“Your daughter will thank you,” she quietly assured him as she caressed his cheek. “And I thank you. This is as close to a date as we’re going to get for a while, so let’s enjoy it.”
“You’re right. Come on. Let’s say goodnight to the bride and groom on our way out.”
They walked across the room and found a line of people making their way out, with Jayce and Kelsey thanking everyone for coming. When it was finally their turn, Lexi hugged them both.
“I am so happy for you two! I hope this day was everything you wanted it to be.”
“It truly was,” Kelsey said, beaming. “Connor, I can never thank you enough. Everything was perfect.”
“It was my pleasure,” he told her. “And I believe Lauren’s arranged for light snacks for your family a little later. And we have a skeleton crew working the front desk overnight in case anyone needs anything.”
“But you two don’t need to worry about all of that because it’s your wedding night!” Lexi chimed in. “Just know everything’s under control and we’ll see everyone for breakfast.” She hugged them both again before casually leading Connor out of the restaurant.
As they strolled across the lobby, she felt herself relax. It had been noisy in the restaurant, and just the overall peacefulness surrounding them was nice. Humming softly, she snuggled closer.
“This was a good day,” she said quietly. “You really outdid yourself.”
“Thank you. But I didn’t do it alone. I really do have a great team.”
“It’s even more impressive considering they weren’t all part of the planning process.”
“True. I called in a few favors from my restaurants back home to pull it all together, but it seemed like Jayce and Kelsey were happy with the results.”
“They were. Everyone was.” Smiling up at him, she added, “You’re a very talented man, Connor Winslowe.”
The way he grinned at her said he appreciated the compliment.
But he was also thinking sexy thoughts.
“What if we didn’t go directly to the playground?” he suggested. “What if we took a slight detour and had a few minutes to ourselves?”
“Ooh…that is quite tempting, but unfortunately, I don’t think it’s fair to Nora. After all, she’s doing us the favor.”
He chuckled softly. “I hate when you’re logical.” Then he playfully nudged her. “But I know you’re right. And we’re going down there with a purpose beyond picking up the kids.”
“Exactly.”
They stepped outside and continued at their slow pace. The air was crisp and cool, and she shivered.
“Hang on,” he said as he stopped them so he could whip off his suit jacket and drape it over her shoulders. “There. That’s better, right?”
They resumed their stroll, clinging closely to each other. “Thank you.” The jacket was huge on her, but it wrapped around her, warding off the chill, and it smelled of his cologne. Carefully, she inhaled, and it made her smile. She loved the days when they made love in her bed because when she’d go to sleep, she could smell his cologne on her sheets.
“So do we have a plan or are we just going to wing it when we hit the playground?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“I honestly don’t know. I don’t think we need a plan. We just need to go down there and be ourselves and see how they respond.”
“Do you think Jonah’s going to understand?”
“Probably not. He was too little to remember Adam living with us, and then he rarely saw him after he moved out, so he’s only really known it to be just the two of us.”
“Damn. I’m so sorry, Lex. I can’t understand how a parent can do that.” Then he laughed mirthlessly. “And yet here I am in the same situation with my ex-wife. Still, I don’t get it. I can’t imagine not seeing my daughter. Even though I work more than I should, she’s always on my mind, and everything I do, it’s for her. When I was here and she was back in Boston with my parents, it bothered the hell out of me. I could never just walk away and never see her again.”
Her head rested on his shoulder. “You’re a good man, Connor. And an amazing dad. Annabeth’s lucky to have you.”
“And Jonah’s lucky to have you.”
They strolled along quietly, but in the distance she could hear their kids laughing, and it made her smile.
