“Larkin, let’s head home, baby.”
Larkin smiled at Darian and hugged Eve quickly. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Just ask your dadd— Patrick, for our number.”
Eve nodded, carefully set the dolls in a neat row, and stood. Brylee gave her a quick hug before taking Gage’s hand.
All that was left were Patrick and Eve. They stood and stared at each other.
He walked to the closet and came out with a nightgown, holding it out to her.
“Why don’t you take a shower and get dressed for bed? I’ll be in to check on you in a bit. Is there anything you need before I go, baby?”
Eve clutched at the cloth in her hands and shook her head.
“All right. Call for me if you need anything. I’ll be right next door.”
Chapter Six
She bit her lip as Patrick closed the bedroom door behind him. Standing in the middle of the room, she looked around. She was thinking that any minute she’d wake up and know it was all a dream. The thought of knowing it wasn’t real tore at something in her heart.
She made her way into the bathroom attached to her room. It was pink like the bedroom and just as beautiful. She showered, brushed her teeth, and pulled on the gown. Then she took a good look at herself in the mirror and grimaced. Her hair looked horrible. It was all different lengths and choppy. Her father hadn’t done a good job cutting it, but then he hadn’t cared how it looked. She was afraid if there had been hair shears handy, she would have been bald.
Eve wondered if she could ask for a pair of scissors and see if she could make it look better. Her father had cut it over a month before, and it had already started to grow out. It wouldn’t look as bad if she could make it even.
She turned off the bathroom light and walked into the bedroom. The overhead light was off, but the light by the bed sent a warm glow through the room. She noticed the bed had also been turned down.
She leaned up against the headboard and had just pulled the blanket up to her chest when a knock sounded on her door. “Come in,” she called out.
Patrick opened the door and smiled. He took several steps to the bed and sat on the side by her hip.
“How are you doing, baby?”
“Good.”
“It’s been a long, eventful day, hasn’t it?”
“It’s been the best day of my life, sir.”
****
Patrick felt equal parts happy he’d given her that but then was pissed that it took so little to make her happy.
“I’d like you to call me Patrick if you could.”
A spark of excitement and joy brightened her eyes.
“Would you like me to read a bit to you?”
Her eyes filled.
He scooched up to sit beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
She wiped the tears that ran down her cheeks. “No, it just made me think of my mother. She used to read to me. She died in a car accident a long time ago.”
He didn’t say anything. There was time to inform her that her mother was alive and very much wanted to be a part of her life.
“How about you go pick out a book,” he told her.
She nodded and scrambled off the bed. It took her a good five minutes to pick one out because there were so many.