14. Max
FOURTEEN
max
Things had fallen into an easy routine around the house over the couple of weeks post parents’ night out.
Stella’s initial reluctance to let me assist with Charlie’s care lessened each day, replaced by a growing trust. I could almost see the layers of her distrust, like an onion, slowly peeling away, revealing a core of vulnerability.
She was broken, and I was a man determined to build her back up.
Charlie was a surprisingly easy baby, though it’s not like I had much to compare her to. Around seven o’clock each morning, she’d wake up, which was a couple of hours after I’d already begun my day, having risen early to tend to the animals.
I would get her out of bed, take her out to collect the eggs from the coop, and she’d keep me entertained while I fixed breakfast. Stella would take over with changing her, getting her dressed for the day, and feeding her.
While not world-changing, allowing Stella some extra rest gently nudged her toward accepting support. She deserved a break after having done everything herself for so long .
In the last week, Charlie’s newly acquired skill of walking had resulted in an unprecedented amount of chaos throughout the house. She suddenly decided one morning to stop crawling around on the floor and started toddling up and down the hallway as fast as her little legs would take her.
Subsequently, she had also decided that she was done breastfeeding.
That was a sore spot for Stella, and I could see the disappointment in her eyes as she imagined missing her quiet evenings with her girl.
The realization that this long and challenging chapter was ending brought a mix of relief and melancholy.
I wished I could turn back time, erasing the looming dread of a terrible father and letting her relive those precious moments with her daughter, filled with joy and laughter instead of worry.
I hadn’t considered the realities of parenthood, but watching Charlie, a sharp pang of regret struck me—I’d missed key moments in her life.
I had to remind myself that I was not her father, and as much as I was enjoying our time together and falling more and more for her and her mother every day, I couldn’t just jump right into being a family man.
Charlie and Stella were a solid unit, their combined strength felt like an unbreakable wall against the world. It was going to take more than fixing breakfast and letting Stella sleep in each morning to prove that, to me, this was a long-term commitment.
I found myself daydreaming of a time farther into the future and envisioning a little boy or girl with Stella’s emerald eyes staring up at me from my arms. Those quiet moments where I dreamed of creating a life together always filled me with an effervescent sense of calm.
We hadn’t known each other long, but the warmth of her smile and a flash of white teeth against rosy cheeks sent shivers down my spine, melting my heart instantly.
My phone pinging with a text on the counter broke my daydream of a future with Stella.
I picked it up and swiped it open, a grin breaking out across my face.
The past two weeks had been a whirlwind of planning, a meticulous strategy taking shape in my mind, all for the chance to finally get a date with Stella.
Angie: You got it. I’d love to watch her!
I had texted Angie late last night as a thought came to me about what I wanted to do for our date.
We had made no plans beyond her agreement, but I’d been silently plotting the perfect first date for the perfect woman.
“ Masssss !” Charlie yelled from her high chair, bashing her fists down in defiance. Since she’d learned to walk, she hated being confined. Apparently, that also included meal time.
Having just finished her breakfast, I knew it was almost time to get her ready for her day at Ray’s.
Stella had to work at the boutique, so Ray offered to keep her at her house for a while.
If I could keep the little girl with me all day around the ranch, I would, but I’m sure heavy machinery and nap times wouldn’t mix well.
“Okay, okay!” I said, as I walked over to extricate the toddler from the apparent prison conditions of her high chair.
I knelt and set her down gently on the floor before taking a cloth and wiping her hands and face clean.
“I think it’s time we go get mama up. What do you think, little one?” I asked, ruffling her curls.
“Mama!!” she shouted as she took off like a shot down the hallway towards Stella’s room. I hung my head, taking a fortifying breath, and followed behind her.
It was Charlie’s world, and we were just living in it.
She waited impatiently outside her mother’s room, her small hands outstretched, unable to reach the doorknob. Her tiny fists clenched, and her brow furrowed in toddler frustration. Her look was so reminiscent of Stella, it made me chuckle.
I tapped lightly on Stella’s door before twisting the knob to release the spitfire she called her child into her sanctuary.
Charlie dashed toward the bed, her small feet padding softly on the carpet, while I watched from the doorway.
She tried to scramble into bed with Stella, but her short, chubby legs, like little sausages, couldn’t quite make it.
Stella rolled over and picked her up over the side of the bed, depositing her with an exaggerated plop on her lap.
Her mussed hair and the pillow creases on her face showed she’d slept well.
The soft light of dawn illuminated her face, highlighting the calm in her eyes, a beauty so profound it transcended understanding.
“Mama, up!” Charlie said, taking Stella’s hand in hers and attempting to pull her from the covers. A burst of laughter escaped Stella’s lips as she over-animatedly tumbled backwards onto her pillows, the sound a stark contrast to the previous quiet of the room.
“Mama sleepy,” she sighed dramatically as Charlie continued her attempt to pull her from the bed.
“Mama UP!” she groaned, growing increasingly frustrated at the fact that her twenty-pound frame couldn’t move Stella even an inch.
With a groan, Stella slowly rose, the effort palpable, as if Charlie’s pull was working.
Charlie’s resounding laughter was infectious as she “pulled” Stella into a sitting position.
“Okay, I’m up,” she said, finally looking up to catch my gaze. I couldn’t help but smile as I saw her; she looked absolutely stunning, radiating a calm confidence.
“Morning, Cowboy.”
“Mornin’, Trouble”
Since that day at the bar, our tension had only grown. We were more open in our perusal of each other and aware of the intense attraction between us.
There had been many times of accidental touches that left me rock hard and fisting my cock in the shower.
There had even been an accidental ass grab one morning when she almost fell off the counter trying to reach something on the top shelf.
That singular moment had left me tending to the horses with a raging hard on for the next hour.
Every interaction felt electric, a dangerous spark threatening to ignite into something more; I was tired of acting like there wasn’t something there. Hence, why I was planning the perfect date.
“I’m about to head out to go get some stuff done, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t have plans for Saturday.” I said as I scratched at the day old scruff on my chin.
Stella had made mention in passing that she liked the unshaven look and I’d been all too keen to agree, causing me to forgo shaving this morning.
I had no objection to letting my facial hair grow, but my ex had always demanded that I shave because she hated the “prickles” from my beard when we kissed.
It had become such an ingrained part of my daily routine that it was nice to change things up. Plus, it gave me a couple extra minutes in the morning since I didn’t have to stop to shave.
Stella looked at me quizzically as she slid back the covers and set Charlie on the floor to toddle around while she got ready.
I wasn’t a stranger to the sight of Stella in her tiny sleep shorts and cami set, but they still caught me off guard every time.
Her long legs had gotten tanner in the summer months as she spent her off days lounging around the yard while Charlie played.
She had barely there tan lines, a delicate etching from the straps of her favorite tank tops, on her shoulders.
“I’m off on Saturday and I have no plans...” she drawled as she squinted her eyes in trepidation. Her eyes, intense and probing, made me feel like she could read my mind, eliciting a nervous chuckle.
“Good. I’ve got a sitter for Charlie, and we’re going out on that date you promised me.” I said as I tapped the top of the door frame.
Turning around, I caught the tilt and shake of her head in exasperation. The wide smile that stretched across her face as I left for the kitchen was impossible to ignore; I could almost feel the warmth of it on my back.
If I could do only one thing for the rest of my life, it was going to be making this woman smile any chance I could. Now, I just needed to put the final touches on our perfect date.