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“Sure did.”
* * *
He’s holding my hand.
It was nothing really, just a gentle clasp. Both their hands rested on her thigh. And yet, with his daughter in the back seat, it was everything. Especially after the way he’d kissed her in front of everyone at the rink.
His SUV smelled of new leather and something minty. It was huge and badass and fit him perfectly. As he drove, she kept sneaking glances at the way his round biceps flexed and popped, and his worn jeans hugged his powerful thighs. She loved his strong, calloused hand on the steering wheel.
In the back seat, Kinsley hummed, and when he punched the accelerator to turn onto 191, the engine roared. He caught her watching him and grinned. “You’re picturing me naked right now, aren’t you?”
“Oh, my God.” With a disdainful sniff, she stared out the windshield. “Your ego has no bounds.” And then, she said, “Of course, I am.”
He chuckled.
“Well, look at you. Can you blame me?”
“Nah. I get it all the time.”
She shifted to face him. “You get women asking to see you naked all the time?”
Smiling, he glanced in the rearview mirror. His daughter was still in her own world, oblivious to their conversation. “We all have our gifts.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, heartbreaker.” She’d never seen him so relaxed, so…content. “I can’t believe you’re being so chill about me coming with you. I thought you’d freak out.” She kept her voice low so she wouldn’t draw the girl’s attention.
He feigned offense. “Men don’t freak out.”
“This one does.” She muttered it to be funny.
But he didn’t laugh. He took it very seriously. “Iwanther to know you. Even if she only has you for a month, she’s damn lucky.” He cut her a look. “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out.”
“It’s okay.”
“Daddy, Gracie says I should be in the figure skating class. She says you should let me.”
His eyebrows flew up to his hairline.
Grace touched his arm. “I didn’t say that.”
“She says I’m not too young,” Kinsley said.
“Oh, brother.” Grace lowered her face into her hand. “I swear, I never said it.”
“No, it’s all right,” he said. “This is on me.”
“Can I, Daddy? Can I be in the class?”
“Yeah, sweet pea. You can.”
“I can?” In her excitement, her legs started kicking the back of Grace’s seat.
“Yes. I’ll sign you up today.”
“I get to skate?”
His pained expression told him how hard it was to hear Kinny’s disbelief. “You do. As soon as we get to the first store, I’ll do it.”
“Yay. I get to skate. Thank you, Daddy.”
