“Can I wear it?” she asked, pointing at the Frozen backpack slung across my back.
“Sure, princess.” I handed it to her, helping her put her little arms through the straps. She was a tiny five-year-old, and the backpack looked nearly as big as her. But she didn’t seem to care. It held everything that was hers now. I needed to buy her more clothes once I got back.
“Hey, man,” Jude called from the front door. “Just a heads-up. Sage and Lina are here, too. Romy invited them.”
That explained the UTV. I heaved a breath, preparing myself to face Lina. After our run-in this morning in the kitchen, I had to jump in the shower again to take care of my throbbing cock that only Lina seemed to cause. I had a feeling I’d be rubbing one out every morning for the foreseeable future now that we were going to be sharing a space.
I shrugged as if it didn’t matter to me, even though it 100 percent did.
Penn gripped my hand, her tiny fingers wrapping around my wrist to hide behind my arm as I followed Jude inside. I’d spent many hours a day helping to finish their house, but this was my first time stepping inside and seeing it fully furnished.
We walked into the open concept first floor, where the living room flowed right into the open kitchen and dining room. Romy stirred a pot of red sauce, while Sage and Lina sat at the large island, sipping glasses of wine. They were laughing about something.
My eyes immediately went to Lina. God, she looked fucking beautiful. Her warm, brown waves draped over bare shoulders, and a tight, black tank top left nothing to the imagination about the curves underneath. Fuck, I wanted to run my hands along them. I don’t think I’d ever understand what she did to me. It was as though she put a spell on me that night I brought her home from the bar in Joseph. And it never broke.
She was wearing makeup tonight, her lashes dark and her lips shining with gloss. Her brown eyes flicked my way and the laughter died, but her eyes still sparkled. A rush of hope filled my chest at the thought they sparkled for me.
“This must be Penelope,” Romy said, coming over to us. I noticed then she had their baby girl wrapped up in an infant carrier on her chest.
“Is that a baby?” Penn asked.
My eyes flicked back to Lina. Sage was talking to her, but her eyes kept sliding back to me, her lips resting on the rim of her wine glass with a slight smile. Knowing that smile could be directed at Penn for any reason made me want to make Lina listen to reason and not hate me anymore. The thought of her caring for Penn had my mind fucking twisted.
“Yep.” Romy crouched in front of my daughter. “Do you want to see her?”
Penn peered into the infant carrier. “Aw, she’s so cute. What’s her name?”
“Charli.” Romy smiled at Penn.
“Is she one year old?” Penn asked.
Romy laughed. “No, she’s only six weeks old.”
Penn’s eyes grew. “She’s so tiny. Does she know how to play yet?”
Romy shook her head. “Not yet, but I bet I can help you hold her later.”
“Do I get my own room?” Penn asked, changing the subject and looking down the hallway off the great room.
“I’ll show you so you can drop off your stuff,” Jude offered, leading us to the stairs.
“I better get going,”Lina said, excusing herself from the table.
“Oh yeah? Do you have a hot date or something?” Jude teased.
Lina flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Did you see the fucking shoes I walked in with? Do you really think I’m going to milk cows in these heels?”
“Okay, smart-ass, there are children present,” Jude said, clearing plates.
“Dude, you just said smart-ass,” she shot back, rolling her eyes.
Jude grimaced. “Touché! Sorry,” he said to me.
I shrugged, dismissing his apology. “She’s growing up around cowboys.”
“See! He doesn’t care,” Lina said, her toe bumping mine under the table for what had to be the tenth time tonight. Was she doing it on purpose? She sure was doing everything possible to avoid eye contact while we ate our spaghetti.
“Daddy, what’s a smart-ass? Is it someone who has a nice butt?” Penn asked beside me.
