“What the hell? She’s not dating until she’s thirty,” I laugh.
“You can’t keep her locked away in some tower,” Kinley argues.
“The hell I can’t,” Aaron and I say at the same time.
Kinley just rolls those pretty brown eyes of hers, the smile never falling from her lips.
I feel some of the stress of the week fade away. I know without a doubt that these two will be with my little girl and me every step of the way.
“McKinley, is that you?” Mike, the owner of this place and a longtime friend of mine, says as he steps up to the booth.
“Hey!” Kinley removes her arm from around my shoulder and climbs out of the booth to give him a hug.
“When did you get back in town?” he asks as his eyes devour her. I want to be pissed, but I find myself doing the same thing. She’s wearing a tank top that makes her tits look incredible, a pair of short blue jean shorts, and a pair of cowboy boots. Fuck me. I knew looking was a bad idea, but I did it anyway.
Focusing my attention on Mike, I ask, “Hey, can you get us all another round?” I lift my beer bottle and give it a little shake.
“Sure, man.” He points to the small stage across the room. “Live band tonight. Kinley, you need to save a dance for me.” He winks at her and walks away.
I look over at Aaron and he’s watching me. “You see that guy?” I ask.
“Hmm,” is all he says.
Kinley takes her seat next to me in the booth. “So, now that we know you’re having a little girl, we can get started on the room. That is if you still want my help.”
“Definitely. I have no idea where to start,” I confess.
“Well, we looked at furniture, so now you just need to decide which set you want. Are you thinking girly-girl room, or are you going to make her into a tomboy?” she laughs.
I think about her question. Fuck me, I’m at a loss here. “Honestly, I just want her happy and healthy. If she wants to be a tomboy I’m good with it. If she wants all the girly frilly stuff, I’m good with that too.” I’m way out of my element.
“Awe, you got this dad stuff down already,” she says.
“Tell you what. Why don’t you decorate the room or nursery or whatever it’s called. I’m good with whatever you decide. We can go shopping, or better yet, I can give you my credit card and you can have it delivered to the house.”
“Seriously? I can do whatever I want?” she verifies.
“Yes. I trust you and I have no idea where to start. You would be doing me a favor. The only thing I want to pick out is the rocking chair. From what I’ve read, I’m going to be spending many nights in that thing and I want it to be comfortable.”
“Done. When can I start?”
Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out my credit card and hand it to her. “Whenever you want.”
“Fuck, man, you do realize you just gave my sister your credit card? She loves to shop,” Aaron questions my sanity.
“Yes. I’m counting on that. Misty’s at the halfway point. Twenty weeks. Five Months until my daughter arrives into the world. I have a ton to do and I trust Kinley to help me.”
She sticks her tongue out at Aaron. “See, he trusts me,” she says, sliding my credit card into her purse.
“Uh-huh,” Aaron says.
> A waitress brings our drinks and conversation of my daughter fades as Aaron and I catch Kinley up on who’s with who in our home town.
I’m nursing my second beer when I hear a loud squeal. This causes the three of us to turn our heads. Kinley’s best friend from high school, Olivia, who also happens to be Mike’s little sister, is practically sprinting toward us. Kinley squeals almost as loud and jumps up, meeting her halfway.
“Gah! I missed you so much.” She hugs her friend tight. “Why didn’t you tell me you were back in town?” Kinley asks once they reach the booth. Olivia slides in next to Aaron and places a quick kiss on his cheek. She always did have a thing for him. Aaron seems to be unaffected.
“I just got in yesterday,” Olivia explains. “I was going to call you tonight, but I wanted to stop by and check on my big brother. He’s done well with this place.”