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Giselle will be mine.
And what about wanting more children?A tiny voice questions me. Lately, Ashlyn has been hinting about a baby sister she could dance ballet with. She’s always full of stories about her friends’ siblings. But I’m not keen on having more children. Ashlyn is more than enough for me, and I intend to keep my relationship with Giselle away from her. My role as a father to my daughter will be separate. They should not meet. Things could go wrong, causing untold heartache for Ashlyn.
Giselle’s class has come to an end, and I wonder if it is wise to approach her to ask her for a date. Ashlyn’s class is ending any minute now, and I don’t want her to see me with Giselle. No doubt my daughter will question me, and I don’t make it a habit of lying to her. She should be shielded and separate from a potential girlfriend, at least for now. Giselle and I will take it slow, so I can see how the relationship develops before deciding whether to tell Ashlyn. I wouldn’t want her to get close to Giselle and get her heart broken again if we don’t work out.
My brooding is interrupted when Giselle comes out of the dance studio and spots me. Is it my imagination or did her green eyes just light up? Encouraged by her reaction, I take a step forward to go to her.
“Dad!”
Damn!
I whirl around immediately, and a smiling Ashlyn runs to me.
“It’s pizza time.”
I laugh. “Was that all you thought about when dancing?”
“Of course!”
“I bet you didn’t dance well because you were distracted.”
She shakes her head. “I did. Ms. Collins praised me for dancing so well.”
I put my arms akimbo and give her a pretend thoughtful look. “Are you sure about that?”
Her smile widens. “You could go and ask her. She’s inside the studio.”
I cup her cheek. “I believe you, sugarplum.”
She rolls her eyes. “Duh.”
Laughing, I raise my head to search for Giselle. A frown contorts my face when I see her rushing into the elevator with other dancers. I yearn to go after her, but that would mean introducing her to Ashlyn. And knowing my daughter, she’d be full of questions I don’t have answers to yet. Besides, Giselle might just behave the same way she did at the museum. I don’t wish for us to be in the spotlight.
Perhaps it’s for the best. If only I could get my head to accept that.
CHAPTER8
GISELLE
Unbelievable!
Miles has a daughter? He’s married? Bastard!
I stare unseeing at the other ladies in the elevator as it closes. I should have simply taken the stairs to the floor below to pick up Maddie from her class, but the shock of seeing Miles and then hearing the cute girl call himDadmade escaping my only thought.
Conversations whirl around me, but I stand there frozen, wondering if I didn’t imagine the whole scene. It’s a coincidence that his daughter also takes ballet lessons at Alvin Ailey, though not too surprising. It’s one of the best dance schools in the city, after all.
“Um, please excuse me,” I say to the lady in front of me before reaching around her to punch the button to the floor below. I almost forgot to do so, and it would have surely taken me to the ground floor. Little Maddie must be waiting and wondering where I am.
Quickly, I step out of the elevator and force a smile when I see her chatting animatedly with a friend.
“Aunt Gigi,” she calls with delight, and I remember how the blond-haired girl called Miles.
Miles is married! That piece of information refuses to penetrate my consciousness. But having a daughter doesn’t necessarily mean he’s married, does it?
I shake my head. Surely, he must be, because it’s now clear why he snuck out that morning without leaving his number. Only a man hurrying to get home to his wife and daughter and not wanting further contact with his misdemeanor would do that.
“Aunt Gigi?”
