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“Hi, Duke.” Tess moved slowly toward the puppy, wary of the slippery path. She extended her hand, and Duke snuffled it happily, then yanked me toward her. I stumbled and righted myself. Tess giggled in delight as she stroked him while his tail waggled wildly.
“Good morning,” Nate said.
I met his eyes, and my stomach flipped over at the sight of something unexpected in his gaze. An odd light that heated my insides more effectively than my jacket or gloves ever could. “Morning. Are you ready for this walk?”
“The sooner we get moving again, the better. My nose is already frozen just from getting over here.”
As I drew nearer to him, I saw that the tip of his nose was endearingly pink.
“Don’t say anything,” he muttered.
My lips twitched, but I didn’t say a word.
“Can I walk Duke?” Tess asked as we started ambling along the path and joined the sidewalk.
I exchanged a glance with Nate, who gave a slight nod. “Of course you can. Just make sure you keep a strong grip on the leash, and if he starts to pull too much, pass it to your dad or me.”
“Okay.”
I handed her the leash and showed her how to wrap it around her forearm so that Duke couldn’t take off suddenly and pull it from her hands. She paid close attention, checking to make sure she’d done it right twice before she was comfortable to continue walking. I crossed my fingers that Duke wouldn’t do anything crazy.
“She’ll be fine,” Nate murmured, apparently noticing my concern. “She’s had practice with Daisy.”
I side-eyed him. “Daisy isn’t a Rottweiler.”
“Maybe not,” he conceded. “But she’s a full-grown dog. Duke is only a puppy.”
“True.”
Still, I kept a close eye on them, and it didn’t take long to see that Duke was being the perfect gentleman. In fact, he was more obedient with Tess than he’d been with me. Something loosened in my chest. It was nice to know I wouldn’t need to worry about him around children.
It only took a few minutes to get to the golf course. By the time we’d circled half of it, Tess handed the leash back to me so she could warm her hands in her pockets. She stuck close to us even when Nate said she could stretch her legs if she wanted to. She was just that kind of kid.
I adored her.
I’d feared when she was born that I might hate her for tying Nate to another woman, but I needn’t have worried. The first time I’d held her, I’d fallen for her with my whole heart. Not only because she was a piece of Nate, but because she was willing to love everything and everyone around her unconditionally. As she’d gotten older, I’d become her favorite person to talk to about books. Neither of her parents was a reader, so we’d bonded over our shared passion.
“Have you read anything interesting lately?” I asked, pausing while Duke sniffed the base of a tree.
Tess was quiet while she thought. “I read a really cool book about a group of friends with ponies who solved a mystery.”
“That sounds great,” I exclaimed. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”
She went into detail recounting the story while we completed our circuit of the golf course and emerged back onto the sidewalk. I listened, enjoying not so much her words as her obvious love for reading. It made me happy.
We stopped when we reached the corner where we usually parted. From here, it was only a few blocks to each of our homes.
“Tess and I thought we’d visit her Nana and Grandpa,” Nate said, nodding toward a different street that led to the Braddock’s childhood home. “Want to come with us? We can warm up in their outdoor hot tub.”
“Ooh, yes!” Tess squealed. “I love the hot tub! Please come. It’ll be better with you there.”
My innards turned to marshmallow. I was nothing but fluff when it came to this gorgeous man and his wonderful daughter. “I’d love to, but what about Duke?”
Nate shrugged. “Mum and Dad will be happy to mind him. Hell, maybe he’ll want to join us in the tub.”
“Ew!” Tess protested. “No, Dad. Duke is not coming in the tub with us.”
“He’s not,” I agreed. “Are you sure your parents won’t mind?”
