Chapter 13
Thirteen
Reggie
“Mom, you’re making me nervous,” Annalise says, watching me pace around her bedroom.
“I’m just making sure you have everything, baby.”
“I have everything. You’ve checked like ten times.”
She’s not wrong. I’ve been a complete disaster all day, ever since I woke up thinking about tonight. The father-daughter dance. Blayne in a suit. My six-year-old daughter getting to live out her princess fantasy while I try not to stare at her date like he’s dessert.
“Okay, let’s see,” I say, doing one final check. “The most beautiful dress?”
“Check.” She does a little twirl, and the skirt flares out perfectly. She looks like a fairytale princess.
“Super fancy shoes?”
“Check.” She points her toe, showing off the little silver Mary Janes that took us three towns over to find.
“Hair bow?”
“Check.” The purple bow matches her dress perfectly and makes her look even more adorable.
“Lipgloss?”
“Check!” She grins, revealing teeth that are still too big for her face.
I laugh, hugging her loosely to not mess up anything. “Perfect. You look absolutely beautiful, baby girl.”
“Do you think Blayne will think I’m pretty?”
My heart literally melts. “I think Blayne’s going to be the proudest man at that dance.”
“Good. Because I practiced my dancing all week and I’m really good now.”
“You are really good. The best dancer I know.”
The doorbell rings, and my stomach immediately ties itself in knots.
“He’s here!” Annalise shrieks, abandoning all pretense of being a sophisticated young lady. “He’s here, he’s here!”
“Okay, calm down, sweetie. Let’s go answer the door like civilized people.”
But she’s already running down the hallway, and I’m left to follow behind, trying to prepare myself for seeing Blayne in his suit.
I’m not prepared.
Not even close.
He’s standing on my porch looking like every goddamn freaking fantasy I’ve ever had come to life.
The charcoal suit fits him perfectly, emphasizing his ridiculously broad shoulders and narrow waist. His hair is combed back, and he’s holding a small bouquet of purple flowers that match Annalise’s dress.
Just kill me now. But it’s the expression on his face when he sees her that nearly brings me to my knees.
Pure wonder, like he’s looking at something precious and perfect. Gah!
“Princess,” he rumbles softly. “You look incredible.”
“Do you like my dress?” She does a spin, smiling brightly at Blayne.
“I love your dress. But more importantly, do you like my suit?”
“You look very handsome,” she replies very seriously. “Like Prince Charming.”
“Well, every princess needs a prince for her first dance.”
He hands her the flowers, and she practically vibrates with excitement.
“These are for me?” she yells.
“Inside voice, baby,” I instruct with a huge grin of my own.
My daughter doesn’t even register the reminder.
“Mom, look! Blayne brought me flowers!” She keeps yelling.
“I see that, baby. They’re beautiful,” I reply, still smiling huge too.
I’m trying to keep it together, but watching this big, gruff man be so sweet to my daughter is doing things to my heart I’m not ready to deal with.
“We should get pictures,” I say, grabbing my phone. “Stand together.”
Blayne crouches next to Annalise, and their size difference is my undoing. She barely comes up to his shoulder even when he’s kneeling, but they both look so happy that I take about twenty-thousand photos to immortalize the moment.
“Mom, can you take one of me, Blayne and you?”
“Baby, this is your special night with Blayne.”
“But I want one with all of us. Like a family picture.”
The word ‘family’ hangs in the air for a second, and I see something flicker across Blayne’s face. Something warm and beautiful.
“If your mom doesn’t mind,” he says, looking carefully at me.
“I don’t mind.” I grin wide, letting my expression show him what I feel.
So I hand my phone to Nia, who’s been watching this whole thing with barely concealed amusement, and we arrange ourselves for the photo.
Annalise in the middle, me on one side, Blayne on the other.
His hand rests on my lower back, just barely touching, but I can feel the heat of it through my shirt.
“Perfect,” Nia says, taking the picture. “You all look very… domestic.”
“Nia,” I warn.
“What? I’m just saying.”
Jaylen appears in the doorway, looking like he just woke up from another nap. “You guys leaving?”
“Yep,” Annalise says. “We’re going dancing!”
“Have fun,” he says with a small smile, shaking his head at his baby sister.
“We will! I’m gonna show Blayne all my best moves!”
“I’m counting on it,” Blayne replies, standing up. “Ready to go?”
“Ready!”
They head toward the door, and I follow, grabbing my purse.
“Where are you going?” Blayne asks, giving me a puzzled look.
“To drop you guys off,” I reply, just as surprised by his question.
“I can drive.” Shit, I didn’t think he’d just want to scoop my girl away.
“I know you can drive. But I want to see you two walk in together.”
“Mom,” Annalise says, “you should come dancing too!”
“It’s a father-daughter dance, baby. Just for daddies and their girls.”
“But Blayne’s not my daddy, and he gets to come.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
I look at Blayne. How do you explain to a six-year-old that some rules are flexible and others aren’t?
“How about this,” Blayne says. “Your mom should totally come with us for a while, but then it’s just you and me on the dance floor. Deal?”
“Deal!”
Twenty minutes later, we’re walking into the elementary school gymnasium, which has been transformed into something that actually looks pretty magical.
White lights are strung everywhere; there are balloons and flowers on every table, and a DJ is playing music that’s appropriate for six-year-olds but doesn’t make the adults want to run screaming. Who knew?
“Wow,” Annalise breathes. “It’s so pretty!”
“Almost as pretty as you,” Blayne replies, and she giggles.
We find a table near the edge of the dance floor, and I watch as Blayne helps Annalise into her chair like a perfect gentleman.
Other father-daughter pairs are scattered around the room, and I have to admit, Blayne fits right in.
He’s definitely the best looking, and he’s treating this whole thing with the same serious attention they are.
“Can we dance now?” Annalise asks, impatiently tapping her feet to the rhythm of the music.
“Absolutely. Reggie, you okay sitting here for a few minutes?”
“I’m fine. Go have fun.”
Then I get to watch Blayne Madison slow dance with my six-year-old daughter, and I’m pretty sure my ovaries explode on the spot.
He’s so careful with her, holding her hand gently and letting her stand on his feet so she can reach. She’s chattering away as usual, probably giving him a detailed play-by-play of her dance moves, and he’s listening like it’s the most important conversation of his life.
Other people are watching too. I can see the moms at nearby tables whispering to each other, and I know they’re wondering what the story is here. Green Fields is small enough that everyone knows everyone, and Blayne showing up with Annalise is definitely going to be the talk of the town tomorrow.
But right now, I don’t care. Because my daughter looks happier than she has in months, and the man I’m falling for is treating her like she’s the most important person in the world.
When the song ends, they come back to the table, both of them grinning.
“Did you see, Mom? We did the spinny thing!”
“I saw. You were amazing.”
“Blayne’s a really good dancer.” She looks up at him, nodding knowingly.
He chuckles. “Again, I had an excellent teacher,” he says, sitting down next to me. His leg brushes against mine under the table, and the brief contact sends heat shooting up my spine.
“Can we dance some more?” Annalise asks.
“In a minute. Let’s get some punch first.”
Blayne heads to the refreshment table, and Annalise starts telling me about all the other girls’ dresses and how Emma’s dad stepped on her foot but it didn’t hurt too much.
I’m half-listening, half-watching Blayne navigate the crowd of parents and kids, when someone slides into the chair next to me.
Jennifer Patterson. Of course.
“Well, hello there, Reggie. Don’t you look nice tonight.”
“Hi, Jennifer.”
“I have to say, I was surprised to see you here. This is usually just for fathers and daughters.”
“Blayne offered to bring Annalise. I’m just tagging along.”
“How sweet of him. Though I have to wonder…” She leans closer, lowering her voice. “Are you two… you know?”
“Are we what?”
“Dating. It’s just that you’ve been seen together quite a bit lately, and now this… it looks very much like you’re playing house.”
I want to tell her to mind her own business, but I also don’t want to cause a scene at my daughter’s dance.
“Blayne’s a family friend,” I reply with forced calm. “He’s just being nice.”
“Mm-hmm. Family friend. That what the kids call it these days?” Her expression is a ridiculous mix of pretend camaraderie and insane levels of curiosity.
But before I can respond, Blayne’s back with our drinks and a knowing look on his face.
“Jennifer,” he says with a nod.
“Blayne. How lovely to see you here. Playing daddy for the evening?”
There’s something nasty in her tone, and I see Blayne’s jaw tighten.
“Just helping out a friend,” he answers evenly.
“How neighborly of you.”
Annalise, oblivious to the tension, tugs on Blayne’s sleeve. “Can we dance again? They’re playing a song I like!”
“Absolutely, princess. Ladies.”
He stands and offers Annalise his hand, and they head back to the dance floor, leaving me alone with the town’s biggest gossip.
“He’s very good with her,” Jennifer observes.
“Yes, he is.”
“Almost like he’s been practicing. Or maybe he’s just naturally paternal.”
“Maybe he’s just a decent human being.”
“Oh, I’m sure he is. I’m just saying, it’s interesting timing. You come back to town, suddenly single, and Blayne starts playing family man. Makes a person wonder.”
“Wonder what?”
“Whether you two have been… reacquainting yourselves.”
I’ve had enough. I stand up, grabbing my purse.
“I’m going to go dance with my daughter and Blayne. Enjoy your evening, Jennifer.”
I walk away before she can respond, but I can feel her eyes following me. Great. By tomorrow morning, half the town is going to think Blayne and I are secretly dating.
Which we are, but that’s beside the point.
I find them on the dance floor, Annalise standing on Blayne’s feet again while he spins her slowly in circles. She sees me approaching and waves.
“Mom! Come dance with us!”
I smile, relieved.
“Come on,” Blayne says, extending his free hand to me with a wink and one of his devastating grins. “One dance.”
So, that’s how I find myself in the middle of the school gym, slow dancing with Blayne Madison while my daughter stands on his feet between us.
It’s ridiculous, and sweet, and absolutely perfect, and when the song ends, I realize this is what I want.
This feeling, this sense of family, this man who treats my children like they’re special.
“Okay,” I say, stepping back. “I should head home. Let you two finish your special evening.”
“Do you have to go?” Annalise asks.
“Yes, baby. This is your time with Blayne.”
“But what if I need you?”
“You won’t need me. You’ve got the best dance partner in the room.”
“Promise you’ll be here when we’re done?”
“I promise. I’ll be waiting right outside when the dance is over.”
I give her a quick hug and a kiss, then look at Blayne.
“Take care of my girl.”
“Always,” he responds, his solemn tone making my chest tight.
I leave them to head outside, where the cool night air feels good against my hot skin. I’m supposed to go home and wait, but instead I find myself walking around to the side of the building, where there’s a small garden area with benches.
I sit and try to process what happened in there. The way Blayne looks at Annalise, the way he included me in their dance, the way it felt like we were a real family…
This is dangerous territory. I’m falling for him, and worse, my kid is falling for him too. Annalise obviously adores him, and even Jaylen and Nia have warmed up to him. We’re building something here, something that feels real and lasting.
But what happens when he realizes what he’s signed up for? What happens when the reality of dating a woman with three kids settles? What happens when he decides this is too complicated and walks away?
I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t hear footsteps until someone sits down next to me.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
I look up to see Blayne settling onto the bench next to me, his suit jacket slung over his arm and his tie loosened.
“Dance over already?”
“Annalise is showing off her moves to some of the other girls. Figured I had a few minutes before she notices I’m gone. They have like fifty chaperones in there.” I laugh a little, and he studies my face in the dim light. “You okay? You look like you’re thinking hard.”
“Just processing. Tonight is… a lot.”
“Good a lot or bad a lot?”
“Good. Definitely good. She’s having the time of her life.”
“So am I, baby.”
We sit in silence for a moment, and I’m very aware of how close he is, how good he looks with his shirt, how good he smells…
“You know Jennifer Patterson is probably composing her gossip newsletter as we speak,” I say.
“Let her. People are gonna talk no matter what we do.”
“Doesn’t that bother you?”
“Should it?”
Before I can answer, his hand finds mine on the bench between us, his fingers intertwining with mine.
“Reggie,” he says quietly. “What we’re doing… it’s working for me. More than working.”
“Blayne…”
“I should go get Annalise. But later tonight, after she’s asleep and dreaming about being a princess…” His thumb traces over my knuckles. “I wanna see you.”
“My kids will be at home.”
“So we’ll be quiet.”
Heat floods through me at the suggestion in his voice. “You want to sneak around my house like teenagers?”
“I want you. However I can get you.”
The honesty in his voice makes my heart drum like crazy. “That’s a terrible idea., handsome”
“Probably.”
“They might hear us.”
“Then we’ll have to be very, very careful.”
I should say no. I should be responsible and mature and think about what’s best for everyone involved.
Instead, I lean closer and whisper, “My bedroom window faces the backyard. There’s a tree you could climb.”
His eyes widen. “Jesus, woman.”
“What? I’m just providing logistical information.”
“You want me to break my neck.”
I laugh. “Now go dance with my daughter before she sends out a search party.”
Blayne stands, but before leaving, he leans and presses a quick, hard kiss to my lips.
“Later, Mama,” he murmurs against my mouth.
“Later, cowboy,” I reply dreamily.