Eastern scrubbed a hand over his face, making a mental note to ask Daisy in the morning if she knew anything about it, before heading out of the kitchen.
The drive home was quick, and when he passed the spot where Sadie had pulled over for her flat tire, his fingers tightened on the wheel.
He didn’t like that asshole Scott. He didn’t like that the guy had returned to Misty Peak to win back Sadie after what he’d done. He hated that the guy was still in town when Sadie had already insisted she didn’t want anything to do with him. And, more than that, he didn’t trust a word the cheating bastard said.
When he pulled into his driveway, the house was dark. Not a surprise. Avery should already be asleep. The kid was usually out like a light by the time he’d gotten halfway through their nightly reading.
He climbed out and moved into the house, the quiet slipping over him. When the kitchen and living room were empty, he checked Avery’s bedroom, and his chest squeezed at what he found.
Avery and Sadie were asleep, both on their sides, with Sadie’s hand on Avery’s waist and their foreheads touching. Avery was under the sheets, while Sadie lay on top of them.
There were so many things he liked about Sadie. So many parts of her he wanted to bottle up and keep. But her love for his daughter, their connection…that was his favorite.
For a moment, he didn’t move, just soaked up the scene in front of him, let it weave itself into his heart. They looked so peaceful, he didn’t want to disturb them.
After a few minutes, he forced himself to step forward. First, he leaned down and kissed his daughter’s temple. She didn’t so much as stir.
“Love you, princess,” he whispered before sliding his hands under Sadie’s back and legs and lifting her. A hum slipped from her lips as he carried her down the hall toward his bedroom. He put her into bed and began slowly removing her top and pants.
“Eastern…”
Fuck, his name whispered on her lips sounded good. “Yeah, baby, I’m here.”
“Did you catch the bad guys tonight?”
His lips twitched. “Just one drunk guy.”
“Hmm, better one than none. Come to bed with me.”
She didn’t even need to ask. “I’ll just check over the house and be back.”
He kissed her forehead before heading out of the room. Once he was sure everything was locked up, he returned to her, crawling between the covers. All he wanted to do was hold her. Drown in her.
His phone vibrated, but before he could reach for it, she hummed again and gripped his arm. Then she whispered, “Don’t let go.”
He tightened his hold around her waist. “Never.”
Warmth pressedto Sadie’s back, making her want to snuggle deeper into the bed and keep her eyes closed longer. She wasn’t sure what had woken her, but sleep was just tugging her back under when something warm and soft touched her neck.
A kiss?
Then the hand on her waist grazed down her thigh.
She moaned. “Eastern…”
“Mm.”
The man didn’t even need to speak words, and he managed to stir desire in her belly. “We should get up before Avery wakes.”
“We should.”
But instead of rolling away to get out of the bed, his hand on her thigh kept running up and down, dangerously close to her core.
“I can’t move when you do that,” she whispered. “You need to make the first move.”
“Iammaking a move. A move to touch you. And God, you feel good.”
Well, his hands on her felt good too, but that wasn’t the point.
