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He started to stand, but thought his giant stature might frighten the child. So he moved to the edge of the cushion instead and smiled at her. She was honestly the most beautiful child he’d ever seen.
Remembering the gift, he picked the box up off the coffee table and held it out to her. “This is for you, Mia. I hope you like it.”
She took a tentative step forward, moving just close enough to grab the box. Without ceremony, she plunked down on the floor and tore the wrapping to shreds. When she saw the doll, the clothes, and the tiny dog through the plastic, a huge smile transformed her face. “Wow! Mommy, see what I got?”
Mia jumped up and held the doll in front of Chloe’s face.
Chloe nodded. “Pretty.”
“She is pretty. I want to name her... Sunshine.”
Nik sucked his lips in and bit down on them to keep from laughing. When he glanced sideways at Chloe, he saw she was also trying to hold the laughter inside. He hoped Mia didn’t grow up to name their grandchildren things like Wind or Rain.
The thought caught him off guard. He’d been so blown over by finding out he had a child that he hadn’t thought of all the subsequent perks. Someday, he would do things like attend Mia’s graduation, walk her down the aisle, and visit his grandchildren. Thinking about those things almost made him hyperventilate. Too much. Too soon.
Chloe put an arm around her daughter and pulled her close. “Honey, this is your daddy. How did you know? Did Aunt Kristina tell you?”
Mia shook her head so that her full head of dark hair flew around her face. That seemed to make her giggle. Or maybe it was meeting her father that made her laugh.
She crawled up on the couch between them, sitting on her folded legs, and started giving him the third degree. “Do you like popsicles?”
“Sure do,” Nik said.
“Can I call you Daddy?”
“You can call me whatever you want, sweetheart.”
“Are Mommy and me going to live with you in your house?”
“No. I live too far from here for you.”
Chloe jumped in with, “Don’t you like our house, honey? This is the house your Aunt Kristina and I grew up in. Not to mention, it’s paid for.”
Mia leaped off the couch to grab her new plastic-encased toy and put it on his lap. She asked him to open it before answering her mother’s question. “I like our house, but maybe Daddy lives in a castle.”
He opened the box so Mia could have her doll and accessories. She started removing them one by one and setting them on the coffee table. Even though she was busy with her toys, she didn’t lose track of the conversation. Not for a second.
“I want to live in a castle,” she said. “I can be a princess.”
Chloe’s mouth opened, but he gestured to her that he would handle it.
“I don’t live in a castle,” he said. “In fact, I don’t have a house. I live in a penthouse in a large hotel. But I think I’d like to get a house here in town so you can visit me.”
Mia grinned. “Will you take me to school?”
“I take you to school,” Chloe said. “Your daddy can pick you up if he has the time.”
“I’ll make time,” he said. Feeling more confident in his budding relationship with his daughter, he pulled her onto his lap. “Hey, how would you like to help me find a house? That might be fun.”
Chloe shook her head. “Why are you talking about buying a house here? You live in Vegas. Didn’t you tell me you were planning to fly back and forth? And what about your business? You won’t be here often enough to make the expense of a house worth it.”
Sounded to him like Chloe didn’t want him to stick around. An invisible dagger stabbed him through the heart. Should he stop pursuing a relationship with her and focus solely on his child?
He shrugged at her. “It makes perfect sense to me. I can’t expect Mia to visit me in a motel. I want her to feel comfortable in my new home, because she’ll be spending a lot of time there.”
Chloe stiffened beside him, and he could practically read her mind. She was wondering how much time he thought Mia would be spending with him. The idea didn’t seem to please her in the slightest. Well, too bad. Now that he had met his daughter, he wasn’t going to let Chloe push him out the door. The little girl needed her mother, sure, but she also needed her father.
Mia swiped messy hair back from her angelic face as if it was bothering her. She spoke to her mother. “I want to help Daddy look for houses. Maybe we can find a castle.”
