“After the show, baby girl, promise,” I said, ruffling her blonde hair.
She'd gotten her blonde curls from her mama, but her big, brown eyes were all me.
“You’re gonna knock em dead, sweetheart,” Shannon said.
“Thank you,” I said, kissing her on the cheek.
“Be careful driving in the rain baby. I’d drive you myself, but I need to be there early for setup, and you’d be bored to death waiting for us. Just remember, there's a band on before me, so no need to rush.”
“Thank you, babe. We won’t wait too long. I want to get the best seat in the house. Hey, have I told you lately how proud I am of you?” Her blue eyes sparkling as she took my hand and squeezed it tight.
“You work all day in the fields, and then burn the midnight oil at night in practice. I don’t know how you do it. I'm in awe of you. Really babe.”
“You're both worth it, trust me. Besides, Paul’s my helping hand, and he helps to pick up where I leave off every day. Don’t know what I’d do without him.”
Shannon passed a delicious platter of meatloaf my way, and I loaded my plate up with steamed veggies on the side, along with a healthy dollop of mashed potatoes. She'd been trying to get me to eat greens for a while now, so I humored her and put a few pieces of broccoli on my plate – hidden behind the mountain-sized mound of mashed potatoes.
Shannon chuckled but didn't say anything, and I winked at her. “Hey, at least I'm eating some greens. Baby steps, darlin'.”
“Baby steps,” she said with a grin and chuckled at my comment. It always filled me up to see her laugh. Her smile went all the way to her eyes.
God, she was beautiful.
We had been high school sweethearts. Friends told us, first love, never last, but there we were – happily married with a daughter, and many more babies in our future – if I had my way.
I'd inherited my dad's grand ranch after he passed. It was a lot of upkeep, but it provided a good, steady living. We had a roof over our heads and food on our table, but I wanted more for my family. I wanted Ava to grow up knowing that she could follow her dreams, whatever those would be.
My dreams were obvious. Outside of being a father and husband, I wanted to play music – and make a living doing it. Sure, ranch life was nice, but music was what brought me to life.
As we ate, Shannon had to urge Ava to eat more veggies. The apple didn't fall too far from the tree.
“I wrote a song for you,” I said, looking directly at Shannon.
“You did?” she said, her cheeks flushing. “Another one?”
“I saved it for tonight,” I said. “About you and baby girl. You two have make me the luckiest man alive.”
Shannon leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. Her long, silken blonde hair was pressed against my face and smelled like orange blossoms. I kissed the top of her head, and we went back to eating.
I looked at the time. “Shit,” I muttered, then I noticed Ava watching me. “You didn’t heart that from me. Sorry, darlin'. I'm running late.”
I stood, plate in hand to take it into the kitchen, but Shannon stopped me. She grabbed my arm, and I stared down into those heavenly blue eyes of hers.
“I'll get it, babe,” she said. “You go on. We'll meet you at the club.”
Leaning down, I kissed her lips, holding her face in my hands. I pulled back and looked into her eyes. So deep. So blue.
“God, I love you,” I said.
She smacked my ass gently with a coy smile on her face. “You better be up for showing me how much you love me later this evening,” she said. “Don't wear yourself out too much up on stage. I have a surprise for you tonight.”
I felt a growing tightness in my jeans as I pictured the night ahead. I imagined Shannon in her sexy little nightie, laying on our bed, waiting for me. She was the only woman I'd ever want in this world. Her sweet face stared back at me, and while she looked sweet and innocent, I knew she enjoyed being a naughty kitten behind closed doors. She was damn good at it too. She knew how to rile me up in the best way.
Ava had mashed potatoes all over her face, but I leaned down to kiss her anyway. She smeared potatoes all over my shirt and made a huge mess of things. Shannon handed me a napkin, and I tried to wipe it up, but it was all over. All I could do was laugh.
“I love you, baby girl,” I said.
“Lah you, daddy,” she said, her brown eyes cheerful and happy. I ruffled her blonde little head one last time before I hurried out the door.