laughed harder than Lucy had ever seen her laugh. Cal blew a raspberry on her belly, and she laughed harder. Cal’s answering chuckle did funny things to Lucy’s insides. Or else it was the coffee mixed with the leftover whiskey in her belly.
    “I can take her now,” she blurted out.
    “What? Nah, we’re fine. Go take a shower. I don’t have to leave for another half hour.” He didn’t even look at her. All of his attention was on Poppy.
    “About last night…”
    Both Cal and Poppy turned to glance at her. “What about