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“My toys are none of your business.”
Evie snorts. “No men in three years?”
“I learned my lesson.” Though I’d never regret having Ophelia. The survival mode and nonexistent babysitters weren’t conducive to my dating profile.
“Oh, honey,” she says in a sober tone.
“Save the pity and go play with your niece. I’m hanging up now. I’ll be by later.”
“Good luck!” she sing-songs before we disconnect.
The smile remains etched into my face. I can’t believe how long I denied having her in my corner. Gaining back one person makes everything that happened yesterday worth the turmoil. This spontaneous decision continues to conjure inklings of good things to come. I can feel it.
I lay my phone on the sink beside the pile of clothes I deposited there before my shower and locate my underwear. A frown chases away the smile. The pile now looks incredibly thin. Where the heck is my shirt? I swear I pulled the powder blue Henley from my bag and brought it in here. With a grunt of frustration, I yank open the bathroom door.
There.
The dumb shirt lies halfway between the bedroom and the bathroom.
I scoop it off the floor with an automatic huff just as the apartment door flies open. Dane looks to the kitchen, whipping his head back when he notices me standing frozen in a towel. Our eyes lock for a brief second before he skims down my unclothed body. We barely know one other, only in the most intimate ways but nothing about who we are as people, but I swear his face fills with no small amount of heat. An identical flame flickers within me.
“I’m sorry!” I call over my shoulder while I scamper back to the bathroom.
“Do you mind putting some fucking clothes on?”
The towel pools at my feet, and I jam the shirt over my head. “I was trying to,” I grumble beneath my breath. Once all my body parts are contained in their proper clothing, I yank open the door, only to find myself alone once again. “Dane?”
“In here.”
Apprehension fills me on my way to his bedroom, not knowing what’ll come once I get there. Dane sits on the edge of his bed, a frame clutched in his hand.
“How’d you sleep?”
I shrug. “Fine,” I answer, keeping this morning’s sensations to myself.
“Here.” He thrusts it in my general direction without raising his head.
“Oh.” The frame holds a picture of Dane around Ophelia’s age with a woman I presume to be his mother. His resemblance to our daughter is irrefutable. If we cut her hair, they’d look like twins.
“As you can see, I knew she was mine the second you showed up on my doorstep. All I need to know is why you’re here.”
“Is this your mom?”
He nods. “Why are you here, Caiti? Is someone sick, or are the two of you in danger? Because I can’t think of why, after all this time, you’d show up with my kid without even figuring out a way to call.”
My fingers remain curled around the frame. “I should have tracked you down. I’m sorry I didn’t know how.”
“Tell me now.” His soft voice triggers the words to flow.
“I remember everything about our night together.” Heat creeps into my cheeks. That simple statement sends images flooding through the barrier. Gasps and moans. Skin set ablaze with touches and exploration. “You don’t want kids. I thought I lived far enough away that you wouldn’t have to find out.” I don’t know why, but I skip the catalyst for sending me across the country and keep the weird text messages to myself.
“So you went at it alone?”
Sticky saliva slows my response. “I made the decision to keep her, and I already knew your position. I figured I could handle being a single mom. But the grief…I didn’t have enough time to heal. She was a good distraction, but as you saw yesterday, I’m not one-hundred percent.”
Dane shifts forward on the bed as if he’s trying to hold himself back from standing. He wipes his palms on his jeans. A heated admiration shifts his features. “Did you have any help?”
A humorless laugh escapes before I can smother it. I move my gaze to the far corner of the room and numbly search for the vial around my neck. “My parents couldn’t stand the thought of a bastard child tarnishing their reputation. They wanted me to put her up for adoption or to beg you to marry me. When I refused both, they cut all ties.”
“You’re shitting me.” I glance back in time to see a stormy cloud move over his face.
“I don’t want to be here, Dane, standing in front of you and admitting I’m a failure in multiple ways. I never wanted to drag you into this. I also didn’t want to keep her from you to hurt you. If you can even try to believe, I did it for you.”
Three lines appear between his brows. “For me?” The gravelly tone stokes a fire in my belly. Unable to hold himself back any longer, he stands. A foot of distance separates us, but with the intensity he’s looking at me, I feel mere centimeters away.
“I’m sorry.” The inadequate apology is all I have to offer.
His hands clench into fists at his side. “I can’t remember the last time someone’s done something for me.”
The admission shocks me into silence.
“Even as fucked up as this is…” He chuckles without humor. Dane captures my gaze. “I want to kiss you so damn bad.”
“I’m not here to be with you.” I’ve had my one love of my life. This is about a co-parenting partnership and keeping our daughter out of harm’s way. Nothing more.
“Are you sure about that?” His tone lowers to a decibel that provokes an electric sizzle.
“I’m sure. She deserves her dad.”
“And what about you?”
“What?” I take a half-step back.
“What do you deserve?”
“I have my daughter. She’s all I could ever ask for.”
Dane matches my half-step with a full step of his own. “You made sacrifices. For me. You might have gone about them in the wrong way, but I don’t miss your intention.”
My breath hitches. “I kept memories from you. Precious firsts you’ll never get back.”
“Or maybe you’ve given me firsts I never, ever thought I’d want.”
