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But in that moment, he couldn’t remember why. Because when his baby girl and the beautiful woman with her looked at him with matching lips, all he could do was smile.
“Looks like y’all are having a good time.”
“Yes,” Gracie said with so much happiness it radiated off her. “Charlie is the best Barbie player. Her Barbies are supersmart.”
That stung a little since Tripp had held that title for the past three years, but he grinned anyway. Charlotte and her “supersmart” brain were a good influence.
“Oh yeah, and I see she’s giving you makeup.”
Charlotte mouthed “sorry” to him and shrugged like she honestly didn’t know whether that’d get her in trouble. Tripp knelt next to her and ran a hand down her back. He didn’t mind. She might not have thought of herself as the “mothering type,” but she was attentive and nurturing, whether she knew it or not.
“And we’re playing independent wooomen,” Gracie said with pizzazz in her voice. “Because women can be anything, right, Charlie?”
“That’s right,” Charlotte said.
“I see,” he said. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with a strong woman.” That was the kind of woman he was trying to raise, after all. And despite of his plans of keeping distance between her and Gracie and any expectations his daughter might wind up having…Charlotte was just that. A strong woman.
He rose to his feet and offered Charlotte a hand.
“Honey, Charlotte hasn’t eaten yet, and I made us a casserole. You wanna join us?”
“I ate at Burger Shack with the uncles,” she said, her attention on her Barbies.
“Okay, well, you play, and we’ll be in the kitchen.”
“Okay, maybe after you have supper we can watch Frozen,” she said.
Before Tripp could argue—not that he was sure he would—Charlotte beamed down at his daughter. “That would be awesome. I love Frozen.”
He led Charlotte to the table, and thankfully, Cash and Bo took a hint and got themselves gone, probably to their rooms or the barn, drinking beer and watching TV out there. He pulled out Charlotte’s chair and waited for her to slide in.
“Such manners,” she said, and took a seat. “Dinner smells great. I wasn’t sure if the invitation still stood.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “Actually, I think I had a different idea of what the invitation entailed.”
He sat across from her. “Tonight didn’t go as planned.” When she looked him in the eye, he finished with, “But judging by your outfit tonight, I like where your mind’s at.”
“I’m just surprised you actually made dinner. I figured you’d be more interested in getting straight to dessert.”
He frowned. “Well, I won’t lie to you and say that seeing you naked wasn’t on my agenda, but I meant it when I said I wanted to cook you a meal.”
“That sounds more like a date,” she said, and there was a softness in her voice.
“Yes,” Tripp said, and that one word seemed to hit her hard. She blinked, and a small smiled tugged the corner of her perfect lips.
They ate in companionable silence, smiling whenever they heard Gracie laugh or talk to herself in her room.
When their food was gone, she sighed and leaned back in her chair. He loved that she looked so sated, and that he’d been the one to put that look on her face.
“I’m glad tonight worked out,” she said. “Gracie is really a great kid.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“That’s on you, you know.”
When Tripp just looked at her, she smiled. “You’re a good dad. Takes a lot for a parent to be a parent, much less stick around, and Gracie clearly knows you love her.”
There it was. That same raw edge he’d heard in her voice that first night outside the train station. He’d have to be careful with whatever put that sad look in her eyes. “You’re taking care of Gram. Do you have other family?”
“Nope. Gone. Some a lot longer than others.”
