“Says the man whose face used to turn green if someone uttered the word.”
“I wasn’t terrified of relationships. I was afraid of becoming my father.”
I get it. I don’t want to become my mother either. Except here I am falling in love with a player. Goal not achieved. Go back to start.
“But you showed me I’m not my father. I didn’t abandon Adele when she needed me. And I’m not giving her back to her mother now. She had her chance. She blew it. Adele is mine now.”
I bite back a sigh. When Zane speaks about his daughter, it’s impossible not to fall for him. He’s possessive of her, and the love he has for her is boundless.
“You’re a good father.”
“Thank you. And thank you for helping me find my way.”
I shrug. “You would have found your way without me. You have this great big family ready and willing to help you.”
The Raider family is everything I’ve ever wanted. They’re loud, love to pull pranks, and cause trouble wherever they go. But they’re also supportive and rush to each other’s aid at the first sign of trouble.
Spending Christmas morning with them was glorious. I want to spend all my holidays with them. I want to spend all of my days with this man kneeling before me.
But dreams don’t come true for women like me. My mom taught me that lesson over and over again.
“We’re getting off track,” Zane says and I focus on him. He smiles and his blue eyes sparkle while the dimples on his left cheek appear. To say he’s gorgeous is a massive understatement.
“What track are we supposed to be on?”
“The track where we decide we’re in a relationship.”
I feign cleaning my ears. “Sorry. I think my ears are plugged.”
He rolls his eyes. “You heard me, but I don’t have a problem repeating myself. We’re in a relationship now.”
“And you decided this all by yourself. You don’t think maybe I should have a say in it?”
“You had a say when you told me you care for me.”
I purse my lips. “I never said I care for you.”
It’s true, but I didn’t say it. I was very careful not to.
He shrugs. “You’re scared of how big your feelings are for me. Same thing.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I didn’t say I was scared of how big my feelings are for you.”
He sighs. “Yes, you did. Do I have to tease the truth out of you again?”
My nipples tingle. I like this idea. Way too much.
“Maybe?”
“Fine. But we don’t have as much time as last night. I miss our baby girl. We both have the day off. I want to spend the day with our little family.”
Forget about the nipples. My heart is pounding in my chest.Our baby girl. Our little family.He can’t be serious. I clutch my chest to stop my heart from escaping.
“Sweetness.” Zane places his hands on my cheeks and I meet his gaze. “I don’t know why you’re shocked. I told you we’re in a relationship now.”
“You can’t make a one-sided decision,” I snap.
“Fine. Sloane Wilder, do you want to date me? Do you want to be in a relationship with me?”
