She couldn’t contain her grin anymore, though she tried to hide it against my neck. “I can do all those things.”
“You can? Well, fuck. We make a pretty good team then, don’t we?”
She laughed and smacked my chest playfully. “You’re funny, Mister.”
I chuckled. It was probably the first time someone had accused me of being funny.
Twenty-Eight
“Grace, I fucking swear. You can’t eat that.” After closing the gate, I squatted down to where she was grabbing a fistful of dirt from under Mary’s rosebushes. “Let’s clean those paws.” I brushed off the dirt and ignored her protests. For just one night, I wanted my white button-down to stay white. I’d purposely put it on right before we left our house. “Can you give Daddy a kiss?”
She smacked a smooch to my cheek but kept babbling and reaching for the soil.
“I’m deciding right now that all you’re saying is how much you love me,” I said. “You think I’m the best Daddy in the world, yeah?”
“Bu Dadaaaa!”
“That’s so sweet of you. I love you too. Let’s go visit Nana and Pop.” I picked her up and carried her as if I’d never held a toddler before—approximately two feet away from my body. “Stop kicking, you goofball.”
She didn’t stop. Instead, she laughed and completely thrashed in my grasp.
“You’re not a very good team player,” I told her, stepping up onto the porch to ring the bell. The sound tightened my stomach, and I had to take a deep breath. “Fuck, Daddy’s nervous.”
From inside the house, I heard James holler for someone to get the door.
He was about to find out I was here for more than just to drop off Grace. I assumed he knew Elise was getting ready for a date; he just didn’t know with whom. He wasn’t the type to pry.
Had Mary figured it out yet? Had Elise possibly told her?
It was Mary who opened the door a second later, and yeah, oh yeah, she knew. She grinned smugly and reached for Grace. “Hi, my sweet angel. Are you ready for a sleepover with Nana?”
“Nananana!” Grace was officially out of my hands, and my shirt was still clean. Fucking miracle.
I shrugged off Grace’s diaper bag and set it down on the hallway floor. Mary’s smug expression meant I could relax some, right? To be honest, the only thing I truly worried about—genuinely—was their view on the age difference between Elise and me, partly because she and I had been close for so many years.
I dreaded to think they’d suspect I’d done anything inappropriate. Or rather, illegal.
“She’s eaten already, and I changed her diaper before we came here,” I said.
“Okay.” Mary smiled and patted my cheek. “Relax, son. This is a good thing.”
I exhaled a chuckle, more relieved than I could describe, and watched her help Grace to her feet. My little monkey didn’t hesitate to fly straight into the living room, where she probably knew she’d find James by now. He was always in his chair watching the news or ESPN. Or the Weather Channel.
His voice confirmed he was in there. “If it ain’t my saving Grace! Are you old enough to bring me coffee yet? See here, huh? Mug’s empty.”
Grace rambled incoherently and quickly, and whatever she was saying resulted in James grunting his way out of his recliner. At the same time, I heard a door open and close upstairs.
My daughter reappeared shortly after with James in tow, and he gave me a two-fingered salute and asked if I had a date too.
I supposed the button-down and dress pants were a dead giveaway. “Yes, sir.” I cleared my throat and figured it was best to just spit it out. “I’m having dinner with Elise.”
“Ah, so it’s not…” He trailed off and cocked his head. When I heard Elise coming down the stairs, James scanned me from top to toe before narrowing his eyes at Elise, or so I assumed; I couldn’t see her yet.
“You’re almost there, honey,” Mary told James in a teasing tone.
I was glad she was having fun. Some of my nerves made a swift comeback and… My train of thought chugged out the window when Elise appeared on the bottom step. Fucking hell. I’d…never seen that dress before. It was dark green and hugged her perfect body, and all I saw were bare shoulders. The fucking thing didn’t have straps.
She clasped a bracelet and eyed her father with a small smirk, but for one second, I could only focus on the bracelet. I’d never given anyone jewelry before. I didn’t care about jewelry. But I wanted something from me to grace her wrist. Hell, could I stick reminders all over her so she’d always think of me?
A bit over the top, some might think.
“So, you two…” James straightened and folded his arms over his chest. He would’ve looked more intimidating if he didn’t have my daughter hugging his leg. “Really? You and my girl?” He slid his gaze to Elise. “Him?”