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His eyes widened, and she worried he was about to bolt. She pulled him into the small living room. Her entire house could probably fit into his enormous penthouse bathroom. Feeling self-conscious about how tiny her home was compared to what he was used to, she motioned for him to sit on the couch. She hoped the place didn’t make him claustrophobic.
“Do you want me to get her?” Chloe asked.
His Adam’s apple bobbed convulsively. “Uh... no. Not yet. Can we just sit here for a second and talk?”
“Of course. We’ll do this however you want. No rush.”
Unless Mia took it out of their hands and came rushing out to see their mystery guest. That was a definite possibility, but Chloe didn’t mention it to Nik. He appeared to be stressed to his limit. She had never seen him so vulnerable. It was endearing and a little scary. For both of them, she imagined. Nik was used to being in control, and she was used to him being the strong, capable one.
“I just want her to like me.” He set the present on the table. “I got her a doll, because you told me dolls are her favorite thing to play with. It has a few changes of clothing and a tiny dog.”
“She’ll love it. Thank you.”
He bent forward and buried his face in his hands with a shaky groan. “Even after asking you questions, I have no idea what she likes, what she hates, what scares her, what makes her laugh. I feel so far behind. How do I catch up?”
Chloe rubbed a hand up and down his back to soothe him. “You’ll learn the important stuff. I don’t know everything about her either. She’s a magical creature who changes from day to day. Last month she was on a roller skating kick. She wanted to wear her skates everywhere, even to bed. Then all of a sudden, she threw them in the closet and hasn’t touched them since.”
“That’s adorable. I wish I’d been here to see it.”
“Well, now she’s into pretending she’s a cat, so don’t be surprised if she meows or starts purring.”
That made him laugh, and he sat back against the cushion, looking more at ease. “I want to help out financially, and I’m not taking no for an answer. She’s mine, too. I should at least pay for half her food and clothing and stuff.”
Chloe gave him a polite smile and nod even though she was jumping for joy inside. Excited. Although she thought a woman should take care of her own bills, he was right about Mia being half his responsibility. If he pitched in, they wouldn’t have to go without anymore. She wouldn’t have to choose between aspirin and deodorant because she couldn’t afford both that week.
“Sounds good,” she said.
“You’ve been doing it all alone up until now, and you’ve been doing a great job. Don’t get me wrong. I admire you, but you don’t have to do it alone anymore. I’ll help you financially, and I want to be there for my daughter in other ways as well. I want to spend time with her.”
Another burden settled on her shoulders. She had been expecting him to start pushing for more and more. It surprised her that it was starting before he even met Mia. Time to make things clear to him.
“She is not going to Vegas with you, Nik. Not now. Not ever. You told me I can call the shots, and that’s a non-negotiable one. Okay? You can see her as much as you want here in our hometown, but she is not going to Vegas.”
He held his hands up. “I wasn’t suggesting she should. Even I know a kid needs stability, and this is her home. I wouldn’t dream of taking her from it.”
“Good.” Chloe relaxed. “So you’ll fly back and forth from here to Vegas in your jet?”
“I’m not sure what I’m doing yet. I’ll stick around a few days. I need to spend time with Mia and get to know her. Maybe a week or two.”
“Where will you stay?” She tugged on her necklace and prayed he didn’t want to stay in her house. It was too small for the two of them. She wouldn’t be able to turn around without tripping over him. “Brookhaven doesn’t have motels, but there are a lot of them in Ridgeshire. It’s just a short fifteen-minute drive.”
“I’d like to be closer than that.”
Did he think he was staying with her?
Before Chloe could protest, Mia ran into the room with a large rubber ball. She threw it at Nik, and it hit him squarely in the face. They both looked at each other, seemingly stunned.
Mia pushed her unruly hair back, and her eyes grew big at the sight of the strange man sitting on their couch. The little girl stared at him for a drawn-out moment.
Then, hands on hips, she asked him, “Are you my daddy?”
Chapter Seventeen
“Are you my daddy?”
They could have heard a feather drop in the awkward silence that followed the unexpected question. Nik didn’t know what to do. His little girl was smarter than he’d anticipated and way more intuitive. Or perhaps something in her recognized that same something in him. Anyone that saw them on the street would know they were father and daughter.
Chloe paled. Her mouth hung open, and she seemed to have lost the ability to speak. She wasn’t going to be any help when it came to meeting his daughter. He realized he would have to take over the situation.
