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After he leaves, I grip the knob and push the door open. Katie sits on the edge of the leather couch against the wall, her body stiff, but her expression composed. She’s doing an excellent job of not showing the concern I know she must be feeling.
My eyes dart across the room to my desk. Presley sits in my chair, spinning it in circles. When she makes it back around and her eyes land on me, her lips break out into a beautiful smile.
It’s incredibly difficult to keep my body under control when I’m around Presley. She’s Cat in looks, and I’ve never had a problem getting hard even thinking about my wife. Although Presley looks like Cat, her mannerisms are those of a twelve-year-old girl. It seems wrong and sours my stomach to envision getting turned on when Presley takes over.
It’s weird to see her like this. Presley is usually dressed as any twelve year old girl would, but right now, she’s wearing what Cat put on this morning; a pair of black leggings that mold to her curves and an off-the-shoulder lavender top that shows a glimpse of cleavage that no young girl would have.
“Hunter!” Presley yells, getting up from the chair and skipping her way around my desk.
“Katie,” I call. “Thank you for keeping Presley company while I was away. Silas won’t be long, and I’m sure he would love to see you in his office when he gets there.”
“Yeah.” Katie gets up from her seat and walks over to me, giving my arm a squeeze. She looks at Presley, her lips pulled up into a smile. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Presley.”
“You too, Katie.” Presley beams a brilliant smile at Katie.
I wait until the door clicks closed behind me before I face Presley. “What are you doing here, Presley?”
Some of the joy fades from her face. “You’re not happy to see me?”
Despite my strung nerves, I relax my features and soften my voice. “I’m always happy to see you. I just never expected you to show up here.”
“Oh.” Her eyes light up again and she bounces on her toes. “I wanted to surprise you. Did it work?”
I grab her hand and lead her over to the couch. I keep a few inches of space between us as we sit.
“You did. But this isn’t a place for young girls.”
Presley’s bottom lip sticks out in a cute pout. “I’m not a little girl. I’ll be thirteen soon.”
She’s been saying she’ll be thirteen for years. Presley never ages.
“Regardless, this isn’t the place for you,” I say, keeping my tone gentle.
“Can you take me downstairs?”
“Absolutely not.” My gentle tone falls to the wayside.
She laughs. “You reallyareno fun.”
“Regardless, you will not be going downstairs.” I pause. “Why are you here, Presley?”
“I wanted to see you. You weren’t at home, and I didn’t know how long you would be.” She lifts her shirt, revealing her trim stomach, and pulls out a single piece of paper tucked into the waistband of her leggings. I recognize the stationary as the same as I keep on my desk. She must have written it before I made it upstairs. “And anyway, you need to give this to Cat. It’s super important that she gets it.” She thrusts the paper at me.
I grab it and briefly look down at the writing. “Why is it so important that Cat gets this?”
Presley lifts her shoulder, causing the shirt to slide down her arm even further. It takes effort to keep my eyes on her face and not dip to the amount of cleavage that’s now on display.
“Because it’s time,” she says cryptically.
My eyes narrow. “Time for what?”
An unusual somberness fills Presley’s eyes and it has my gut twisting. “Time for her to remember them. They can’t stay in the shadows anymore. They need to be brought into the light again.”
Anxiety has my back straightening. There is nothing I would like more than for Cat to acknowledge our children. To remember the good times we shared with them. To fill our walls with their pictures. But the fear of what it could do to Cat if she remembered, damn near brings me to my knees.
“Presley—”
I cut myself off when Presley’s eyes become dazed, the muscles in her face going slack. It only lasts for a moment before she blinks and awareness returns. They move to me and her brows dip.
