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Mikel nodded his head. “They can grow a human being inside them, and then birth that baby into the world. No man can do that.”
“Whoa! Mommy has that superpower,” Lyra said excitedly.
“She sure does. She’s a goddess.” He swiped the dark hair from Lyra’s little face, tucking it behind her small ear.
The way he tenderly cared for her and showered her with his attention made Remy feel like her heart was about to burst. This was what she’d wanted for her daughter: a daddy who would love and care for her. This was the family she’d imagined all those years ago as she cried herself to sleep.
Lyra yawned, leaning into his arm. He pulled her against his chest and then held her as her little hand rested over his heart. It was past her bedtime, but Remy didn’t have it in her to stop their animated conversations.
“I just can’t believe this is real.” He looked down at Lyra as her eyelids fluttered closed. The way his muscular, tattooed arms held their child was reverent. “You made a dream come true I didn’t even know I had,” he said as she met his gaze.
Flutters filled her belly as tears prickled her eyes. She wiped them away before they fell. He reached out his open palm for hers. She placed her hand in his.
“I’m truly sorry I caused you so much pain back then, and all these years since. I wasn’t right in my mind and I acted so selfishly.”
“I appreciate that. I’m sorry I couldn’t … that I didn’t …” She struggled to find the right words to convey the mountain of pent-up emotions and regrets.
His thumb gently caressed her hand. “I had a lot of fun tonight. I love that she’s so full of questions.”
Remy chuckled, thankful for his change of subject.
She studied his face, now rimmed with a short beard. He seemed older not only in looks, but in his eyes. They seemed softer somehow.
“I better get her home to bed.”
He nodded, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.
“I can pay,” she offered.
He shook his head and pulled out a few twenties before placing them on the table. “I got it. You and Lyra are mine to take care of. I haven’t been able to before, but that changes now.”
How could that statement make her feel loved and angry at the same time? “I can take care of myself, and Lyra.”
He stood, their daughter not even stirring from the movement. “Never said you couldn’t, darlin’. You’ve been doing it all this time and rocking it like the queen you are. But now you don’t have to. Now I’m here to share the responsibility and pick up the slack.”
She felt exposed. Like his words had swooped in and wrecked all her defenses. Was Mikel really the man she always knew he could be? Was it too late?
