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But how could I when she was sleeping feet away from my room?
“Fuck,” I breathed, gripping my hair tighter in my fists. There was something so fucking wrong with me for even looking at her, much less thinking about the way it felt to have her body pressed against mine.
Shaking my head, I forced myself to my feet and moved into my closet, yanking a shirt off a hanger and grabbing sweatpants from my dresser. Whatever the fuck I thought happened earlier, didn’t. My body just reacted to a woman, and how my body felt didn’t mean a fucking thing.
A soft knock sounded from my bedroom door, and I shoved the shirt on the rest of the way over my head before pulling the door open. I didn’t know who I expected—Emma maybe.
I should’ve known better.
Instead, Reagan stared up at me with those same big hazel eyes. Her tongue darted out to wet her full lower lip, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“Emma wants you to read to her,” Rae blurted, throwing her thumb over her shoulder. I glanced down the hall, finding it cleared of all toys, the living room dark, and Emma nowhere to be found.
“Where is she?” I stepped out of my room, closing most of the distance between us. Reagan took a giant step away, pressing her back against the wall.
I wanted to tell her I wasn’t fucking radioactive, that she didn’t have to get as far away from me as possible, but it was probably a good idea if she kept her distance. It would mean we wouldn’t have the chance to have any repeat moments like earlier. Not that anything had happened, but if I hadn’t walked away when I did, I knew I would’ve crossed that line.
“In her bed,” she breathed. “I gave her a bath and put her down while you were in the shower. I—is that okay? I figured since it’s already eight—“
“Wait.” I held my hand up, my brows pushed tightly together. “Sheletyou put her to bed already?” Reagan looked confused as she stared at me, her head barely moving as she nodded. I huffed out a laugh as I scrubbed my hand over my stubbly jaw. “Can’t believe that. It’s usually a fight, and she doesn’t go down until nine—well, it’s usually closer to ten.”
“I asked if she wanted to do some yoga with me,” she said, and I gave her a confused look. What did that have to do with anything? “She said yes, so I did a short routine with her. It was just to help calm her down. A lot of breathing exercises.”
“And it worked?” I asked, amazed. She shrugged, her cheeks reddening further.
“She’s sleepy and in bed. So, yeah. I guess it worked.” She jerked her chin toward Emma’s room.
I hesitated before making my way down the hall, stopping outside her door. I just stared at her as she laid on her bed, Uni clutched in her hands as she let it fly through the air.
She reallydidlook relaxed—more relaxed than she usually did when I put her to bed.
What was Reagan? A fucking toddler whisperer?
“Hey, Em,” I murmured, stepping into the room. Looking around, I noticed most of the toys that were usually on the floor were in her purple toy bin by her closet, her usual piles of blankets were folded and put away, and there weren’t any shoes I had to dodge.
What the fuck was happening?
“Hiya, Daddy.” She gave me a giant, toothy smile, her eyes closing and nose wrinkling. I chuckled as I sat at the end of her little bed, facing her.
“Story time?” I asked, and she nodded before scooting over. “What book?”
“Princess pea!” she shouted, then clamped her hand over her mouth. Slowly, she took an exaggerated breath, letting her chest rise and fall before she dropped her hand away. “Princess pea, please.”
I blinked.
What kind of witchcraft had Reagan done on my child? Was this a weird case of the body snatchers? This wasn’t Emma.
“Sure, baby. Whatever you want.”
Reaching out, I brushed her silky dark hair off her forehead, smiling at her unusual gentleness. I won’t complain, though. It had been way too long since we’d had a fight-free bedtime and I wanted to savor this moment because I didn’t know if it would last.
I grabbed thePrincess And The Peabook before settling in beside her, one arm wrapped around her as she curled into my chest. I opened the book with my other hand, but didn’t start reading immediately.
I just savored this moment and the cuddles from my daughter I’d missed so much.
“Daddy,” she muttered, and I glanced down.
“Yeah?” She tipped her head back to look at me.
