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I cup her cheeks, brush away her tears with my thumb, and pull her closer. When our lips touch, electricity runs through my body, followed by warmth. When I’m with her, it doesn’t matter where we are and what I have to sacrifice.
When I’m with her, I’m home.
We have a lot to talk about, but she needs to go to work. And after that, she’s fetching Ava from the playgroup she goes to, which means I can’t stay in her place. I don’t want to spring this on the girl any more than Raven does.
If I have to be honest with myself, I’m terrified of meeting her. I’m used to kids—I spend a lot of time with Kylie. But it’s different with her. I’ve been there her whole life. I’ve known her since she was a baby. And I’m not supposed to be a father figure to her, even if I am.
With Ava, everything changes. I’m the guy she’ll look up to, the man that will be there for her no matter what.
Self-doubt starts to creep in. What if I’m not good enough?
When Raven goes to her office, I walk her to the building. It’s just down the street from her apartment, and she lets me come in to see what it’s like.
“So, this is where the magic happens, huh?” I ask, looking around the small office, the designing room next door, and the third room where seamstresses are lined up, sowing her designs.
“It’s not much,” she says. “The idea is to change that, soon. Aside from the shop—”
“You have a shop, too?”
She nods. “Yeah, we make some street sales, with people walking in when they like what they see in the window, but it’s more for international orders. We’ve been getting a lot of those since the Fashion Week. That’s what they’re working on right now.” She nods to the seamstresses.
One of them glances at me and says something in French.
Raven blushes and answers with a giggle before she turns sparkling eyes to me.
“What was that?” I ask.
“Oh, nothing.”
She walks to her office again and I wave at the seamstresses, who giggle and gossip with each other in a language I’m going to have to learn if I want to make this my home.
Raven looks over a few files she put on her desk and sighs.
“You have a lot of work to do. I should go,” I say.
“Where will you go? Did you check into a hotel?”
I nod. “I’ll be there when you need me, and the moment you say the word, I’m at your side. We’ll figure this out.”
“Can I see you tonight so we can talk some more?” Raven asks.
“Of course. What about Ava?”
“I’ll call my aunt. As soon as Maria finds out what’s happening, thatyou’rehere, she’ll be fine with it.”
“Does she know who I am?” I ask with a grin.
Raven shakes her head. “Not yet. But she’s always worried I’ll end up alone and Ava won’t have a father in her life.”
“If I can see you, that will be great,” I say. “Let me know.”
She nods, and I kiss her. Deeply. I struggle to pull myself away from her when I have to leave, and when I turn and look at her another time at the door, she’s smiling at me.
When I get back to my hotel, where I just dumped my bags before heading to find Raven, I call Natalie. Only when she answers groggily I realize with our time difference; it’s the middle of the night.
“Oh, shit,” I say. “I woke you.”
“No, no,” she sounds a little more awake, and the bed sheets rustle as she sits up. “I’m glad you called. I want to hear everything.”
