25. Tate #2
The next morning, I woke up before Lexi and headed downstairs.
I went straight to the fridge, taking out the ham, cheese, toast and tomatoes.
I made coffee, and put everything on a platter, carrying it up.
Lexi was inexplicably happy whenever I brought her breakfast in bed, and I didn’t get the chance to do it very often. I wanted to spoil her.
She stirred when I entered the bedroom, opening her eyes slowly.
She was gorgeous, even with glazed eyes and her hair sticking out in every direction.
Watching her wake up stirred something inside me.
I didn’t want her to leave my bed or my house.
I wanted the privilege of waking up next to her every damn morning.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Morning, gorgeous girl.” I put the platter on the nightstand as she pulled the bedsheet up to her nose and then to her eyebrows.
“Lexi, what are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
I pulled the sheet back down so I could see her face. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep.
“I feel like a bear. Puffy and swollen. Definitely not gorgeous.”
“Trust me, you are.” I tilted toward her, rolling a strand of her hair between my fingers. “I’ll show you exactly how gorgeous and perfect you are to me. Right after you have breakfast.”
I nodded toward the tray on the nightstand. She followed my gaze, and her eyes widened.
“Oh my God. You made me breakfast in bed.”
I chuckled. “You seriously didn’t see me come in with it a few seconds ago?”
“Umm… I saw you, but the details didn’t register.” She smiled sheepishly, pushing herself up in a sitting position before setting the tray in her lap.
“Are we sharing it?” she asked.
“Nah, I’m not hungry.”
She took a bite, closing her eyes.
“Mmm,” she moaned. “This is such a great way to start the day. I love breakfast and coffee.”
“And I’m nowhere on the list?”
She opened one eye playfully. “Yes, you are.”
“Good. I was getting worried there for a second. What do you want to do today?”
“I don’t know. What are you in the mood to do?”
“You.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “I should probably talk to Declan, see if we need to do any damage control about yesterday.”
“Who is going to tell Beatrice?”
I cleared my throat. “One of my brothers.”
Lexi laughed. “Afraid of your own grandmother, huh?”
“Not at all. I choose my battles wisely.”
“Aha. Riiiiight. Okay, I’ll pretend I believe that. What else do you want to do today besides talking to Declan?”
“Anything you want. I love spending time with you. I mean it. I want to make you happy, Lexi.”
“You do just by saying things like that.” She sighed. “Wait until I’ve had coffee to make me swoon, okay?”
“No can do, ma’am. Got to start early.” I grinned, taking off the covers and parting her thighs with one hand.
I trailed my fingers up the side of her right thigh, enjoying it immensely when she widened her legs even more, opening up for me.
I stopped midway between the knee and the apex, leaning in to kiss that spot.
She exhaled a sharp breath, fisting the pillow next to her. I straightened up, flashing her a cheeky smile.
“Oooh, you want to make me swoon and turn me on.”
“Always. But I know better than to distract you from your food.”
She laughed. “You learn fast. I love that about you.”
Once she finished breakfast, we showered together. After that, I shaved with the door open, listening to the music Lexi was blasting. From time to time, she sang along, especially during the chorus, making me chuckle. I loved hearing her voice throughout the house and having her here with me.
When I came down the stairs, she was sitting in an armchair and tapping on her iPad. She turned down the volume of the music, bouncing one leg to the rhythm.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
“Sending my parents a few pictures from the party yesterday.”
“Any with the two of us?”
“Uh, no. I just snapped some randomly from the party.”
I wiggled my eyebrows, sitting on the armrest. “Want to send them a selfie? How else will they know you’re dating a sexy hunk?”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “Are you referring to yourself?”
I cupped her jaw, looking her in the eyes. “You’re mine, Lexi. I want them to know it too.”
She licked her lips, nodding. “Oh, but I did send them a pic of you, me, and Paisley before we went to the party. But I can send them another one. A word of advice. Put on a parent-approved smile. No smoldering sexy gaze. It’s not going to earn you points.”
“Duly noted.”
I splayed my fingers on her jaw, touching her lower lip before taking my hand away.
She turned on the iPad’s camera, keeping it toward both of us. I flashed a professional PR smile. Lexi elbowed me.
“I didn’t mean that. A genuine smile.”
“So many instructions,” I teased but changed to a natural smile.
She snapped a few pics, sending them in a group she had with her parents.
Then she lowered the iPad on the armrest, fidgeting in her spot.
Something was off.
“You seem nervous.”
“School is starting in two weeks. We haven’t talked about what happens then.
Do you want to look for another nanny? I finish one hour earlier than Paisley, so I could pick her up from school and come here with her or do stuff outdoors.
” She swallowed, averting her gaze before quickly adding, “If that’s something you want. ”
“I have another proposition.” I trailed my fingers up her arm, looking her straight in the eyes. “Move in with us.”
“Tate, do you mean that?” she whispered.
“Hell yes. I’d love to have you here. Spoil you every evening—properly.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been very thorough until now too.”
“Imagine how much more thorough I can be once you’re here.” I kissed her shoulder, still trailing my fingers up her arms, feeling her tense under my touch.
“I’d love that. I can’t wait. It will be so epic.
Paisley and I are both going to be low on energy in the afternoon once school starts, but I think we’ll still enjoy being out and about by the lake until it gets cold.
And if I manage to get some freelance job that I can do remotely while she’s finishing homework, even better. ”
I straightened up, looking at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Umm… I talked to my parents, and there are still a lot of bills due.”
I cupped her jaw, looking straight at her. “I can help with that.”
“Thanks, but it’s not necessary.”
“What? How is it not necessary? You just said it is.”
“Yes, but I’ll manage.”
“Lexi—”
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”
“But you’re mine.”
She chuckled, but I could see her determination falter a fraction.
“I’m still not comfortable.”
“We’ll talk about this another time.” I pressed my thumb on the corner of her mouth, deciding not to press the issue for now. I’d win that battle in time.
She giggled, immediately shifting in her spot and rising on her knees, then she frowned. “Oh crap.”
“What’s wrong?”
She sat back down, tapping her iPad again and bringing up the notes app.
“I knew I’d opened the iPad for a reason. I need to check the list with stuff I still have to buy for Paisley’s birthday. I’m going to show it to her once your parents drop her off. I want everything to be perfect.”
The affection she had for my daughter slayed me.
I glanced at the list, and I had to admit half the things didn’t make sense to me, but then the item Shopping with Nora caught my attention.
“What’s that?” I asked, pointing at Nora’s name.
“Paisley said she’d love to go shopping with her mom. I said she should check with you first.”
“That’s not a problem.”
“Paisley is excited to see her.”
“It’s been a long time.” I frowned, pacing the room. “Does it bother you that she’ll be here?”
“Not at all. Nora is her mom. She’ll always be her mother. That’s a special bond.”
The truth was, Lexi had a much stronger bond with Paisley than Nora did, but she was still her mother. I was relieved that Lexi didn’t mind that Nora would be here. I knew Paisley was excited, though I wasn’t, because every time she came here, it reminded me of our failed marriage. Of my failure.
An old fear resurfaced. What if I couldn’t make things work with Lexi either?
I shook my head, feeling ridiculous. I walked back behind Lexi, bending at the waist to kiss the side of her neck.
I loved smelling my shampoo and shower gel on her.
Straightening up, I glanced at the list and did a double take.
The first time I looked at it, I hadn’t realized how long it was, but Lexi was scrolling now.
“Does the list ever end?” I asked.
“Hey! The tenth birthday party is important.”
"Do I see the word ‘unicorn’ there?"
She swatted me away. "Hey, don't judge. Besides, you said I had free rein at organizing it."
"You do." I kissed her neck again, taking the iPad out of her hands.
“What are you doing?” she asked lazily, but she already had goose bumps on her legs. I could practically feel the anticipation coursing through her.
“Carrying on what I started before breakfast.”
She pressed her thighs together, and I knew what that meant. She was wet for me. The thought was driving me crazy.
“Please do,” she whispered, and I took her upstairs the next second.
My parents dropped off Paisley in the afternoon, and from the moment my daughter walked in the house, she barely paid me any attention.
She ran immediately to Lexi. “Grandma and Grandpa gave me some ideas for the party.”
“Okay, let’s add them to the list,” Lexi replied.
She sat on the couch where I held her last night.
This time, she and Paisley were sitting next to each other with their legs stretched out.
Seeing them made me so damn fulfilled. It dawned on me for the first time that we were a family, and the thought used to scare me, but not anymore.
“Hi, pumpkin. Did you have fun at Grandma and Grandpa’s?”
“Yes, Daddy. I’ll tell you later. Lexi and I have important stuff to do now.”
I sat down at their feet, watching them. They both looked up at me in surprise.
"What are you doing?" Lexi asked cautiously.
"I want to help with party planning."
My daughter looked crestfallen, "Daddy, I love you, but you always sort of look through me when I talk about the party."
Jesus! I needed to do better. "I'll focus, I promise."
Lexi pointed a finger at me. "On one condition. You're not allowed to laugh, not even if you hear the word ‘unicorn.’"
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what exactly they meant, but I held up my hands in defense, "No laughing, I promise."
I had a million things to deal with, including talking to Declan, but I’d start tomorrow. I wanted to enjoy today with the two most important women in my life.