“I’m okay, Mommy,” Jasmine insists. “I’m not a baby.”
Her words hit me straight in the heart. I missed her being a baby. Her first word, her first steps… I missed everything. I have so much time to make up for.
“I know you’re not,” Natalie tells her. “But this is a strange place…”
“No, it’s not,” Jasmine argues. “It’s Daddy’s castle and I’m the princess.”
Natalie nods. “I know. Okay, well, if you need anything, my room is right next door.” She gives Jasmine a kiss on her forehead and then one to each of her cheeks. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” Jasmine says through a yawn. Then to me, with sleepy eyes that are barely open, she adds, “Love you, Daddy.”
And with those three words, I’m pretty sure my heart just imploded inside my chest. How my daughter can be told I’m her dad and, just like that, accept me so completely, is scary on so many levels. It shows you how vulnerable and innocent children are.
“I love you too,” I tell her, meaning it with every fiber of my being. “Get some rest because tomorrow we’re going to see the gardens and church like you wanted.” Her tiny sleepy face lights up for a quick second before her blue eyes droop in exhaustion.
After kissing her cheek and wishing her sweet dreams, Natalie and I leave her to get some sleep.
“She’ll be out within seconds,” Natalie says, once we’re outside the door. “Today has been a big day for her.”
We remain standing there, quietly, for a minute and then she peeks her head in. “Yep, already out,” she confirms. I look inside and sure enough, Jasmine’s eyes are closed and she’s snoring softly, cuddled up with her stuffed puppy that her uncle Gio and aunt Aria bought her when she was a baby. She told me she wants a real one just like it, but before I could offer to buy her one, Natalie cut me off, saying maybe when she’s older. I shrugged, mentally noting to contact the animal shelter.
After closing Jasmine’s door, Natalie walks down the hall toward her room. She stops in front of her door and I scramble to think of a way to keep her with me. To keep her talking so I can spend some time with her. All afternoon it’s been about Jasmine, and I’m okay with that, but now that she’s asleep, I want some time with Natalie.
“You never ate your cake,” I point out.
She snorts out a laugh. “Is that the best you can do, Liam?” She raises a single brow. “If you want to spend time with me, just say so.” Fuck, I love how open and honest this woman is.
“I want to spend time with you.” I push her against the wall until our bodies are flush against one another. “I want to spend time around you…” I run my nose along the length of her slim neck. “In you.” I kiss the sensitive spot behind her ear that I know from experience makes her squirm. “I’ve thought about what I would do to you if I ever saw you again, so many times over the years…”
Her breath hitches. “I have too,” she whispers. “So many dreams…fantasies.”
“And now here we are.”
“I want you,” she murmurs. “It’s too soon.” She shakes her head. “We’ve only just reconnected but—”
I capture her mouth with my own, cutting her words off. I don’t give a shit how soon it is. I knew she was the one for me back then and I know it now. I let her go once, accepted that she had disappeared and I couldn’t find her. I should’ve scoured the earth for her. Demanded to know where she was. But I didn’t and we lost so much time because of that. I’m not going to waste any more. She’s here, in my arms, and I’m going to make damn sure she never disappears again.
I lift her up and her legs encircle my hips. I carry her into her room, closing the door behind us. The room is dark, only a bit of light from the grounds coming in through the slats of the blinds.
I lay her down in the center of the bed and her face and body are lit up by the glow of the lights enough that I can make out her features, see the lust in her eyes. She’s so fucking beautiful.
I prowl up her body, kissing every inch of exposed skin I can get my mouth on. When I get to her lips, I crush my mouth against hers, tasting her sweet scent, memorizing the way her lips feel. I roll us over so she’s on top, her bare thighs straddling my hips. When she returned, she was changed out of her jeans and shirt, instead in a pair of dress shorts that were just short enough to be sexy, but still long enough to be considered appropriate, and an off-the-shoulder top. Instead of the boots she was wearing, she was sporting heels that helped show off her tanned, toned calves.