I walked back to the bedroom but I could still hear them as I found one of Jace’s shirts on the floor and pulled it over my head.
“Yeah. It’ll be good for Kaylee to spend time with you both together. Did Kayden tell you she wants you both to be her dad?” Olivia asked.
“He did,” Jace said. “I’m pretty sure we’re up to the task.”
Olivia laughed. “I have no doubt. Maybe we can talk when I get back? About you and me? I just feel”—she paused and took a deep breath—“I feel really ready to have that conversation with you, Jace.”
“Of course, Liv,” Jace said as I came back into the room. He stepped closer and kissed her cheek. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will,” she said, turning to me. “Bye, Kayden. Sorry for the interruption.” Her cheeks flushed.
“No apologies necessary,” I said, “We were both finished.” Ismirked at her.
She and Jace laughed, sharing a glance as I let my eyes drift to my little girl. I was dying to spend more time with Kaylee but hadn’t wanted to pressure Olivia relentlessly just because the first time had gone well. Jace and I had gone over to Olivia’s for dinner once last week, and while it was great to see Kaylee again, I didn’t think it would ever feel like enough. I hoped Olivia’s mom’s fiancé was okay, but I couldn’t complain about getting to spend the morning with my daughter.
Chapter Thirty-One
Olivia
I lifted my handto knock on Jace’s front door when I heard a squeal of laughter from my daughter coming from inside the condo. The sound filled my heart to bursting. I’d spent every day since she was born trying to make the best decisions for her. I gave Kaylee everything I could, I built my life around her, and the main reason I’d failed to tell Jace how I felt about him was my worry over how it would impact her. But hearing her laughing her head off with Jace and Kayden was a shock to the system. Maybe what was right for me could be right for her too. The sound I’d just heard felt like home. It felt like the sounds I wanted to come home to every day.
I’d only been at the hospital for a few hours. Just long enough for Mom to calm down and feel confident in the doctor’s assessment that Carl needed three stents due to blockage in his arteries. The procedure was fairly minor and she liked the doctor assigned to their case. When I’d hugged her goodbye, she’d gripped me by the shoulders and said,“Lifeis too short and tenuous not to spend it with the people you love, Livvy. Go see Jace and Kaylee.”
Her words had made me tear up not only because she was right, but because there was another deep laugh sounding on the other side of this door and I was pretty sure I wanted him around too.
I knocked twice.
“Come in,” Jace yelled.
I twisted the handle, and Kaylee came running to the door. “Mommy!”
“Hey, baby girl. Did you have fun with Jace and Kayden?” I asked, giving her a hug.
She grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the living room. “I gave them a makeover!” she exclaimed.
I looked at the two of them sitting together on the couch and covered my mouth with one hand as I tried to suppress the laughter. “Nice job, Kaylee. They look beautiful.”
Jace glared at me but it was hard to take him seriously with the streaks of glitter all over his face and bows clipped into his curly hair. As my smile widened, his glare intensified.Where did she even get glitter?
Kayden smiled proudly, like he was happy to be covered in glitter and barrettes, and I shook my head as I took in the sight of these two gorgeous men having just succumbed to the ultimate girl-dad moment.Yeah, they’re cut out for this alright.
A large structure in the center of the living room caught my attention. I gasped as I took in a three-foot-high MAGNA-TILE structure that looked more elaborate than anything I’d ever seen. It was erected on the floor, but spanned the length of the coffee table and it was built like a doll house; open on one side so you could look into the rooms and closed in the back. There were holes that resembled windows and doorsbetween the rooms, and on one end of the structure was a parking garage with MAGNA-TILE cars parked in various spots and ramps leading to multiple levels.
“What did you all build?” I asked, circling around it.
Kaylee jumped up and down next to it. “Mommy, did you know Kayden draws buildings?”
“Yeah, I do, honey,” I said, smiling at him.
“He doesn’t build them, he just draws them. Other people build them. He made an exception and built this with me.”
I chuckled as she fumbled over the wordexception. The proud, yet sheepish smile on Kayden’s face pulled at my heartstrings.
“That is a lot more MAGNA-TILES than you had in your backpack,” I said. “Where did all of these come from?” I noticed the sketches of the structure on the coffee table.
“Jace,” Kaylee said, sitting down next to the structure and putting two Fisher Price Little People inside her building.
Jace ran a hand through his hair, knocking out a bow. “You should have heard them, Liv. Kayden started talking about how they could use the different MAGNA-TILES and asking her about the shapes and sizes that she had, and they were so into it, working on the drawings.”
