Tempt Me

“So Mia and I are going to get married,” he went on, talking to his daughter, but now his mother started to cry happy tears.

“Is that okay with you?” Mia asked the little girl. “Because more than anything, we want you to be happy.”

Bailey glanced at her through curious eyes. “Does this mean you’re my mommy?”

Mia wasn’t sure what to say. Once again, hope filled her as she deferred the answer to Austin.

“Is that what you want?” he asked.

Bailey wrinkled her little nose in thought and Mia continued to hold her breath.

“Well, duh!” she finally said. “I told you I wanted a mommy. And now I get my pick in mommies!” She dove forward and threw her arms around Mia’s neck.

Ignoring the stabbing pain in her shoulder, Mia hugged the little girl back. “I love that you’re my first baby girl,” she said, her voice thick.

Austin carefully pried Bailey off Mia’s injured arm. “I guess this means now that things have settled down, I can leave the house and buy a ring.”

“Oh, Austin. Didn’t I raise you better? You should have had that thing on you when you proposed,” his father muttered.

Mia laughed. Little did they know, she didn’t need the ring. All she needed were the people in this room and now part of her family.

Especially the man who’d changed her life and gave her so much more than anything he could buy her. He gave her love.