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His eyes crinkled as he nodded. “I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”
“Good.” She turned and started to run up her stairs. “Catch me if you can.”
“I don’t want you to go,” Delilah sobbed as Cassie hugged her goodbye. They’d eaten dinner – pasta, again because he hadn’t had much time after picking Delilah up from school – and then Cassie had agreed to give Delilah her bath.
He’d let them be together, despite the fact that he wanted to spend every single moment with her before she caught the plane in the morning.
And now Delilah was in her pajamas, clinging to Cassie’s legs, tears running down her face.
Shit. He really thought he’d explained it to her. His eyes caught Cassie’s and she looked bereft.
When was he going to stop fucking things up?
“Come here,” he murmured, walking over to them. He lifted Delilah in one arm, then put the other around Cassie. And for a moment it was one, long moment of peace.
But as soon as he let them go, it was gone. Replaced by an ache in his chest he didn’t know what to do with.
One thing he was sure of, he was doing the right thing. He couldn’t look at the woman he loved every day and not know that she’d chosen it with her full heart.
“Wanna come down with me and wave goodbye to Cassie?” he asked his daughter. She nodded, and put her arms tight around his neck.
“I’ll be back in a few weeks,” Cassie told her. She’d gotten the schedule for rehearsals. Two weeks and then they had a short break before they were traveling to Hawaii to record some songs.
They’d talked about how to deal with Delilah. His only request had been that Cassie didn’t make promises she couldn’t keep. He trusted her to keep this one.
“Will you call me?” Delilah asked, turning her head against Presley’s shoulder.
“Of course.”
“Every night.”
Cassie’s eyes met Presley’s. It was time for him to step in.
“Come on now,” Presley said. “She can’t call you every night.”
“Every morning, then,” Delilah said stubbornly.
Presley kissed his daughter’s head. “She’ll call when she can, okay.”
His eyes met Cassie’s again. “Let’s head down, I know you have a lot to do tonight.” She nodded, saying nothing, and walked ahead of him down the stairs.
When they got to the bottom, Cassie stopped for a moment. Looking at the hallway wall. Then she looked at him and he knew what she was thinking.
That wall held a lot of memories. The first place they’d kissed. The wall they’d had sex against.
His throat felt tight as he gently lowered Delilah to the floor. She ran at Cassie’s legs again, hugging them tight.
“I love you,” Delilah whispered against Cassie’s jeans.
“Oh sweetie, I love you.” Cassie dropped to her haunches, hugging Delilah tight. She whispered in Delilah’s ear and she nodded.
When she stood, she looked at him and Pres realized this was it.
And he wasn’t sure he could breathe.
This was the right thing to do, he reminded himself. He wasn’t making the same mistakes. He was being a good partner. A good man.
It was the right fucking thing.
