He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. “They won’t, aight?”
“LJ called you?—”
“And I corrected him, right?” he reminded, recalling that dinner table moment. It had warmed his heart. But Rylee’s panic had been so sharp, he’d quickly shifted—told LJ he loved being called Uncle Xander and that anything else would break his heart.
Truthfully? He’d loved it.
But clearly, she hadn’t.
His eyes drifted over her shoulder, landing on a photo in the hallway. Lennox. The kids passed it every day like seeingtheir dad in a frame was nothing. And maybe that was the problem. They were constantly reminded of him. They weren’t forgetting… but they were letting Xander in.
Why couldn’t she let them let him in?
“They know who their daddy is,” he promised softly, returning his eyes to her. “They really do. Don’t even worry your pretty self about that.”
She let out a breath, sharp and heavy.
“But you know…” he added, tightening his hold, “I can be your daddy.”
She cringed, nose scrunching, lips twitching. “Ew.”
He laughed, and she did too.
But his chest? It was tight. So damn tight.
Would it be so bad to step into that role?
He wouldn’t mind. He wanted to.
But Rylee didn’t.
They finished cooking breakfast and gathered at the table. The kids did most of the talking. Rylee and Xander only got a few words in.
Every so often, she’d glance at him. Her eyes would soften. Her smile would almost come through.
It was moments like that that made him believe she might be warming up to the idea of this. Of him.
But then she’d say stuff like earlier.
“I don’t want them thinking you’re their daddy.”
Well, damn.
Her words clung to him long after she spoke them, looping through his mind as he cleaned up after breakfast. Even while loading the dishwasher, wiping down the counters, and getting the kids to help—which they loved—he couldn’t shake the sound of her voice.
An hour later, he still didn’t want to leave.
If he had it his way, the kids would drift into their Saturday morning routines—TV, puzzles, dolls—and he and Rylee could curl up on the couch, do nothing, just be.
But he knew better. Suggesting that might send her into a silent panic.
So he gathered his things, hugged the kids, and headed for the door. Rylee followed behind.
He turned at the door, pulled her into a hug and a kiss.
“I didn’t mean to overstep,” he told her. “I want you to know that, okay?”
She smiled and nodded.
