He’s right, I’m still thinking like the old Layla. We’ve started fresh, and the new me can do anything, so what am I waiting for?
* * *
Alaric always keeps his promises. It’s one thing I’m coming to love about him. He’s not home late tonight so he cooks for us, laughing and joking with Zoey as she watches. I nurse a small glass of red wine, unable to stop the smile on my lips.
She’s happy; she’s laughing. There’s no more worry or pain for her. She’s adapted to this life like she was built for it, and it only assures me I did the right thing.
Alaric catches my eye and winks as he picks her up and spins her around before placing her on the counter to try the pasta he’s making.
How did I get so lucky?
How could someone go from being a complete stranger to . . . this?
To everything?
After eating together like a proper family—something Zoey said—I take a bath. When I get out, I can’t find either of them, so I wander to Zoey’s room. I stop outside her door, and my mouth drops open in shock. I lean against the doorframe, silently watching.
He’s perched on the edge of her bed which she’s tucked into. “Please?” she begs, thrusting a book at him.
“Aren’t you too old for bedtime stories, kid?”
“Nope.” She pops the P on the end, pushing the book into his lap while wiggling excitedly under the covers.
She is too old for it, and we all know it.
But even though she’s probably just messing with him, pushing the boundaries to see exactly how far he’s willing to go, there is also an expectant twinkle in her eyes that says she hopes he’ll submit to her every wish and be the father figure she has been deprived of all her life.
He hesitates, and he’s obviously uncomfortable, but since it’s obvious he can’t seem to deny her anything, he takes the book out of her hands. Cracking it open, he clears his throat and starts to read, leaning his back against her bed frame. He gets so into it he switches voices and does hand gestures. It’s adorable to watch, and Zoey’s face just lights up. She giggles and urges him on, and it’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her. She’s a child again, not a solemn, worried, too old for her age, but an actual child.
And for that alone, I owe him everything.
He was wrong. I didn’t give him a family or a future; he gave me one.
Eventually the story finishes and he closes the book. “Another?” she begs.
He grins and leans in. “Tomorrow?” he promises.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she retorts but settles down. “Goodnight, Ric.”
He stills at the nickname, a bright, wide smile growing on his handsome face. “Goodnight, little Zoey.” He stands and freezes when he spots me.
“Thank you,” I mouth.
Winking, he turns off the light and wraps me in his arms. “Come on, baby girl, time for bed.” There is no ulterior motive in that, yet my pussy clenches.
Stepping back, I smirk at him confidently. I need to show him that I crave him.
Need him.
“You’ll have to catch me first,” I dare and turn to race up the stairs. I hear his laugh as he gives me a head start.
“I’m coming, little Layla, and when I catch you, you’re mine!” he yells, and then I hear his booted feet as he sprints after me. He’s faster than I could have imagined, and I giggle as I slide down the hallway.
I should have known he would catch me. His arms wrap around my waist just as I reach the door to our room, lifting me easily off my feet. “Got you,” he growls in my ear. “Now . . . what should I do with you?”
“Fuck me, I hope,” I purr as he turns me. I wrap my legs and arms around him, grinning as he marches us into our bedroom and shuts the door without even looking.
“That’s always the plan, love,” he replies, and the next thing I know, I’m spun. I expect to land on the bed, but instead, my feet hit the carpet and my chest is pressed to the glass windows that line the front of our room. The contrast of the cool panes against my overheated skin makes me jolt and gasp as I push back into him. The desire I’ve been feeling since he handed me my future with a quick kiss and a promise, coupled with watching his caring nature with Zoey . . . Well, let’s just say I’ve been a bundle of nerves all afternoon. My panties have been damp for hours as I’ve tried to ignore my need for this man.