“Just so you know, Sir…I care about your daughter. A lot. And I think she feels the same way about me. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner.” His hand slipped through mine, and he gave it a little squeeze.
My father nodded. “This better be the last time you fuck up, son,” he said, his eyes twinkling, but his voice holding a subtle threat.
Alaric nodded once, showing that he’d heard him, and that his threat didn’t scare him.
Alaric
Gwen let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the door. “I am so,soincredibly sorry about that,” she said, shaking her head and looking at me apologetically. She was mortified, and it was kind of cute.
“Don’t worry about it. I get it. I’d have skinned me alive if I were him.” I grinned, shrugging a little. “I should have called him sooner to let him know what was happening, but I got sidetracked.”
She nodded, her long hair spilling over her shoulders with the movement. “Well, I’m sorry he got all up in your grill.”
“We were going to tell him sooner or later, right?” I chuckled lightly, slipping my hand around her waist and dragging her against me for a kiss.
“Daaad!” Sawyer called. Her voice grew closer. “I’m bored! Can we play a game?”
I tilted my head. “We’ve got a lot of board games if you’re up for it.”
“Oh, I’m up for it,” Gwen said, her eyes sparkling. “Prepare to lose. I am thequeenof board games.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said, slapping her ass before we headed back to the kitchen.
We grabbed our plates of untouched pizza before heading to the great room, where our collection of board games was stored.
Slowly, I’d unpacked this place with a fantasy similar to this in mind. I stole a glance at Gwen. My smile grew as I watched her reach for the game Sawyer pointed to. Gwen had to stand on her tippy toes, but she tugged down Candyland and brought it to the coffee table. Sitting on one of the leather couches, she made herself comfortable.
Sawyer was every bit as enthralled with her as I was, and she sat beside her, quickly selecting her favourite piece, Princess Lolly.
While Tig settled in front of the stone fireplace, heaving a sigh of contentment that I related to, I sat beside Sawyer on the other end of the couch. Stealing a glance in Gwen’s direction, I was struck by how integral this moment and all the moments that led up to it really were.
Gwen decided on Jolly, which made Sawyer giggle. “Daddy! You be King Kandy!” she said, thrusting the piece at me.
* * *
“Daddy, is Gwen your girlfriend?”
The brush in my hand halted mid-stroke, and Sawyer turned to look at me. “Would it be okay if she was?” I asked her.
Sawyer thought about it—her little nose scrunching up and her head tilting. “Yes. I like her. She can be your girlfriend,” she answered after a moment of consideration.
Chuckling, I resumed brushing the tangles out of Sawyer’s fine hair. I braided it, and once I finished, I tossed it over her shoulder and tweaked her nose. “Bedtime.”
Sawyer yawned and crawled up to her pillow, flopping dramatically. I stood and pulled her covers up, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Good night, Daddy,” she said, another yawn following.
“Good night, munchkin,” I replied, turning out the lamp on her bedside table. I flicked on her star night light, walking lightly from her room. I lingered at the door for a moment, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest while she drifted off.
Tig was snoring softly on the floor at the foot of her bed. I left the door cracked open an inch so that he could nose his way through if he wanted to go, but knowing he wouldn’t.
Downstairs, I found Gwen tidying the kitchen. She looked up as she rinsed a plate, watching me stalk over to her with purpose.
Pressing against her from behind, I moved her hair over her shoulder, kissing the skin on the nape of her neck. “Thanks for coming over tonight.”
She smiled, turning off the tap and twisting so that she was facing me. Her arms slipped around my neck, and she grinned, dimples popping. “I had a lot of fun…minus my dad’s interruption.”
“Don’t even worry about that.” I shrugged it off. “In fact, before he showed up, I was going to ask you something.”
“What?”
