“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a dream of my own. Lately I’ve been focused on getting the situation with the farm settled to our best advantage, figuring out where we’re going to move, and keeping us together as a family. I guess my biggest dream is for Lottie’s Lollies to grow big enough I can quit my day job and just make candy in a big kitchen that’s attached to a storefront where I sell my candy and maybe some of Carri’s crocheted animals and Tilly’s shirts or tutus.”
The tone of longing in her voice had his heart squeezing. “That sounds like a really good dream. What would it take to make that dream a reality?”
Lottie sipped on her hot chocolate instead of answering.
“Lottie? Answer Daddy’s question please.”
Lottie’s gaze shot to his and he saw tears filling her eyes. “But you’re not my Daddy,” she whispered. “And my Little is dead, remember?”
Travis had to fight the urge to shove the table aside and pull her into his lap so he could cuddle her. “That’s the thing, Lottie-love. I’d like to be your Daddy, and together I think we could breathe life back into your Little. That is, if that’s something you would be interested in?”
He forced himself to not hold his breath as he waited for her to think over his words and give him an answer. Before she could respond, the waitress approached with their tab. “I’m sorry about intruding, but we’re getting ready to close.”
Travis was surprised to find that the restaurant was empty except for them and Lottie’s sister and her man. “Wow, I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”
Pulling out his wallet, he handed her enough cash to cover the bill twice. “Keep the change. And thank you for letting us stay so long.”
The waitress accepted the money with a smile. “Thank you, sir. And you’re very welcome.”
Travis rose and offered Lottie his hand. He could not help but grin when she slid her hand into his and allowed him to pull her out of her chair.
“Come on, sugar. It’s time for you to head home and get some sleep,” he said as they headed toward the front door.
Once on the sidewalk, he allowed Lottie to lead the way to her ride. Once at the passenger’s door, he turned her to face him, then pulled her in for a hug. He smiled in relief when she wrapped her arms around his middle and returned the embrace.
“Yes,” she whispered as she snuggled closer.
“Yes?”
“Yes, I’d be interested in seeing if you could help me get back in touch with my Little. I’d be interested in maybe having a relationship … if that’s what you’d like.”
Travis chuckled as he used one hand to tilt her head back so he could look into her eyes. “I’d like that very much, Miss Lottie Smith. Very much indeed.”
With that, he bent his head forward and brushed his lips over hers. Once, twice and then he tilted his head just a touch to the right and settled in for a long, slow, deep kiss that continued until a group of rowdy teenagers walked by. One gave whistled while another yelled, “Get a room!” which Travis thought was as effective as a couple of buckets of ice water dumped on his head.
“Well, I guess we’ve been told,” Travis said against her lips.
Lottie giggled and dropped her head forward, resting her forehead against his chest. “I guess we have. But we need to be getting home anyway. There’s a lot to do before we return tomorrow.”
“Maybe you could get a room and stay in town, then we’d have more time together tomorrow night,” Travis suggested.
“Maybe,” Lottie said.
Instead of kissing her again to convince her to stay with him instead of going home, Travis opened the door and helped her into the SUV. “Be safe and I’ll see you in the morning.”
She looked at him and whispered, “Good night, Daddy.”
Chapter Five
“What do you think about taking all the inventory with us tomorrow morning and getting a hotel room in town for the rest of the convention?” Lottie asked when they were about halfway home.
Tilly was nodding before she finished asking the question. “I think that’s a great idea. We’ll just have to pack some clothes and the rest of the boxes. That does mean we’ll need to sell enough not to have to make two trips once the convention is over.”
Lottie smiled at her, feeling tired and more relaxed than she’d been in ages. Was it because the day had gone well, or because Travis seemed to want a place in her life? “After today, I don’t think we’ll have a problem with that.”
“Then let’s do it.”
Lottie nodded as she pulled out her phone and started scrolling and tapping on the screen. By the time Tilly parked in front of the house, she’d booked a hotel room. It didn’t take them long to pack the boxes of clothes, critters and candy into the back of the SUV. After packing a small bag with her clothes and toiletries for the rest of the weekend, Lottie got ready for bed. She trusted Tilly to pack something appropriate for Carri.Getting changed, she found the D4R business card with Travis’s cell phone number on the back in the pocket of her jeans.
