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“I’ve never lived with a man other than my father. But no, when he decided to end things, there wasn’t much left to say.”
Over the years, she wondered if she should have made more of an effort to get married and have a father-figure in her daughter’s life, since Chloe’s dad had been such a loser and refused to have anything to do with them—at least, not until Chloe was five.
Around her fifth birthday, Craig had contacted her and said he wanted to get to know his daughter. When Dakota scoffed, he argued it was his right, and he’d already missed out on so much of his little girl’s life. It had almost seemed heartfelt, and finally, Dakota conceded. But when it came time to put the custody terms in writing, and he realized he was going to have to not only start paying child support, but five years’ worth of back support, he decided knowing his daughter wasn’t that important after all.
Good riddance.
In case he had another change of heart in the future, her parents’ attorney had him sign over all parental rights in exchange for her not pursuing child support.
Thank God Dakota’s dad had always been a wonderful presence and example of a man for Chloe.
Dakota hadn’t gotten pregnant at sixteen because she had daddy issues. No, it was more because she was young and dumb than anything.
But that mistake changed her life infinitely for the better.
Aiden brought her back to reality.
“That sounds nice and drama-free. I wouldn’t know anything about that.”
That made her laugh out loud. “I have far too much going on to deal with drama.”
“Yeah, well… so did I. Unfortunately, my ex-wife had more time on her hands.”
“I’m so sorry. That had to be especially hard on your girls.”
“I tried to shield them from as much as I could, but they’re not stupid. They quickly figured out what was going on. Fortunately, we made a pact not to badmouth each other, and since my ex was the one who cheated, it was in her best interest to adhere to it.”
“I think you did a good job. They seemed happy when I met them.”
“Good auras?” he teased as his fingertips traced up and down her spine.
“Beautiful, vibrant ones. It’s how I knew you were a good man and are far more bark than bite. There’s no way your daughters would be so full of joy if you were such a curmudgeon.”
His hand stopped. “Can’t I be both?”
“I think you are both.”
“I definitely am.” His hand skimmed along her back once again. “And I think I just proved my bite is legit.”
“I don’t know about your bite, but that tongue and cock of yours are one hundred percent the real deal.”
He squeezed her tight. “Damn right they are.”
Chapter Thirteen
Dakota
She slipped out of bed after a brief nap and, sensing Aiden’s exhaustion, let him sleep.
On her way to the beach, she ran into Whitney and could tell right away she needed to talk and steered her into the kitchen.
“I think I upset Steven with my ‘no kids’ declaration and now things are weird between us,” Whitney lamented.
“He did seem surprised.”
Whitney admitted during their heartfelt conversation she didn’t think she was worthy of true happiness. Which was utter bullshit; Whitney was one of the kindest souls she knew. Dakota tried to help her friend see that the Universe only wanted good things for her—it had nothing to do with deservedness and more to do with what she had been willing to accept.
“So, knowing you can have everything you want,” Dakota said, “you need to ask yourself, what do you want?”
