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“As you should.” Nolan could relate. He was proud of and grateful for every one of his children and their spouses and especially his granddaughter Sunny. She and Kiera brought him such happiness.
“Can you swim now?” Kiera asked.
“Yes, love.”
“I wish Ray and Macey and Jenn and T would’ve come,” Kiera moaned, swirling in the water. “Then we could play chicken wars.”
Nolan had observed his sons and their spouses getting very close physically when they played Kiera’s favorite game of chicken wars. The thought of doing the same with Madeline made heat pulse through his veins.
“I’ll race you instead,” Madeline told her.
“You know how to swim?”
Madeline chuckled. “Swim team in secondary school and at the university. I swim several evenings a week at the gymnasium.”
“Let’s do it.”
Nolan watched this interaction with interest. When Madeline untied her coverup and dropped it on a chair, he stared with an open mouth and unapparelled fascination.
She caught his gaze wandering over her beautiful shape and tossed her shoulder-length blonde hair. “Are you all right, King Nolan?” she asked in a sassy tone.
“Forgive me.” He passed a hand over his face, hoping he didn’t look like an inexperienced young man. He certainly felt that way.
“What is it?” she asked, a purr in her tone that made warmth spark in his chest. “You can tell me. We’re a team now, remember?”
He chuckled at her throwing his lines back at him. He hadn’t said them so capriciously.
“You are unbelievably fit,” he said, letting his eyes appreciate the way her lean form filled out her one-piece blue suit.
“Thank you. I’ve worked hard to become so.”
He chuckled.
“Are you coming?” Kiera asked.
Madeline smiled at him, turned, and dove into the pool. She surfaced, took a breath, and swam with a quick stroke past Kiera.
Kiera gave a happy cry and took up pursuit. Nolan watched them swim a few lengths. They took a break to laugh and tease about who was faster, and then they took off swimming again. Kiera readily accepted everyone but he felt a special connection between her and Madeline.
As they approached where he stood, he dove in, angling underneath Madeline and surfacing to swoop Kiera out of the water.
“Pops!” she cried out, happy as always. “Throw me!”
Kiera was an interesting mix of little girl, mature adult because she was around adults too often, and teenager. Nolan tried not to baby her, but he liked when she was his little girl. He wasn’t ready for her to grow up.
He launched her into the air. She hit the water with a terrific splash.
Kiera popped up and swam back to him. “Again, please. But this time, can we make a trick out of it?”
“Of course we can.” She stood on his legs, and he threw her into a controlled launch. She twisted and flipped before diving into the water.
Madeline watched them with a sweet smile on her face. With her hair wet and slicked back, the exotic beauty of her high cheekbones and glowing emerald eyes was even more pronounced.
He threw Kiera several more times, and then his daughter turned to Madeline. “Pops should throw you.”
“Oh, sweet girl, I am much too old to throw.”
“You’re old?” Kiera looked her over, her brow creased with confusion. “You don’t look old. You look younger than Pops, and he’s very strong and young for a dad.”
