Chapter 14
14
ADDISON
A fter we finished working on the trees, we grabbed some hot chocolate and picked up sandwiches on the way to the resort.
"Scarlett wants to know if I can come over for a girls' night? It will be her, Caroline, your aunt, and me," Dakota said from the back seat.
"What are you going to do?" Walker asked her.
"She said we're going to do manis and pedis, eat junk food, and watch sappy movies. Can I go? Please?"
I grinned at Walker, wondering how he'd handle this.
"I don't see why not. You're sleeping overnight?"
"She said to bring a sleeping bag. Do you have one?"
"I'm sure we have one somewhere." Walker gave me a knowing look.
Dakota jumped out of the truck and ran ahead of us into the house, presumably to get her things ready.
"Did she plan that, or am I being paranoid?" Walker leaned on the back of the truck, the smell of evergreen surrounding us.
"You think she asked Scarlett to invite her over?" I asked .
His nose scrunched. "I wouldn't be surprised. Dakota wants us to get together."
"She orchestrated this whole thing so we'd have a night together alone?" I asked carefully.
"I think so."
"I'm not sure how I should feel about that." A thirteen-year-old was manipulating us. I should be upset, but I was excited to have an evening alone with him.
Walker winked at me, and my heart rate kicked into high gear. "I think we have to go with it."
Walker hefted the tree out of the back and leaned it against the porch railing. "I'm going to cut the net and trim the bottom before bringing it inside. Can you grab the tree stand? It's in the front closet."
"Sure can," I said as I headed inside to find the stand and set it up in the living room.
The cabin was warmer with the print over the fireplace. Now they just needed a few more family photos. Maybe Walker was waiting to create new memories so he could add those to the wall.
There were even new books on the shelves. Walker and Dakota were slowly making this place their own.
A few seconds later, Walker came inside with the tree. He set it in the stand, asking for my advice on how straight it was before he tightened the screws. Dakota came out of her room with a bag. "I have everything ready to go."
"Why don't you help us with the tree before I take you to Scarlett's?" Walker asked her.
Dakota checked the time on her phone. "Sure. I have some time before I need to be there."
"I'll grab the sleeping bag and the decorations. Be right back."
Dakota sat on the couch.
"Did you orchestrate this sleep over?" I couldn't help but ask her .
Dakota shrugged. "Scarlett mentioned doing it sometime. I was just the one who asked if we could do it tonight."
"You're okay with me dating your father?" I asked her.
"Oh, yeah. I really like you, and Dad deserves to be happy. My mom never dated. I think she wanted to focus just on me, and I feel bad about that now. She shouldn't have put off her happiness."
"I agree, and I think it's sweet you want to help your father, but whatever happens or doesn't is between us."
She grinned. "I know. But no one said I couldn't push a little."
"You won't interfere, right?" I asked her. I needed to know that Walker wanted to be with me, and it wasn't his daughter pushing us together.
Dakota held up her hands. "This is all you. I've done my part."
"It's nice to have your support, but if at any time you want me to back off, let me know. You just moved here, and I don't want to make anything harder for you."
"I don't think you will. I like having you around, and I get plenty of daddy-daughter time."
"But you need your space."
"Sometimes I'm sad about Mom leaving, and I don't want him to know."
"You can tell him how you feel. He wants to be there for you." I didn't feel great about her confiding in me and not her father. But she felt more comfortable with me, maybe because I was a woman and better at receiving those feelings. Walker might be a bit more closed off, but that didn't mean he couldn't be there for her too.
"He's been great."
Not every man would have been as accepting as Walker. I could see some burying themselves in work, but Walker had done the opposite.
Walker returned with boxes. "The sleeping bag is by the front door. "
"Thanks, Dad," Dakota said as she got up to sift through the items.
"These are decorations that are left over from the lodge. We'll need to start a collection of our own."
"Grandma shipped some things to me. I made them when I was a kid," Dakota said tentatively.
"Do you want to put those up?"
"Yeah." She got up and headed to her room.
Walker ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't realize they'd sent ornaments."
"You're learning about each other. This is good."
"Yeah, I just don't want to mess up or overstep her family traditions."
"Why don't you ask her what she normally does and what traditions she'd like to keep? Then you could tell her what traditions you'd like to create or ones you do with your family."
He gave me a grateful look. "That's a good idea."
Dakota returned with a small wooden box. "I put them in here." Then she pulled out a laminated outline of her hand with her picture on one side. "I made this in preschool."
"It's your hand." Walker took it from her and lifted it. Then he turned it to look at her picture. "I don't have any pictures of you as a child."
The air was thick with emotion. "I can show you what I have. I kept Mom's phone because a lot of photos are on there. I like to look at them."
"Would you mind forwarding yours to me? Maybe we could print them and hang some up."
"I wasn't sure if it would be too hard for you."
"I want to know everything about your life. Whatever you're willing to share with me. It helps me to get to know you."
I stayed quiet because this moment was so clearly about them. When they started to go through her box, there was a story behind each ornament. "I'm going to make some hot chocolate."
I had a feeling they needed to be alone for this. I took my time making the hot chocolate and bringing the mugs into the living room. By the time I returned, the lights were hung, and the ornaments were on the tree.
We sipped our hot chocolate while we admired the tree. It smelled amazing and made it feel like Christmas.
Together we finished hanging the ornaments from Walker's boxes, and then Dakota said it was time to leave. "I'll drop her off and be right back. Do you want to go to dinner at the lodge?"
"Sure."
I sat on the couch, admiring the tree and the flurries falling outside.
When Walker returned, he said, "It looks like they're going to have fun tonight. Dakota was so excited to be included. I want her to feel like she’s part of the family.”
And if she didn't feel settled, would they move to Virginia? I didn't want to voice that thought yet. It was always a concern in the back of my head.
"You want to get dinner, and then we can figure out what else we should do with our night?"
I sensed that we'd have to take advantage of any night we got. He wouldn't want to leave his daughter alone to spend time with me. Maybe for a few hours but not overnight. Would something happen tonight? Did I want it to?
We headed to the lodge and were seated in the restaurant. It had a pub feel with dark wood accents and gaming tables on one side.
"The food is good," Walker said when the waitress left us with menus.
I nodded. "I've eaten here a few times with friends."
He lifted his gaze. "Have any dates brought you here?"
A smile curved my lips. Was he jealous? "I usually hang out with dates in town." The truth about that was I would have felt awkward bringing another man to the resort. Not that the Wilde family would have said anything about it.
"You date a lot?" Walker asked, his focus on me and not the menu in his hands.
I shifted in my seat. "I wouldn't say that."
He lifted his gaze again. "You're not looking for a serious relationship? You don't want to get married and have kids?" Then he winced. "Don't answer that. That's way too personal, and you don't owe me anything."
"I don't mind. I haven't met anyone I could see that with." Could I trust the dreams of a teen girl, with no idea of what she wanted out of life? "At one time, I thought it could be you. But we were so young."
Walker's eyes widened. "I thought that too."
With that concession between us, the waitress returned, and I ordered chicken and potatoes. Walker ordered steak. "We always get steak when I meet here with my cousins."
"They're like your brothers at this point, aren't they?" I asked.
Walker nodded. "Yeah, not that I would have admitted that when I was younger."
"Back then you were upset about your parents' death and resentful of the world." He'd come such a long way.
"But you pulled me out of that."
I waved a hand. "You give me too much credit. You would have figured it out."
"I don't know about that. I was unreachable until you came into my life. And I don't doubt you eased the path for Dakota too. My aunt and uncle love you for that."
My cheeks heated. I've never had anyone say that about me. If my cases felt easier than my coworkers', I assumed it was because my kids had less trauma in their lives. Was I ready to consider the common denominator was me? "That's nice of you to say. "
Walker reached over and covered my hand with his. "You don't have to stay the night. But I'd like you to."
"I want that too," I said softly, my heart beating harder.
There was an undercurrent of expectation between us. I remembered how good things were with him, but it was so long ago, and we were young. Would things be different now that we were adults? Would we still have the same chemistry?
Now I wanted to be alone in the cabin, but we had dinner yet to get through. Who had thought it was a good idea to go out? "We should have stayed in."
Walker leaned back, his hand slipping from mine as he chuckled. "Poor planning on my part."
My lips quirked into a smile. I liked this side of him. He was happier, more content. He was settled, and that went a long way to alleviating my fears about whether he'd stick around this time. He had a daughter; his family lived here. I didn't have anything to worry about.
It was just old fears surfacing because of what happened last time. But it wouldn't be fair to paint Walker with the same brush. People change, and he'd learned from his past mistakes. He wouldn't do the same thing this time. We'd talk. We'd work it out. That's what adults did.
Dinner came, and we ate, talking about things going on at the resort and in town. Christmas was quickly approaching, and we both had a list of things to do. I helped my office with the angel tree, presents for the foster kids, and he had a lot of people to buy for this year since he was home.
He paid for dinner, and I didn't argue. He was a gentleman through and through. That hadn't changed, and when he was done, he stood and held his hand out to me. "You want to go home?"
That was something he hadn't said when we were kids. We couldn't be alone together in either of our houses. Everything happened in his truck or on a blanket in the woods. This time, we were going to be alone in his bedroom.
My heart raced in anticipation; tingles erupted over my skin as I stood and placed my hand in his. We walked out of the lodge hand in hand. It was probable that someone had seen it, and the rumors would be around town by tomorrow.
Addison was back with her ex-boyfriend, but the thought didn't entice me to slow down. I was jittery as we walked through the lodge and the lobby to the parking lot.
At the truck, he didn't open the door. Instead, he pressed me against him, body tight against mine. Then he cupped my jaw and kissed me. It was possessive and hot as hell. I rubbed my body against his, seeking friction.
His answer was to lift my leg and curl it around his hip so he could grind against me. When his hard ridge rubbed against my seam through my jeans, I moaned into his mouth.
"I want you," he said as he lifted his mouth. Then he rested his forehead against mine. "But I want to take my time. No more rushed encounters in my truck."
"Yes," I said as he tugged me off the door and opened it. I scrambled inside, my core on fire from the brief warm-up.
I watched as he rounded the hood and slid inside. The engine came to life with a loud rumble, and he backed up, his eyes dark.
The short ride home did nothing to curb my desire. If anything, the brief pause only made me want him more.
As soon as he threw the truck in Park, I unhooked my seatbelt and straddled his lap, grinding over him as I kissed him. He cupped my breasts as if judging their weight before brushing his thumbs over the hard nipples.
I whined, needing more. Groping over clothes was just a tease, and I couldn't feel every inch of him through these jeans and with the steering wheel poking me in the back .
"Bedroom," was all Walker said as he picked me up and set me to the side.
He opened the driver's side door, got out, and reached for me. I came willingly my legs around his waist so I could feel him.
I vaguely heard him shut the door and fumble with his keys before opening the one into the house. He didn't bother with the lights as he carried me up the stairs and to his room.
He managed to shut the door, and then we were tumbling to the bed, his body covering mine. I loved the weight of him, the heaviness pressing me into the mattress, but I wanted more. Without removing my mouth from his, I tugged on the edge of his shirt.
Then he lifted his body off mine and pulled the shirt over his head. "I want to see you too."
I sat up and removed my shirt with his gaze hot on my chest. I unhooked my bra and let the straps fall down my arms.
"You're beautiful. So much better than I remembered."
I might have filled out some since the last time we were together, but it only made me feel sexier, more womanly.
I knelt, my fingers gliding over the ridges of his muscles. "I don't remember all of this."
He gazed down at me, his muscles pulled taut. "I work out."
I licked one ridge. "I can tell."
He hissed as my tongue worked over his muscles, my hands drifting lower. His muscles spasmed at my touch. The need to feel his skin against mine spurred me on. I fumbled with his jeans before finally pushing them down. He moved so that he could shove them the rest of the way off, leaving him bare.
The line of muscles continued downward to the soft patch of hair where his cock was hard. I couldn't resist touching it, then leaning down to lick the precum off the tip. "You taste good."
"As much as I want your mouth on me, I want to taste you too." Then I was moving backward so that I was flat on the bed, and he was tugging my jeans down along with my panties. We were naked, and every inch of my skin was on fire. My nerves tingled with anticipation. One thing I remembered about Walker was that he was gifted with his tongue.
I think it had something to do with how often we messed around before we had sex. It gave both of us time to work on our oral skills, and I'd never met anyone who could make me feel like he did.
I spread my legs. "What are you waiting for?"
That was all the invitation he needed to slide his arms under my legs and bury his mouth in my pussy. I moaned as he used his tongue and eventually his fingers to build me up. He was just as skilled as I remembered, easily driving me up and sending me over the edge.
I tugged him upward, his cock nudging my entrance. It felt so good, better than I remembered. He was so large, his cock thick and heavy against my clit.
Then he paused. "Do we need a condom?"
I gripped his forearms. "I'm clean and on birth control."
He slid his cock between my folds. "I am too. I haven't been with anyone in a long time."
I swallowed hard, his cock sliding easily making me want more. "Same."
Then his cock nudged my entrance, and I grabbed his ass, pulling him to me. He slid inside inch by inch as if he was savoring the progression. I marveled at the way he filled me up like no one else could. It wasn't just physical; he fulfilled me in a way that I hadn't experienced since we broke up. He was the man for me. There was no question about it.