Chapter 33
thirty-three
PATRICK
“ Happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Lottie , happy birthday to you!”
A chorus of people sing to my daughter as she stands in front of a cake bigger than her head. With her hands clasped together under her chin and the widest smile on her face, she looks around the room at all the people here to celebrate her.
And in classic Lottie fashion, she is eating it up.
Carrie and I are on either side of her, and I bend down to whisper in her ear, “ Make a wish, Lottie .”
She takes a deep breath before blowing out her candles with gusto, triggering a round of cheers around us.
We cut the cake, eat food, and play party games, before people slowly head home. As the last of Lottie’s friends waves goodbye, my mom pops up next to me at the front door.
“ Hey , Lottie , how about a sleepover at Grandma’s tonight?” she asks, looking at Lottie , who is leaning against my leg.
“ Ohhhh yesyesyesyes. Please , Daddy ?” Lottie begs beside me, hands pressed together in prayer. Monday is technically her birthday, so I don’t mind her staying out tonight. But I still feel guilty, especially since my mom has helped so much recently. She’s usually at Carrie’s on Saturdays , but we decided it would be easier for her to sleep here tonight after the party.
“ Mom , you had her a couple of weekends ago.”
“ Exactly . It’s been too long since she’s stayed with me. Don’t keep my grandbaby away from me.”
“ Only if you’re sure. She is high on sugar and life, so good luck to you.”
“ Yes ! Best day ever!” Lottie cheers and darts to the kitchen where my brothers and Jo are tidying up. Not before shouting, “ I’m high!” at the top of her lungs. Yeah , Carrie is not going to be impressed about that one.
“ Thanks , Mom . I love her, but I’m exhausted and my ears are still ringing from all the screaming.”
“ My pleasure.” She starts packing one of Lottie’s backpacks with a pair of shoes and a raincoat. “ Now that you have a free evening, why don’t you ask Jo to stay for a while.”
Of course there’s an ulterior motive.
“ I’m sure she has better things to do tonight.” Though I secretly hope she doesn’t.
Having her here with me today, among our family and friends, has been amazing, and I know Lottie loved having her here. Her scream echoed through the house when she saw Jo’s outfit and dragged her around the party telling all her classmates that her best friend is a real-life princess.
“ You won’t know unless you ask.” She shoves me toward the kitchen with way too much strength for a woman her size. “ Go and save her from your brothers.”
Squinting my eyes at her suspiciously, I plant my feet firmly on the ground. “ What are you up to?”
“ Patrick , I have no idea what you’re talking about…” There’s always a but. “ But , I think Jo and her dad had a little falling out earlier. She’s bound to be a little down now that Harriet has left town too. She could use a friend, don’t you think?”
I look at her in question, but she just shrugs, and I take note to ask Jo about this. There was a little tension between them, but I guessed it was embarrassment about her dad walking in on us. I don’t bother arguing with my mom, because some time alone, in an actual house, rather than a bar or the bench of my truck, would be nice. I don’t mean for sex, either, but spending time together like we used to.
Okay , and potentially some sex.
That afternoon in my truck was like nothing in my life. We were a little tipsy and nervous during our first time together, and even though it was years ago, our bodies remembered each other. I would have waited a lifetime to experience that with her again, but I’m fucking grateful I didn’t have to.
My mom snaps me out of my thoughts with a light tap on my cheek.
“ Sweetheart , that look you have right now says enough. Go , kick your brothers out, and catch up.” She heads upstairs but shouts her next words over her shoulder. “ Or whatever it is you kids do these days.”
Shaking my head in laughter, I walk into the kitchen, and the sight that greets me has the breath catching in my throat.
The radio is blasting, bubbles float around the room, and Jo is spinning Lottie around in circles.
My heart stalls, and when it restarts, it threatens to burst out of my chest from how much adoration it’s brimming with. I rub at the aching spot as I watch Jo beam down at Lottie , who is making up the lyrics to the song with a huge grin on her face.
Graham and Booth have ditched the dishes and are blowing bubbles at the girls as they twirl around the room, still in their princess dresses.
It’s chaos, but it’s my chaos. And with Jo standing in the middle of it, chaos has never felt so blissful.
“ Daddy , look, I’m dancing,” Lottie shouts over the music.
“ Wow , look at my pretty girls.” The words are out before I even understand the meaning behind them. But they don’t feel wrong. They feel so fucking right. These are my girls and it’s about time Jo knew it.
Jo looks over at me, like she can’t believe her ears. She glances over at my brothers, but they don’t pay us any mind as I walk over to where they’re spinning around in circles.
I don’t care what anyone thinks.
She is my girl.
As I approach them, Booth cuts in front of me, bows gallantly at Lottie , and lays a cluster of bubbles on her nose. “ Can I have this dance, milady?” Lottie giggles, and before she can reply, Booth is scooping her up and spinning her around the room with a delighted squeal. He sends me a wink over Lottie’s head, and I know exactly what he’s up to. I’ve been raised in a family of meddlers. Though , for once, I appreciate the scheming.
“ I guess you’re stuck with me?” I hold my hand out to Jo .
“ You dance?” she asks skeptically, as she takes my hand. I pull her into me, until there’s hardly any space between us.
“ Nope , so you might need to take the lead.” She slides her hands behind my neck and locks her fingers together. I settle mine at the small of her back and we sway with the sound of the music. When the song changes to “ Only Love ” by Ben Howard , I notice that it’s just us left in the kitchen.
I lay a chaste kiss to the crown of her head, before resting my cheek against it. She plays with the hair at my nape as we move with the music. There’s no rhythm to our movements, we create our own.
“ Stay here tonight,” I murmur into her hair.
“ What about Lottie ?”
“ She’s sleeping at my mom’s. Stay with me.”
“ M’kay ,” she says, voice muffled as she nuzzles into my chest.
“ Dad — Oh , he is your prince,” Lottie abruptly announces. “ Can you stop dancing though, because I found another present,” she demands and bounces out of the room.
Cockblocked by my own daughter.
Jo laughs when I steal a quick kiss and pull her behind me. We follow where Lottie has disappeared into the living room and find her grinning up at us like the Cheshire Cat and holding a purple, glittery gift bag.
“ Look , another! Can I open it?” she asks.
“ Sure . I think that one is from JoJo ,” I tell her.
She gasps and runs over to Jo , hugging her legs tightly and thanking her repeatedly. Jo smiles at her and laughs, stroking the back of her head.
“ You’re welcome. But you’ve got to open it first, silly.”
We all sit on the floor as Lottie tears through the tissue paper and gift wrap. A gasp bursts from her lips as she pulls out a rectangular box. “ A puzzle!”
I peer over Lottie’s shoulder to see a children’s fifty-piece puzzle set of the animal kingdom. I look at Jo , who looks just as excited as my daughter. And there comes the ache in my chest again. I’ve accepted it’s a permanent fixture wherever these two are involved.
I think Jo and I were a few years older than Lottie when we did our first puzzle together, and seeing her share something so sentimental with my daughter, leaves me speechless.
An hour later, we’re sitting on my sofa together, after everyone has finally left.
Lottie got a bit upset about leaving— I think the sugar high was ending—because she wanted to take all her gifts to my mom’s, but I knew they’d get lost or damaged. To keep the peace, I said she could take one and when she picked her new puzzle, I didn’t miss the joy on Jo’s face. Booth , on the other hand, was devastated she didn’t pick the Nerf gun he bought her—the same gun I now have hidden in my room.
It took some effort to kick my brothers out, who took their sweet ass time leaving. Booth said he wanted to help “set the mood,” and Graham started talking about safe sex, reminding me it’s too soon for oopsie baby number two. They finished tidying up, and then I all but shoved them out of the door.
And now we’re alone at last.
Jo’s feet are in my lap as we share a bottle of wine and slice of birthday cake. The Office is playing in the background, but we haven’t been paying much attention to the TV . We’re doing something we’ve never done before—talking about our lives during our time apart. She tells me about the job she had in Tennessee and all the different bars she went to see Harriet perform in. She asks what Lottie was like as a baby and anything she missed about my siblings. The sting I expect to feel hearing about her life without me can’t be found, and I don’t see the same sadness in her eyes when I talk about Lottie as a baby.
I asked her about her dad, thinking back to my mom’s words earlier, but she shrugged it off and changed the subject. I’ll let it rest for now, but I hope she’ll speak about it later.
She’s sprawled out across from me, with a blanket draped over her legs, now in a new dress, thanks to the change of clothes she brought with her. The short dress that’s decorated with little white flowers is definitely an improvement, because now her legs are on display. I’m a simple man. Her hair is tied up and the glowing heat from the fire has turned her cheeks a rosy color. It’s mostly embers now, but she begged for a cozy night in front of the fire, so that’s what she got.
“ Thanks for inviting me today,” she says, and a small moan escapes her as I press down on the arch of her foot. That little noise does nothing to help the hard-on I’ve been trying to suppress for the last hour. I’m still in my clothes from the party—sans crown—and I can’t wait to get out of this dress shirt. And hopefully get Johanna out of that little dress. I’m grateful she’s no longer in the ballgown, because it was getting weird every time one of my brothers caught me checking her out. Even Dex picked up on it, asking me if it was even Lottie’s idea to have a princess-themed party.
“ I’m glad you came, though it was Lottie who invited you. My mom texted before and said she’s already started the puzzle and put up a fight when she had to go to sleep. Thanks for that .” Sarcasm laces my tone.
“ Oh god, she’s going to become obsessed like us.” She chuckles.
“ Let’s hope she’s not like you and loses the pieces.”
“ That puzzle still haunts me to this day. Nine days it took for me to finish that, Patrick . Nine . Days . And it came with one piece missing. I was ready to write a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer.” She’s so cute when she gets angry, her nose crinkles and her arms fly around as she continues to express her outrage over the mysterious missing puzzle piece. When she continues to rant, I can’t suppress my laughter for much longer.
She tries to pull her feet away, but I tighten my hold.
“ It’s not funny, and you teased me about it for weeks. You even gave my dad the idea about hanging the dumb thing up in the hallway. It’s like you…”
Her eyes widen, and her head turns to look at me like she’s got a leading role in The Exorcist .
“ You ,” she whispers and raises a pointed finger at me. “ And you can’t plead the fifth this time.”
“ I want to speak to my lawyer!” I shout as she throws herself at me. Her hands aim for my throat, murder shining in her eyes.
“ I can’t believe you! What did you do with it?” she cries. I trap her wrists in one hand to stop her attempt at murdering me, and with one quick buck of my hips, I flip us over until she’s lying beneath me. My hand locks her wrists together so they’re high above her head.
I didn’t think this through, because my cock is now nestled between her thighs and her breasts are pushed upward toward me, giving me the perfect view down her dress.
“ I stole it when you weren’t looking, and I must have lost it. I’m sorry.” I try to keep my face straight, hoping she doesn’t see through the lie. “ I’m sorry, I couldn’t keep it from you any longer. I’ve been carrying that guilt around for almost two decades.”
“ I hate you.” She pouts.
“ Liar .” The humor in my tone is gone and my voice comes out all thick now. I trace the bridge of her nose with the tip of mine, leaving kisses in my path. “ Do you know how I know?”
She shakes her head.
“ Because . If I reached between your legs right now, I’d find your pussy dripping wet.” I pepper kisses across her jaw and neck, sucking the pulse point below her ear. My mouth moves lower, and I lick a line across her delicate collarbone, which has her writhing and moaning beneath me.
As much as I want to test my theory, I promised myself when I do this again, it would be somewhere I can worship her body properly.
I let go of her hands and lift myself off her. She looks up at me in a lust-filled daze. Without a word, I stand, turn off the TV , and make sure the fire is completely out.
When I return to where she’s still lying on the sofa, chest rising and falling in quick succession, I reach down, take her hand, and pull her up until she’s standing.
“ C’mon , love. Let me take you to bed.”