He patted his leg, and Kiss scrambled to his side. “Here you go, girl.” Jake held out three pieces of turkey breast, which she scarfed down, licking her chops and gazing at him with soulful eyes, but when he shook his head, she returned to Stacey’s side.
He chuckled. “Finish up, and then we’ll take a bath and you can pick out what you want to wear.”
She stuffed the end of the sandwich into her mouth and took her paper plate to the garbage. With Kiss at her heels, she walked away. Amused, Jake followed her to her bedroom and watched from the doorway as she picked out a pair of purple shorts and a rainbow T-shirt. With a catch in his throat, he realized it was the first time in almost two years that she’d shown interest in her clothing.
He went to the bathroom and ran the water, wondering if that trip he was thinking of planning to the ranch might be coming at the best possible time.
At precisely three o’clock, the car service dropped them off in front of the Dominique Ansel Bakery. Jake opened the door and got out, holding Kiss’s leash in one hand. Stacey grabbed his other, and he leaned inside.
“Sergie, thank you again. I’ll call you when we’re ready to go back.” He’d been using the same driver everywhere he went, thinking it gave Stacey more security to see a familiar face.
“Whenever you want, Jake. I’ll be there for you.” The older man slid his sunglasses down on his nose and waved before putting the car in gear and driving off.
When Jake had collected himself, he saw Shea waiting for them a few yards away. A big smile broke out over Shea’s face, and Jake couldn’t help responding in kind.
“There he is, honey.” He squeezed Stacey’s hand. “That’s Daddy’s friend, Shea, and see? He’s got a cowboy hat on.”
Jake drank in the sight of Shea as his long strides brought him near. Dear God, he was gorgeous—those powerful thighs encased in tight, dark-wash jeans, and a powder-blue polo open at the throat. Every ripple of his washboard abs was on display under the skintight shirt, and Jake noticed Shea drawing admiring glances. He wanted to snarl at them to keep the fuck away.
“What’s got you all bowed up?” Shea said.
“What does that mean?” Jake stared at him, and Shea chuckled.
“Guess I forgot you don’t speak Texan. It means, what’re you lookin’ so angry for? I know if I were with the prettiest girl in New York City, I’d be a whole heck smilier.” He swept off his hat in a bow. “This must be Miss Stacey. How do you do? I’m Shea, and I’m right pleased to meet you.”
From behind his back, he pulled out a yellow rose and held it in front of him. “This is the Yellow Rose of Texas, and I only give it to people who are special. D’you know why you’re so special?”
She gazed up at him, and Kiss pressed against her knees, tail wagging madly.
Jake was having a hard time not losing it on the sidewalk, watching Shea talk to his child.
“’Cause you bring sunshine with you. Like this yellow rose. It’s all for you.”
He stooped on one knee and offered Stacey the flower, but she didn’t take it and looked up at Jake instead.
“It’s okay, honey. You can take something from a friend of Daddy’s.”
Shea waited patiently, hat in one hand and rose in the other. Jake could see the curious glances and whispers from people walking by, and knew they made a bit of a spectacle—Shea so good-looking and out of place in the city on one knee in the middle of a SoHo sidewalk, holding a flower and cowboy hat, and Jake with a little girl and a dog in a sparkly rainbow collar. But Shea didn’t pay them any attention. This man, who was proving to be as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside, cared only about the child standing in front of him.
Stacey reached out, and Jake watched her take the flower, careful not to touch any part of the stem near Shea’s large hand. She gazed at it raptly but didn’t say a word. Shea straightened to his full height and leaned over to whisper in Jake’s ear.
“Was that okay? Did I do somethin’ wrong?”
Jake squeezed his arm. “No. You did everything right.”
Kiss sniffed around Shea’s ankles, and he scratched her ear. “Hello, purty girl. Ain’t you the sweetest.”
Jake loved how more of Shea’s Texan accent came out as he became more comfortable. “Let’s get a table outside so Kiss can lie beside us. There are umbrellas for shade.” They approached the café, and when Jake explained why they needed to sit outside, the hostess was accommodating, and not only gave them an end table, but a bowl of water for Kiss, which she lapped up, as it was a sunny, humid day.
He and Stacey sat facing Shea, and Jake noticed how carefully she placed her flower on the table. They scanned their menus, and Jake was the first to put his down. “I’m going to get a large iced coffee and a brownie. What about you, honey?” He tucked a stray wave that escaped her ponytail. “You want the frozen s’mores?”
Stacey nodded.
“Well, I’m gonna get one of those too. Looks like the best thing on the menu. And who doesn’t like s’mores? Did you know your daddy made them when he was at my ranch, Stacey? ’Course he kinda messed up and dropped his marshmallow in the fire and burned it to a crisp. I had to help teach him the right way.”
Stacey flicked her gaze up to Shea and then to Jake before looking down at the menu again, but Jake watched as she traced the s’mores description on the laminated card. The waitress came by with two glasses of iced water and the same in a plastic cup for Stacey, and they gave her their order.
“How was your shoot today?” He sipped his glass of water. “You must’ve been hot.”
