I tweaked her nose. “You got me addicted.”
She laughed, but she was serious when she spoke. “Have you been giving her a hard time—Amy, I mean?”
“At times.”
She rolled her eyes and sat up. Turning around, she placed her hand on my chest. “Dylan,” she admonished, “you have to be nice.”
“I’ll be very nice to my new assistant.”
“You already know who that will be?”
With a wicked grin, I picked up her hand, kissing the ring she now wore. “I was hoping, since you won’t have the inn to worry about, maybe you’d agree to keep me in line.”
She pursed her lips, pausing to think. “Running the inn will seem like child’s play compared to that,” she countered.
I gasped in mock horror. “Don’t think you can handle me, Alex?”
“You, Mr. Maxwell, are a demanding man.”
“I am. But I promise there’ll be lots of perks . . . bonuses . . .” I teased her. “Does that help?”
“Maybe.”
“What if I promised to be good?”
“I’m not sure you can be.”
“I will. I promise.” I ran my finger down her cheek, tracing her full bottom lip. “I have a feeling you’re exactly who I need by my side.”
Her cheeks colored, and she tossed her hair. “Well, maybe we can do a three-month probationary period.”
I smirked at her knowingly. “By then, we’ll be married, so you can’t dump me.”
Her eyebrows rose. “We will?”
I became serious. “Alex, I finally found you. The key to something I never expected to have—happiness. I’m not taking the chance of losing you. I want to be with you. I assumed you would prefer to be married rather than living together.”
“Things are moving so fast.”
I kissed her. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. I’ll refrain from booking a minister today.”
Before she could answer me, the elevator pinged. Alex stood, smiling. “Brace yourself, Dylan. The squealing is going to commence.”
I stood beside her. I could hardly wait.
The elevator door opened, and out stumbled the sweetest little girl in the world, wearing her fuzzy red slippers, her wild curls bouncing around her head. A sleepy Seth followed, rubbing his eyes. He spotted me immediately, halting in his tracks. Noelle was staring at the vast pile of gifts under the tree, her eyes huge, her mouth a wide O. Then she saw me, and, in a second, was tearing across the room, her arms outstretched.
“Dywan! Dywan!”
I fell to my knees, my own arms open as she barreled into me. She wrapped herself around me, all warm and soft, smelling of bubble bath and little girl. Tears sprang to my eyes at her greeting. She pulled back, dropping tiny butterfly kisses all over my face, turning my tears into laughter.
“I knew it, I knew it,” she crowed. “I tolded Thanta I had a wifth I touldn’t even tell him, and he thaid if I was vewy good and pwayed weally hawd, I would ged it!” She turned to Seth, who was watching us with narrowed eyes. “I toll you, Sef!” Her head swung back my way. “Iz you, Dywan? Iz you my wifth? I didn’t ask for nuffin’ else—not even fo my birfday!”
“You wanted me to come back, Little Owl?” I asked, smiling as she dropped more kisses on my chin, wrinkling her nose as the scruff tickled her face.
Seth snorted. “She wants way more than that.” He huffed. “Asshole,” he added so quietly, I almost missed it.
I had no doubt that, as happy as my girls were to see me, Seth had reservations.