That sweatshirt draping all over her slim frame, the tiniest cotton shorts barely peeking out from underneath.
Legs toned and her feet bare.
Toes painted white.
An electric shock to my senses.
Colin cackled. “You see that? I got him, Mom! Kapow, kaboom!”
Daisy gripped the end of the Nerf gun, pulling it to the side so she could steal Colin’s attention. “We don’t shoot people with your Nerf gun in the face, Colin. Remember?”
I finally shook myself out of the stupor and blew out a sigh. “That is on me. I’m the one who picked it for him. He’s bound to play with it.”
Had tossed in a few things that I knew my brothers’ kids liked to play with. Nolan, Maci, and Finn always trying to show me their favorite toys anytime I actually got swindled into hanging out.
Figured Daisy’s kids would probably like them, too.
Air wheezed out of Daisy’s nose. “I know. I just…” She trailed off and looked to the wall. The worry she constantly wore sagged her shoulders.
I knew what she was thinking.
She thought if maybe her kids were perfectly behaved, it might sway my decision. But it didn’t have anything to do with that. These kids were…
I gulped as a million emotions slammed me.
“They’re fine, Daisy.” It came out gruff, words scraping through what I really wanted to say. That they were perfect and wonderful and, if I had the right, I’d gladly give myself to them.
She looked back at me. A plea in her eyes.
“Okay,” she finally whispered before she stepped forward and pried Eva off my leg. “Come with Mommy. I need your help finishing dinner.”
“So we can have somecoo-kies?” Eva drawled as Daisy swung her up and the child wrapped her little arms around Daisy’s neck.
“That’s right, sweetheart. We’re going to eat dinner and then have some cookies.”
“How do you like that plan, Mr. Cash?” Colin asked as he aimed his Nerf gun toward the living room and took a shot at the flat screen hanging above the mantle.
I figured I shouldn’t like it at all.
Should hate it.
Reject it.
Instead, I was running a hand over the top of his head and muttering, “I like that plan just fine.”
Turned out, it was a terrible plan, sitting around the table with them.
Daisy directly across from me at the round table that sat in the nook that overlooked the front of the house. Eva on her knees on my left and Colin on the other.
Addy sat between Colin and Daisy.
All of them grinning and teasing and talking as they ate.
Since they came here, I’d avoided meals at all costs, relegating myself to my office eighty percent of the time.
The other twenty was spent tossing on that couch and pretending like Daisy wasn’t sleeping in my bed.
“How did you even get so big?” Colin asked around a mouthful of mashed potatoes, kid peppering me with questions nonstop.
