Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
Tristan
Light streamed into the room, pulling me from sleep. My eyes hadn’t even opened yet and already my lips stretched into a grin. Last night had been…something else.
Incredible. Mind-blowing. Possibly even life-altering.
Sex had always been about the physical release. Not with Kate. It was a whole damn experience. I’d felt things I’d never felt before. We’d connected on a level so much deeper than two bodies simply coming together.
Our hearts collided; our souls fused.
And I was fucking hooked.
Grin stretching wider, I reached for her, but the bed was cold and empty. “What the hell?”
My eyes popped open. Her clothes weren’t on the floor. Had she left in the middle of the night?
A cold rush of panic flooded my veins. I was off the mattress, tugging on my briefs and sweats not even a breath later. My first stop was the bathroom. Empty. Heart hammering painfully against my ribs, I ventured out.
The room Millie had slept in was empty too—the bed made and that damn pancake plushie nowhere to be seen.
My feet moved faster, the thundering inside my chest reaching new heights. They couldn’t be gone. Not after last night.
It had meant something, hadn’t it?
“Fuck,” I muttered.
Turning my brisk walk into a jog, I rounded the corner to enter the kitchen and skidded to an abrupt halt.
An array of ingredients and bowls littered the island.
But that wasn’t what stopped me in my tracks.
It was my girls whisper-singing and dancing with the biggest, most beautiful smiles on their faces.
The panic from earlier dissipated.
In its place something so big I was terrified to even think it. But it was there all the same, burrowed deep, anchored in place.
“This looks fun.”
Kate jerked. Millie yelped. Their gazes shot to me. Millie was the first one to break the silence.
“Tristan.”
“Hey, Princess.” Leaning against the frame, I folded my arms in front of my chest and crossed my ankles. “Did you have a good sleep?”
“Mhm.” Millie nodded so furiously, her curls flopped into her face. “It was like sleeping on a fluffy cloud. Mochi liked it too.”
“That’s good,” I laughed.
My attention shifted to Kate. Still wearing her pajamas and those rich brown curls hanging wild and free, she was absolutely stunning.
The invisible band around my heart squeezed tight.
I couldn’t imagine ever walking into my kitchen and not seeing her, seeing them, here. This was where they belonged. Here. With me.
I was still stewing on that thought when the phone on the counter switched to a new song.
One I now recognized as Millie’s favorite.
As suspected, her energy levels shot through the roof.
Hands in the air, she bounced from one foot to the other.
Broken Korean gibberish spilled from her mouth as she tried to sing along.
It was so damn adorable; I couldn’t keep my smile from stretching.
With her hand tucked in Kate’s, the two of them danced to the beat. Although, using the word dance was being a bit generous. There was more hopping than dancing going on.
Not that it mattered. Whatever they did filled this space with more happy energy than it had ever seen.
It was infectious.
Addictive.
I never wanted to be without it again.
“Come dance with us, Tristan,” Millie said excitedly.
I pulled a face. “Nah, I’m happy watching.”
Which was exactly what I did. The longer I stared at the two of them, the more right it felt to have them there. And the louder my heart yelled. Like Kate would do absolutely anything to keep Millie, I would go to great fucking lengths to keep her and that little girl.
“Kate said I could stay home today,” Millie declared when the next song started. “We’re making pancakes.”
I arched a brow. “That so?”
“I hope it’s okay?” Kate added softly. “I’ll clean up before we leave.”
I didn’t care for the uncertainty in her voice. And I sure as shit didn’t want to hear a damn thing about them leaving. If she wanted to go somewhere, we’d go together. All three of us.
I told her as much when I joined them at the island and slipped my arm around her waist. Holding her close, I pressed a kiss below her ear. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she whispered back.
A little breathless and a whole lot flushed, she stared at me.
Grinning like the fucking fool she’d turned me into, I ran a thumb over her lush bottom lip. “I woke up in an empty bed.” I shook my head. “I didn’t like it.”
“Sorry. I—”
“Kate,” Millie called. “Will you help me crack the eggs, please?”
Kate’s pretty eyes stayed locked with mine for a while longer before she slipped out of my hold and joined Millie.
While the two of them worked on the pancake batter, I got the coffee going. With nothing else to do but wait, I found myself observing them yet again.
The smiles, the giggles, the singing…it was all so foreign. I couldn’t recall a single memory of my mother doing anything in the kitchen, other than getting something to drink.
She didn’t cook; she had staff for that.
She didn’t sing or dance with me because heaven forbid, she actually showed an ounce of emotion toward her only son.
I honestly believed neither her nor my father cared about my existence anymore, especially since they realized I wouldn’t be following in their footsteps.
Raising my hand, I brushed my fingers over the left side of my chest. Usually when these memories, these thoughts hit, they’d be accompanied by a crippling pain behind my ribs. One that’d made me feel weak and vulnerable.
Not today.
My heart was so fucking full, there wasn’t even an inch of space for the pain of the past.
“Blueberries or bananas?” Millie’s question pulled me away from my thoughts. She looked at me over her shoulder, gaze big and expectant.
I shrugged. “Both?”
“Ew.” She scrunched up her nose. “Blueberries and bananas don’t go together. That’s gross.”
“Of course they do.” Narrowing my eyes, I tilted my head to the side. “Have you tried it yet?”
“I’m with Millie on this one.” Kate shook her head and shuddered. “Just…no.”
“So that’s how it is, huh? My girls teaming up against me before I’ve even had coffee?” I splayed a hand over my chest. “That’s brutal.”
Millie’s laugh filled the room. Kate wasn’t laughing. Those hazel eyes, filled with a mixture of confusion and hope, bored into mine.
Maybe I was moving a few paces too fast for her brain to keep up. It was okay though. I wasn’t going anywhere, and I had all the time in the world to wait for her.
“I have an idea.” I positioned myself between them, one arm slipping around Kate’s middle and tugging her close. “Let’s do one half of the batter with blueberries and the other with bananas.”
“Yes.” Millie punched the air then set off to find another mixing bowl.
With her out of earshot, I turned to Kate.
“I should’ve asked earlier, but is this okay?
” Using my freehand, I tucked a few of her curls behind her ear and smiled when they bounced back.
“I can’t imagine being in the same room and not touching you,” I confessed.
“But if you don’t want me to do it in front of Millie, I’ll stop. ”
She pulled her lip between her teeth, gaze bouncing between my eyes and mouth before finally resting on my eyes. Too many seconds ticked by as I waited and waited for those pretty lips to part.
And when they did, her whispered words were music to my ears. “Don’t stop.”
“Thank fuck,” I breathed out.
“You said a bad word again.” Millie appeared next to me.
I winced. “Sorry, princess. Looks like we’re getting you that jar after all.”
“Jar?” Kate arched a brow. “What jar?”
Because I couldn’t resist, I kissed the corner of her mouth. Millie giggled. Kate’s cheeks turned a pretty pink.
“I’ll tell you after breakfast.”
Kate snuck a peek at the phone on the counter. “Did you see the time? You have an appointment with Mrs. Chesnee in an hour.”
Of course she’d know my schedule by heart.
“Lewis can handle it.”
“Really?” Her brows shot up. “Do you want Lewis handling high-profile clients with the partnership hanging over your head?”
I stepped closer. “What if I don’t care about that anymore?”
She shook her head, and her throat bobbed with the swallow she worked down. “I thought it was important to you?”
“I found something more important.” I moved right into her space. Like before, I tucked a few strands behind her ear. “Way more important.”
When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “You did?”
“Yeah.” My fingers brushed over her cheek. “Spending my day”—my life—“with my girls.”