Emmy frowned. “Will he come with us to London?”
She kissed her daughter’s cheek. “Yes.”
“Okay. He let me order cereal and yogurt and ice cream!”
Laine laughed. “Oh boy. I’m going to have to have a talk with him and let him know you only eat broccoli and onions.”
Emmy gagged. “That’s disgusting,” she said, curling her lip.
Laine laughed. They sat outside for a while longer, waiting until Roarke was off the phone.
She just hoped she hadn’t lied to Emmy and that they’d see Roarke again once they were back in the States.
Chapter
Thirteen
Roarke finished washing the supper dishes while Laine put Emmy to bed. They’d had a nice day playing card games and drawing. He’d included crayons and paper in his grocery order.
His friend Tango had come by to take pictures of Emmy and Laine for their new passports. Tango had promised to deliver them in the morning. Once Roarke was done cleaning, he’d book their flights to London and hopefully fly out at a decent hour tomorrow.
“Uh, Roarke?” Laine said, poking her head out of the bedroom. “Emmy wants to say good night.”
He froze for a beat, surprised. He’d already said good night, before Laine had chased Emmy off, but he flicked the soapy water from his fingers then towel-dried his hands. “Sure.”
He strode across the kitchen and into the bedroom. Emmy sat in his king-sized bed, the mattress and fluffy comforter swallowing her up.
“Hey, kiddo.”
She pushed off the blankets and stood up on the mattress. She still didn’t reach his height.
“Thank you for the crayons and the ice cream.”
He chuckled. “My pleasure. But go to sleep now, all right? We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
She bounced up and down. “Can I sit by the window on the plane?”
He caught her waist and flopped her down in the middle of the bed. She giggled, all her baby teeth on display, as he flung the blanket over her then tucked her in.
“Maybe,” he said, pretending to be stern.
She grinned. “Night.”
He rested his hand on her head. “Night, kiddo. See you tomorrow.”
Laine hugged and kissed Emmy before leaving the room, clicking off the light. Roarke left the bedroom door open a crack, then followed Laine into the living room. She sat on the couch and he took the cushion next to her, leaving more space than he wanted between them.
“Think she’ll go right to sleep? She seemed to have a lot of energy.”
Laine drew her knees in close to herself, turning to face him. “Oh yeah. She’s probably already asleep. That girl has two speeds—go, go, go and out cold.”
He chuckled, but sadness crept over his heart. Longing. “I hate that I missed knowing her,” he confessed.
Laine lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I wish things hadn’t worked out this way. But she really likes you,” she said warmly.
He grunted. “What’s not to like? I’m a sucker who bought her three different types of ice cream.”
Laine laughed and covered her face with her hand. “You’ll be eating that for a month after we’re gone.”
