“We live together now,” I mumbled against her lips. The cocky grin on my face was forcing its way out.
“You’re evil, you know that, right?” She smiled back in defeat.
“I know how to get what I want, baby, and I have a feeling that will always be you.” I kissed the scar stretching over her eyebrow and then moved back down to her lips.
- SIXTEEN -
LANE -
I slipped in through the kitchen door by way of the garage and endeavored to sneak down the hallway without Kate seeing I was home yet. I needed to change and get back outside before she knew I was here. As I pushed open the door to my bedroom, I could hear her talking with Braden in their room.
Rae’s beautiful face greeted me as she strolled out of our bathroom carrying the suit I planned on wearing tonight. I could already tell she had pressed my shirt and picked out her favorite red tie of mine. Her body jolted when she realized I was standing there watching her.
I chuckled when her hand flew up to her mouth. “Hey, beautiful,” I whispered.
“You scared me half to death.” She swatted my arm. “Don’t ever sneak in like that again.”
I hauled her to my chest and breathed in the fresh, sweet scent of her hair. “I’m trying to get out of these old clothes before she knows its time to go. I want surprise her at the front door.”
“Well, she’s ready. She’s been practically vibrating with anticipation all day.”
“Did she get my flowers?” I asked while slipping my pants off and reaching for the new ones.
Raegan’s face melted into a heavenly smile. Before I could get my pants zipped, she grabbed my face and planted her sweet lips firmly against mine. “Lane, that was the sweetest thing. I just wish you could have seen her face.” I smiled and kissed her again. “Oh, by the way,” she continued, “she said ‘yes’ to your date proposal.”
“Whew.” I wiped my hand across my forehead theatrically. “For a second, I thought I was about to be stood up.”
She chuckled and began unbuttoning my shirt for me. One thing Rae loved doing was helping me get dressed. Every morning, before it was time to make breakfast, greet the kids, answer their insane amount of questions, drink my coffee, make sure my briefcase was ready, answer more questions, convince Kate that I would once again be home at the same time I returned every day, and then finally slip out the door for work, Rae and I stole a few quiet moments together.
After we showered, she sat on the countertop next to my sink and talked to me while I shaved and brushed my teeth. Then she would help me button my shirt and knot the tie around my neck. If someone had told me a girl would be doing that with me every single morning three months ago, I more than likely would have broken out into a sweat and felt the claws of suffocation around my throat.
But with Raegan, it was comforting. She’d shown me what it really meant to be cared for and wanted. She wasn’t solely after my looks or the things I could give her. And I had no doubt that if these moments were taken away from me, I would drown in loneliness.
“This is all just so sweet, Lane,” she said as she slipped the last button through its hole. “You’re an amazing father.”
“Well, I figured if I wanted her to know how to be treated, I had to teach her. Taking her on dates will show her to never expect anything less or else I’ll have to kick her date’s ass.”
“I have no doubt about that, babe.” She lifted up on her toes and kissed my cheek.
With extreme stealth, I snuck back outside and pushed the button to ring the doorbell. I stood on the front porch and heard Raegan call out to Kate. A few moments later, the wooden door slowly slid open and Kate’s little blonde head peered around.
“Hello, beautiful. Are you still available to go on a date with your dad tonight?”
“Daddy!” she exclaimed. “You sent me flowers. They were pink and purple and red and white!” She stepped away from the door and into the porch light. For the first time, I saw that Raegan had curled her hair in long ringlets that bounced playfully around her face. She wore a soft pink dress that fell past her knees, and she spun around to show me how it billowed out around her.
I felt the damn emotions bubbling up in my throat. There had been a time when I didn’t know if I would get these moments with her. I tried to clear my throat before I said, “Wow, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.”
“You look handsome, daddy,” she chuckled.
I took her hand and escorted her to my waiting car. As she crawled into the backseat, an unwelcome thought occurred that her dates with me better be the only times she ever crawls into a backseat. Damn, I really am going to need that shotgun.
When we arrived, I tossed the valet the keys and helped Kate out of the car. At first, we were given strange looks, but as Kate quietly made her way through the entrance with a wide, ecstatic smile gracing her face, they all began to smile with her. We rode the elevator five hundred feet above the ground and Kate held my hand eagerly the entire journey.
She’d known exactly where we were when I pulled up. Every time we drove past downtown Dallas, she’d asked me about the big building that looked like it had a ball on top. I told her it was called Reunion Tower and that it had a fancy restaurant for adults way up there. That never persuaded her from asking if she could go up there one day.
Out of pure dumb luck, we recently contracted a job with the head chef and owner of that fancy restaurant. He actually ended up being this really cool Austrian man that told me he would be more than happy to accommodate Kate and me when he was in town at the restaurant.
So, while everyone here would be savoring their extravagant, seven-course meals, Kate will have chicken nuggets made by a famous chef and I’ll be devouring one of his legendary steaks with French fries.
Kate gasped when the elevator doors slid open and she took in her first glance at the view. There were floor-to-ceiling windows that perfectly displayed a fully illuminated downtown Dallas—it really was spectacular.
When the hostess greeted us, I immediately knew she had been informed of our arrival. She smiled brightly at Kate and guided us to a small table set up alongside the tall glass windows. Kate pressed her hands and face up against them and took in the vast city surrounding us.
“This is awesome,” she stated, her voice filled with awe. “I think I see our house!”
“It is impressive,” I chuckled. Not long after we were served our waters, the food was placed before us. A huge thank-you note would be necessary after this night was done. They were treating my four-year old perfectly.
“Kit Kat, do you like living in Texas?” I asked before she bit into a piece of chicken.
“It’s my favorite. I don’t want to move anymore,” she stated.
“Would it be alright if one day we moved to a different house but still stayed in Texas?”
“Would I still see Auntie Audrey and Uncle Jace?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“What about Uncle Jaxon?” I nodded, and she proceeded to list off the rest of my friends, all of which she considered family members. I continued nodding and she finally said, “Yeah, that would be okay.”
“I would do anything for you, you know that, right? No matter what, you’ll always be my number one girl.”
“Daddy, would you beat up a boy that pulled my hair?” she asked.
“I don’t think I’m allowed to beat up little boys, but if there’s someone doing something to you, I might need to have a very serious talk with him.”