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I didn’t want to go up to his private area.I’d wait until he came down to leave.
“Well, lead the way to the kitchen.I could eat a cupcake or two.Let’s go make some.”
Sarah’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together.“Okay!”
I hurried behind her as she ran from the room with Belladonna on her heels.
Six
Wilder
The smell of cupcakes baking filled the downstairs as I reached the bottom step.Instead of going into the kitchen, I headed for the front door to leave my suitcase before facing Oakley and telling Sarah bye.She had been so happy since I’d agreed to have Oakley come stay with her that it was hard to be mad about it.
However, knowing Oakley was now in my home, in my space, cooking in my kitchen, the annoyance was back.For Sarah’s sake, I wouldn’t let that show.
It wasn’t like I had a reason to be pissed.Sarah wanted to see Oakley, and the fact that she was here had given me my daughter back in many ways.She had talked more this week.She laughed and smiled.There was less watching television and more drawing, planning what they were going to do while Oakley was here, and just being a kid.She had even made a friend at school.
I knew I owed all that to Oakley coming here, but, damn, I hated that she made my daughter happy.If it were anyone else, I’d be offering to pay them to move into one of the guest bedrooms and live here.Seeing as it was Oakley, that was a hardhell no.
My eyes always seemed to have a mind of their own when it came to that woman.The moment I stepped into the kitchen, they locked on her.There was a streak of flour on her face and some chocolate icing on her chin.Her smile was so damn big as she helped Sarah measure out sugar for another bowl of what I assumed was more icing that I felt that kick in my chest.The one only Oakley could inspire and had been causing since she had been sixteen years old.
Belladonna was lying on the tiled floor, watching them with complete interest, and only glanced at me briefly.She still wasn’t sure she cared for me, and that was mostly my fault.I hadn’t taken time to form a relationship with the dog.
Oakley stuck her finger in the mixing bowl, then smeared orange-colored icing across Sarah’s cheek.The giggles that erupted from my daughter eased the tension that having Oakley here triggered.
The blue eyes that had drawn me in the first time I laid eyes on her lifted to meet mine, and the smile on her face wavered.She wasn’t thrilled to see me.
Dammit, why did she have to be so fucking beautiful?Wasn’t time supposed to age women?It was damn time Oakley started aging.Losing some of whatever the hell it was that made my knees weak.
“Wilder,” she said, forcing a smile that didn’t meet her eyes.
I walked farther into the kitchen.“Looks like the two of you are having fun,” I said, focusing on my daughter.
Sarah was grinning from ear to ear.
“Hey, Dad!We are making jack-o’-lantern cupcakes, and then we are going to make popcorn balls and homemade pizza before we watchHocus Pocus!”
I kept forgetting it was October.Even with all the ridiculous fall decorations the rest of the neighborhood had up, reminding me daily.I hadn’t done anything fall-like with Sarah.Should I have asked her what she wanted to do?Fuck.I had to get better at this.
“Sounds like a good time,” I replied.
“Are you about to leave?”Sarah asked.
“Yeah, I need to head out,” I told her.
I was flying Garrett Hughes and his wife in his helicopter to one of his resorts for the evening.Then, I had to head to Las Vegas to look over security at the casino owned by the family.They’d had a breach, and I was supposed to take over their cyber data security, like I had with the Hughes hotel in Ocala.None of which I could explain to Sarah.She was too young to know what I did.If I could always keep it from her, I would.Working for the Southern Mafia wasn’t something you wanted to share with your daughter.
Sarah wiped her hands on a towel, then ran over to hug me.She’d been doing that more and more this week.I bent down and held her close to me.
“Have fun with your aunt Oakley,” I told her, already knowing that was a done deal.
Clearly, Oakley knew how to entertain a little girl better than I did.
“I will!”she assured me.“We will save you some of the treats we make.”
“Good.I look forward to eating them all when I get home.”
She laughed, then dropped her arms and stepped back.“Have a good trip,” she said before turning to go back to the mixing bowl.
