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I senseCade’s presence without opening my eyes. I have no doubt he’s standing over us, watching. I can imagine Brynlee and I make quite a pretty picture. For a woman who’s never cared much for children, the one currently asleep on my lap certainly figured out how to crawl into my heart and quickly make a nice little spot for herself. And I didn’t even fight it. I guess I’m not quite the ice queen I once thought I was.
It feels right.
Being here.
In his home.
In his space.
With his family.
There’s a weird sense of peace I enjoyed today. Contentment.
A callused finger runs over the apple of my cheek. I slowly open my eyes to see this gorgeous man, who I’m tired of trying to deny my feelings for, standing over us, just as I knew he was. “You okay, duchess?”
When he’s quiet and unassuming, I almost don’t know what to do with my typically loud and overly confident man. But I appreciate both sides. “I’m really good, Saint.” The sun has started to set in the sky, leaving a pretty purple hue in its place. It’s exquisite. Serene.
Gentle arms lift Brynlee from my lap and embrace her. He kisses her tangled hair and quietly calms her when she starts to stir. “Time for bed, baby girl.”
“I want Scarlet,” she whines against her father’s chest, and I feel yet another fissure in my heart form.
I stand on legs that tingle from having stayed in one position for too long and run my hand in circles over her back. “I’m right here, sweetheart. Go with your daddy, and I’ll help tuck you in, okay?”
She looks at me with those big eyes framed by long pale blonde lashes and yawns, blinking her eyes closed slowly before tucking her arms under her chest and snuggling against her father.
Cade goes through her nighttime routine, then gets her changed into her Rapunzel nightgown. He tucks her into bed and lays next to her to read a quick story while I lean against the doorframe, watching.
An invited intruder.
Not her mother. But a woman who could easily fall in love with her.
With them both.
He was incredible with her today. I darted out of here pretty quickly the morning after my impromptu sleepover, needing to get my head on straight after the flurry of crazy emotions I was left to deal with. But in doing so, I missed this. I missed real life. I missed my opportunity to watch the two of them together.
And oh, what a sight to be seen it is.
I’m not sure if watching this big, strong man parent his sweet daughter should be sexy or not, but it is incredibly so. I always thought I was attracted to brains over brawn. Apparently, a good father ranks higher than a smart stockbroker.
Brynlee is so smart for such a young child. She questions everything, and the adults in her life answer her questions as thoroughly as they can for a child her age. It’s obvious Cade encourages his child to question the world around her. To feel safe in her skin. To know that she’s loved and wanted. That she’s safe to explore.
I’m not sure every child gets to feel that kind of unconditional love, but his does.
She’s a lucky little girl.
Both of the St. James girls will be lucky little girls.
When a finger lifts my chin up to meet dark green eyes, I realize what I just thought and gasp.
Cade raises that finger to my lips, silencing me until we walk into his bedroom across the hall. His brow furrows in question to my earlier reaction, and I sigh. Unable to believe what I’m about to say. “I just realized Baby Girl Kingston needs to be Baby Girl St. James.”
His face transforms from confusion to elation in the span of one single beat of my heart. “And what brought on this revelation?” His hands reach under my hair and wrap around my neck. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Brynlee did. Our daughter is going to have an amazing big sister, whose last name is St. James. I want them to have the bond I have with my siblings. I want our girls to be the St. James girls and to know their name means something. That’s important to me.”
Cade sucks in a breath. “Our girls?”
There’s no smile on his face.
