Murder in the Mix Boxed Set 28-30: Cozy Mystery Addison Moore (the reading strategies book .txt) 📖

tone is curt as he wraps an arm around my shoulders. “I’m doing my best to keep Evie safe. I thought watching this might deter her from inviting guests into her body.”

I grimace at that one. “All right, let’s shift our focus.” I pull Pancake onto my blooming belly, and Carlotta takes up his fluffy counterpart, Waffles.

Noah cues it up, and soon we’re watching a woman having a home birth in a blow up swimming pool set in her living room, surrounded by sixteen of her closest friends, and about half a dozen kids of every size running wild around her. At one point, two of the kids hop into the pool with her, right along with the family dog.

“Now that’s a party.” Carlotta squints at the screen. “What the heck is that?”

A sing-songy wail escapes from me.

Noah shifts in his seat. “I think they’re getting down to business.”

“Look at her scream, Lot!” Carlotta shouts the words out.

She’s not kidding. The woman really does have a set of lungs on her.

Everett stiffens next to me, and the woman on the television howls as if her hair was just set on fire.

A deep moaning sound comes from Carlotta. “This is the part where I blacked out, Lot. And when I woke up, there you were—crying and screaming and demanding to be fed.”

Everett dips his mouth to my ear. “It’s a wonder you’re alive, Lemon.”

“You’re not kidding.”

Soon enough, a baby is ejected from the woman on the screen, and the cast of thousands gathered around her goes wild.

“I don’t know.” Noah grimaces at the sight. “They’re keeping that baby under water an awful long time.”

“Keeps ’em quiet,” Carlotta quips.

“All right,” I say. “Try another one, Noah. That wasn’t bad, if you’re into torture flicks.”

“Don’t worry, Lot.” Noah gets right to turning it to another cinematic delight. “I won’t leave your side on the big day.”

Everett dots a kiss to my cheek. “And that will be the extent of your torture. Have you thought about whether or not you’re going to ask for something to take the edge off?”

“I haven’t thought about it,” I say. “Come to think of it, blacking out sounds pretty peaceful.”

Noah starts up another one, and I moan and groan right along with the poor woman being tormented. This time it’s a hospital setting, so I’m particularly interested in what happens.

I press Pancake to my face and peer out from around his fur. Soon, the woman’s hospital gown is off and her husband’s hands are headed to second base.

“What’s happening?” Noah leans in.

Carlotta angles to get a better look at it. “He’s tweaking her knockers to get things moving.”

“This is porn!” I stuff my face into Pancake’s belly.

Everett lets out a breath. “Believe me, Lemon, I derive zero pleasure from this.”

“That’s exactly what I’ll be saying come D-Day,” I mutter.

There’s blood splattering everywhere, body parts I can’t identify are thrust in my face, and there is more screaming. My God up in heaven, there is screaming—from both the husband and the wife.

Everett takes a couple of deep breaths.

“You okay, Sexy?” Carlotta quickly hands him a bottle of water from the coffee table.

“I’m fine.” Everett takes the bottle and downs half of it in less than three gulps.

“You’re white as a sheet,” Noah muses. “What did I tell you, Lot? There will be smelling salts the day you deliver.”

“Yeah”—I huff—“for me.”

We call it a night, and Noah gives me a firm embrace at the door.

“I wish I could do this for you, Lottie.” He lands a kiss to my temple.

Carlotta shakes her head. “There’s a reason Mother Nature didn’t let men give birth. Don’t you worry, Foxy. Once Lot Lot gnaws her arm off and beats herself over her head with it, that should help get her mind off the fact she has to squeeze a human from her fun zone.”

“Goodnight,” Noah says, shooting her a look.

We close up shop as Everett and I get straight to bed and straight into one another’s arms.

I press a kiss to his lips and linger. “Everett? Today when you read the verdict, you looked at me for a moment. Do you think I made the wrong decision?”

“No.” He pulls back a notch, and the moonlight slices a seam of pale blue light over his face from the break in the curtains. “You did perfect, Lemon. The reason I looked at you was because I wanted to memorize the very last moment I would have my beautiful wife in the courtroom with me—at least as a juror. You’re welcome to attend any of my public trials.”

“Ooh, I think I might just take you up on that.” I dig my fingers through his hair. “I think I’m ready for you to hold me in contempt and dole out that punishment, Judge Baxter.”

His lips flicker with devilish intent. “No punishment. Just pleasure.”

And he makes good on his word.

Chapter 16

The next morning I cried when I kissed Everett goodbye as he left for the courthouse.

I chalked it up to my hormones, but deep down it was heart-wrenching to know that I won’t be seeing him in action today. And I definitely plan on taking him up on his offer to sit in on his public cases. There is nothing hotter, nothing more resplendent than watching a room full of people—criminals aside—giving your husband their utmost respect.

After I dropped Evie off at school, I went straight to the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery and lost myself in the kitchen, whipping up my sweet treats. As soon as I was all caught up on staples, I made a few lemon poppy Bundt cakes with a thick layer of icing on top, a caramel apple pie with a crunchy streusel topping, jumbo brownie cookies, which I infused with hazelnut cocoa spread, then while I was on a hazelnut kick, I whipped up a mocha hazelnut torte. And my hazelnut kick led to a chocolate kick, and I made a couple dozen mini molten lava cakes, chocolate cake filled