“Not yet.”
He leaned over, picked up the girls, and came to the counter. Hailey laughed when she saw the chocolate hand imprint on his white shirt. “What?” He looked down, and when he saw it, his expression grew thoughtful. She wondered if that shirt meant something to him. She was ready to suggest spraying it with stain remover when he said, “That’s my next tat.” He set Paisley down. “Come on, my chocolate monster.” And brought Evvie to the sink.
“I not a monster.”
He washed her hands. “No, you’re the smartest, most interesting person I’ve ever met.”
They continued to chat quietly, as though the world hadn’t shifted beneath her feet. But it had. Warmth spilled into her, spreading everywhere. She didn’t know why his simple statement had affected her so profoundly. Maybe it was the permanence of it, the fact that he would ink this little girl’s handprint…
It was about the sexiest thing she’d ever heard.
And the fact that he hadn’t told Evvie she was pretty or fun? He seemed to intuitively understand exactly what a young woman needed to hear to bolster her sense of herself.
How he thought he wasn’t good with kids was a mystery.
He barely had a chance to dry the three-year-old’s hands, when she took off into the living room, shouting, “Pesents.”
With the girls out of the kitchen, she finally got him all to herself. “Good morning.”
He gave her that hungry look that made her go all hot and restless. And then he kissed her. Lightly, sweetly, but with a hint of what was to come. “Morning.” She loved that gravelly, deep voice and couldn’t wait to hear it in the dark of his bedroom.
“Last night was amazing.”
He didn’t answer, just grabbed her ass and hauled her up against him. Lifting her onto the counter, he put his big, warm hands on her cheeks and kissed her.
What his mouth and tongue and hands told her spoke so much louder than words. She wasn’t sure she’d believe them anyway. But his grip, his passion, his voraciousness—she heard it loud and clear—and it made her swoon.
The girls squealed, and a second later, they heard a deep voice call, “Merry Christmas.”
Slowly, she pulled away, kissing him softly one, two, three more times. “Your dad’s here. We should go.”
“Are those for me?” she heard the older girl ask.
“Some of them are. Here. Go put these under the tree.”
Hailey shook her head. “He broughtmore?”
He just grinned. “Of course, he did. It’s Christmas.” He stepped back, helping her drop to her feet. “The others were from Santa. Come on.”
Just as they headed out of the kitchen, Evvie slammed into them. “Twevor here. Pesents now.”
“I know, I know.” Hailey cradled the back of her head. “We’re coming.”
Paisley hurried toward Trevor, a few sloppily wrapped gifts in her hand. “These are for you.”
“Me?” Trevor asked.
“Yes,” Paisley said. “We made them.”
“Youmademe something?” Trevor asked, voice full of awe. “I’m so excited.”
Both girls were jumping around, and Trevor joined them. It was hilarious. She was about to join them, when Cole reached for her. “Before we go and get lost in all the mayhem of the holiday, I want you to know that this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”
“Me, too.” She had so much she wanted to ask him.
What’s happening here?
Are we falling in love?