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We move up another spot in line, and I turn back to Pia, giving her all my attention.
“I did a few horse shows with her. We were pretty good, but I always loved vaulting and trick riding. I felt more connected to her then. She had to trust me, and I had to trust her. We had to be in perfect sync to get the moves right.”
“She’s your best friend,” I finish.
Pia tilts her head to the side, then looks down at her feet. “Yeah. I know it’s kind of lame, but—”
“Nothing about you is lame,” I tell her sternly.
Blue eyes latch on to mine, and I soften my gaze, letting her know I’m not mad. I just hate the way she’s talking about herself right now.
“It makes sense that you have a strong connection with Penny. I’ve always heard horses are very smart and intuitive, as well as good judges of character. I think you picked a very good best friend.”
Pia nods, giving me a shy smile. More protective, possessive thoughts flood my brain before I can stop them. I want her to always be proud of who she is. My little girl needs someone to bring out her confidence. She needs a daddy who sees her for who she is and encourages her to go after what she wants in life.
Fuck.There it is. I want to be her daddy.
“Thanks,” Pia whispers.
I can tell she wants to look away from me, but my brave girl holds eye contact, letting me see how much my validation meant to her. My heart breaks even more for this woman, but I vow to support her in every single way from now on.
We’re next in line, and I wait for Pia to order before I place my own order. She only gets a slice of pizza, and I smile when I see her eyes widen as I list off my order.
“That’s too much food,” she whispers to me.
I laugh. “Whatever we don’t eat, I can give to my sister and nephew.”
She relaxes at my words, and I pass the cashier my card. We move to the other window to wait for our food, and Pia moves closer to my side as if she doesn’t really like being in crowds. I tuck her into my side, loving the way we fit together.
“What about you?” she asks.
I tip my head down, peering into those clear blue eyes. “What do you want to know?”
“Where do you live now?”
“Los Angeles. I own an investment firm there. We have another office in New York and Boston.”
“But you’re based mostly in Los Angeles?”
Is that disappointment in her voice? Does she think for a second I’d go back there without her?
“That’s just where I live when I’m not traveling to check on the other offices. Have you ever been to Los Angeles?” I ask her as our bottles of water are passed to us.
“Yeah, the circus stops just outside of the city.”
“Did you like it?”
She winces, her cute little nose scrunching up before she schools over her face. I instantly start making plans to move somewhere else. Perhaps a remote cabin in the woods? Away from crowds and the oppressive heat? Something with an incredible view, of course. I can picture the two of us sipping coffee on the back porch every morning.
“No, not really,” Pia sighs, pulling me back into the moment. “It was just so busy, and we were stuck in traffic forever. I couldn’t stand to have to sit in that every day anytime that I wanted to go to the grocery store or something. Plus, there’s not really any room for Penny.”
She nods, and the rest of our food appears at the window. We each take as many of the plates as we can and head over to the nearest picnic table to sit down.
She looks so young as she looks around at all of the treats, and that same instinctual feeling as earlier takes hold. My girl needs someone to watch over her, to guide her, to encourage her to live her best life. I want to be that someone more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
“What should we try first?” I ask.
Her eyes light up as she reaches for the funnel cake. She tears off a small piece, getting powdered sugar all over her fingers, and I watch as she brings the cake to her mouth. When she smiles at me and licks the remaining powdered sugar from her fingers, I can’t help but moan.
