Page 68 of Manhattan Kiss

I grin at him, not able to look away from his stare. “You haven’t opened it yet.”

“I’ll love it,” he says.

I think that’s just about the nicest way anyone’s ever received a gift from me.

“Can I open it, Daddy?” Willow asks, as she slides onto one of the benches around the kitchen table.

The ground floor has doors to one side and a huge open-plan living area and kitchen to the other. It’s big but it’s cozy. I so closely associate Deacon with the hotel that it’s weird seeing him here, his shoes off, making jokes. It feels like it’s two different people.

But judging by the way his jeans cling to his thighs, and his t-shirt stretches across his chest, he’s the Deacon I know. For sure.

“Oh, Daddy, look!” Willow says, as she pulls out a hardback book of fairy tales.

“That looks good,” Deacon says. “We could read it tonight?”

“The whole thing?” Willow asks, her eyes lighting up.

Deacon chuckles. “Nice try. No, not the whole thing. But we can make a start.”

“Aurora could read it, couldn’t she, Daddy?” she asks.

“Well, I’m not sure. She’s our guest. So we’d have to ask her if she wants to.”

“Happy to,” I say.

Willow pulls out a few other things that I bought her. A squidgy ball that sticks to anything you throw it at. A pencil set with a Hello Kitty attached to the end of each pencil. And a notebook with a unicorn horn on it.

“Wow, thank you, Aurora!” she says, as she spreads out her gifts.

“You’ve made a friend for life,” he says. “Can I get you a glass of wine?”

“That would be great.”

“Anything you like in particular?” he asks.

“You chose that Argentinian Malbec we had the other day, which was lovely, so I trust you!” I grin up at him.

He smiles and his gaze slides to his daughter. I can tell he’s not saying what’s on his mind.

And that’s okay.

There’s time.

“You haven’t opened your present, Daddy.”

“Oh yes.” He pours us two glasses of red wine and hands one to me.

Willow’s getting impatient. She slides out from the bench and picks up his gift bag from where he’s left it on the counter. “Here, Daddy. Open it.”

He pokes about in the white tissue paper and pulls out the snow globe. It’s the Manhattan skyline, and it looks a lot like the view from the rooftop where we had dinner the other night.

“I love it!” Willow squeals. “Does it work, Daddy? Turn it upside down.”

His gaze slides to mine as he tips the snow globe upside down. “A memory of an incredible evening. Thank you.”

He leans forward and kisses my cheek.

Willow squeals again. “Daddy, you just kissed her!”