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“What was it like—” I cut myself off and shake my head. I’m not sure why I’m going there.
Dexter scans the crowd until he spots our daughters dancing in the middle of the gym. We’ve been relegated to the outskirts of the space with the rest of the dads. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Watching Cat struggle when she found out she was pregnant and you just up and vanished…it was brutal,” he says gruffly.
I blink back the emotion that pricks at the backs of my eyes at the memory of Cat’s voice mails. All thirty-two of them.
He clears his throat. “I’m not sure what happened back then, and it’s none of my business, but I can see that you’re trying.Hard. And in the end, that’s all that matters.”
I close my eyes. “I’ll never stop trying.”
“Good.”
Giggles draw our attention to the girls bouncing in front of us. “Dad,” Del says, “will you dance with me?”
Dexter brings his hand to his heart and smiles. It’s obvious he’s a great dad. “Never thought you’d ask,” he says, holding out his hand to his daughter. They weave their way to the dance floor, where dozens of daddy-daughter duos awkwardly shuffle in circles.
Holding out my hand, I look at my daughter. “What do you say, kiddo? Shall we show them how it’s done?”
Chloe’s eyes light up and she giggles. When she takes my hand, I spin her into my chest, garnering a delighted laugh that makes my chest feel tight. I may have missed the first twelve years of her life, but from here on out, she’ll never wonder how I feel. Through actions, words, and time, I’ll give her everything she deserves.
I let her lead me to the center of the dance floor, and when we’re in place, I nod to the DJ I made sure to chat up when the night began, and mid-song, the music changes. The familiar Temptations song echoes through the cavernous space, and I swear every dad in the place is smiling and every girl is giggling as they dance along to “My Girl.” I dance like a goofball and tug Chloe into my chest. As we sway, I tell her exactly how I feel—like my life is finally brighter—by singing the lyrics to my girl.
56
FEELS LIKE BY GRACIE ABRAMS
Cat
“Ithink my ovaries might burst,” I chirp with a smile permanently plastered to my face.
Sophie holds her phone so we can both watch the video Dexter sent moments ago. Front and center, Jay dances and sings to our daughter. It’s seriously doing things to me.
“Told you Daddies were hot,” Sophie teases.
I don’t even have it in me to fight her. “That really wasn’t what I thought you meant, Soph. But yeah, you were right. I’ve been missing out.”
Watching Jay tackle fatherhood like he would tackle any other project, including winning me over—with determination, a smile, and confidence that he’ll get what he wants—has been amazing. Every day, he shows up for us both.
Songs sent to our iPods. Breakfast in the office. Afternoons with Chloe, where they do God only knows what while I finish the day at work. Evenings spent making dinner—Jay, not me; I still haven’t mastered the art of cooking—dancing in the kitchen, then snuggled on the couch with Chloe tucked between us, watchingAmerica’s Next Top ModelorAmerica’s Got Talent. SometimesJeopardy.
Stolen kisses, quiet, excruciatingly perfect sex, followed by soft kisses as Jay leaves me wanting forever to start now.
I never anticipated being the one to beg to make this all official, but all I want is for him to move in so we can move forward. I’m not sure what’s holding us back now. The fake dating is over, and we’ve publicly announced our relationship, but he’s yet to mention the next step.
And now he’s at a daddy-daughter dance with Chloe, wearing a damn suit that makes my thighs clench and a smile so full of love as he gazes at our daughter. That alone has my heart doing somersaults.
“It’s good to see you so happy,” Sophie murmurs.
I blow out a breath. “I just wish my brothers weren’t suffering.” Guilt eats at me, because while I’m experiencing so much joy, they continue to spiral.
I’ve been working on rolling out ideas for the merger, but Cash is sinking further into depression. Jay and I met with him this week to tell him about my idea to throw a party to announce the merger, and for a moment, pride flashed in my brother’s eyes as he looked at me. We’ve never worked together, and therefore, I’ve never experienced how it feels to have his approval.
But as soon as he caught Jay squeezing my thigh, the light left his eyes, and the pride was replaced by hatred.
My brother, my best friend, despises me. He believes I’m an idiot for falling for Jay.
He doesn’t know him, and I’m partly to blame for that. I hid what Jay meant to me back then, and now it’s almost impossible to explain our connection.
Too many years have passed.
