Page 107 of Alec’s Dream

“But she’ll know I was in your room and you might not wake up.”

“Yeah, they’ll both know that you sleep in our room, but that doesn’t mean they’ll see me sleeping in it with you. If either of them wakes, I’ll hear it. And if that happens they won’t see me in here with you. I get up earlier than any of you. By the time the kids are awake, I’ll be dressed and downstairs.

“As far as PDA in front of them, in case you missed it, baby, I’ve never taken it further than a light kiss, and I never will, not even after the month is up. But they also need to see me being affectionate to their mother. Rory needs to see the way a man respectfully loves a woman. And Caleb needs to see, if for different reasons. He needs to understand what a healthy relationship looks like. He needs to know what love looks like and what it doesn’t. But mostly he needs to see me with you. Caleb will not be comfortable and let down that shield he’s built around you and Aurora until he trusts me. And he will not trust me beyond what he does now until he knows I will treat his mother the way she deserves.

“I’m telling it to you as straight as I can, Macy, I want those kids. I want Caleb to let go and trust me so he can be twelve. I want Rory to know deep down when I make a promise, I’ll keep it. This is important to me and I only have one try to get it right. So I’m asking you to trust me to do what I need to do to make it right.”

My belly was full of butterflies again and as I laid on my side staring at Alec, I realized there were two different kinds of flutters he caused.

One kind was all for me, the way he made me feel desired, beautiful, like I was a woman. That kind of flutter I felt between my legs and made me want to kiss the hell out of him before I jumped him and showed him how badly I wanted him.

The other kind didn’t have anything to do with desire and everything to do with how thoughtful he was when it came to Caleb and Aurora. The times he saw to their wellbeing, acting as a father would care for his own children—those flutters were different. They were part elation, part pain, reminding me that Alec cared more about my children than their own father did. It was Alec who had their best interest in mind, he was the one who wanted Aurora to see how a man should treat a woman. It was Alec who made a promise and had kept it. And it was Alec who was trying to gain a twelve-year-old’s trust and build from there because he knew that was what Caleb needed. My son needed to learn how to be a man, and he needed a good example of that, so Alec was setting out to show him.

Yes, I’d found my mythical dream man. I had not aimed too high. I had not dreamed too big. I just hadn’t been patient enough. But as Alec pointed out, if I had waited I wouldn’t have Rory and Caleb.

“I trust you,” I whispered.

“Good.”

Alec brushed a hank of hair behind my ear, his fingertips grazing the side of my face in a barely-there touch, but I felt it down to my soul.

Reverent. Tender. Affectionate. Longing.

“Alec?”

“Yeah, baby?” His mouth curved up and his eyes crinkled.

Damn, he was seriously sexy.

“I want you to know I see you.” He lost his smile, but the new look he gave me was so much better. Sparks of fire were crackling in his green eyes and I knew what came next so it was no surprise when my core spasmed, and my panties dampened. “I see what you mean to me. I see what we mean to you. I see the father you are. I see the friend. But mostly I see the man you are and honey, I want you to know I love what I see.”

“Macy—”

“I need you to know that. You asked me once to look at you and I was too scared to do it because I knew what I’d find and I was terrified to let myself see it. But I want you to know, I’m still scared but I’m not too afraid. I. See. You. All of you, every part of you, and now I know you are not Perfect Alec—perfect father, with the perfect job, house, and clothes. You are so much more than the untouchable dream I made you out to be. I want all of you. I promise to help you see the man I know you to be and not the reflection you see—”

Then I lost Alec’s eyes that had been getting stormier with each word I’d spoken, because his mouth slammed into mine. There was no slow build-up—his kiss was fierce, demanding, wild, and so fucking scorching hot my pussy convulsed. Two minutes later, our clothes were scattered on the bedroom floor, and a millisecond after that, Alec drove into me, taking my breath. But I wasn’t complaining—especially when Alec got down to showing me just how creative he could be. And it was spectacular.

“You’re taking Joss with you and I got the kids.”

I was leaning against the kitchen counter, my coffee mug aloft, watching Jocelyn pop Cheerios in her mouth, while keeping an eye on Aurora and Caleb who were at the table eating oatmeal.

It was fifteen minutes before I had to leave to take the kids to school and get myself to work when Alec made his declaration.

His statement gave me pause, but before I could put my two cents in, Caleb looked up from his bowl and glanced at Alec.

“Are you coming to my football practice today?”

“Yep. I’ll meet you at the park,” Alec returned.

“Are you picking me up after?” Rory asked.

Alec’s gaze left the kids at the table and swung to me.

“Would that save you time?”

He knew it would but he was still asking, giving me the opportunity to make the decision whether or not he was picking up Rory from the community center.

Alec said he was giving it a month to ease the kids into our new normal and that’s what he was doing. This morning he was up out of bed long before the kids woke. He was also showered, dressed, and downstairs drinking coffee. The kids didn’t ask where either of us slept but they hadn’t seen us leave the bedroom together.