by Jaime Lewis
Irish took a seat next to Ace on the back porch. Alex was on the phone with the pilots, getting their flight back home worked out for the day after tomorrow. Her uncle Tink flew them up on one of his security company’s private jets.
“I swear when we get home, I’m buying your fiancé a cape.”
“Huh?” Ace asked, giving Irish a sideways glance but keeping his eyes on his woman. Rarely did Ace ever take his eyes off Alex when she was near.
“Alex. She’s a fucking superwoman.” He watched her along with Ace as she talked diligently on the phone while she watched Sienna pick some vegetables in the garden.
Ace nodded his head. “That she is. She’s my world. I tell ya, man; I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now if she hadn’t been sent on that mission with us to Afghanistan last year.”
Irish thought it was cool how Ace and Alex had met during a mission. At the time, she had been working for a private firm and was assisting in hunting down a terrorist. The mission had been a shit show from the start and ultimately ended with Alex being kidnapped, beaten, and shot. She survived, barely. Even though he saw the videos of her defending herself and killing her captors, he still wondered how she did it, especially in the condition she was in.
Irish rested his legs on the railing and rocked the chair. “Speaking of Alex, when are you planning to make it official and put a wedding band on her finger? Have you guys talked about setting another date?”
Ace and Alex were supposed to get married months ago, but due to a deployment, their wedding was postponed. They talked about it again, but their careers threw some wrenches in the dates they were looking at.
Irish envied Ace and Alex’s relationship. He’d never admit it to the others, but deep down, he wished he could meet a woman who would look at him like Alex looked at Ace. The admiration and love she showed Ace were unbelievable.
He immediately thought about “Blue,” the blonde-haired beauty with the glacier blue eyes. She seemed so innocent and delicate, and those traits definitely weren’t the type he went for in a woman. Then again, he didn’t date. He was all about the quick hook-ups to give him a satisfied and needed release. And the women he took to bed knew that was all they were getting. But “Blue” intrigued him from the moment she looked up at him while she laid in that puddle. He could see himself cuddled up to her after a round of lovemaking.
It couldn’t be that hard to hunt her down. She mentioned her condo was near Bayside. Bayside was located on a dead-end street, with only maybe five or six condo complexes on the street. He could ask some friends for help if needed.
Irish was so engrossed thinking about Blue that he almost hadn’t heard Ace answer his question. “We were hoping to set a date by the end of the year, but with things going on with the Foundation and Clinic, it’s too much right now. When Alex and I last talked about it last month she told me that she didn’t need a piece of paper to tell me she’s mine.” Ace shrugged his shoulders, and he stared at Alex as she continued to speak on the phone. “I told her the same. So, I guess all that matters is that we love each other.”
Irish hoped Ace was right, but he had a feeling Alex saw things a little differently and might just be telling Ace that to appease him. He saw how excited she was when she was planning the original wedding. But then again, what did he know about love and marriage? His focus right now was getting back home and settling into becoming a dad and everything that went with it.
Chapter Seven
A few days had gone by, and Irish still had boxes upon boxes to unpack. His team had come through big time for him. Not only had they painted the entire house inside, laid new wood flooring, installed the rest of the kitchen cabinets, but they also had Sienna’s room all decorated. She had mentioned she liked fairies. So, of course, Tenley and Autumn took on the challenge and created a masterpiece that looked like it came right out of one of those HGTV shows. It even had twinkle lights hidden throughout the room, so when the lights were off, it gave the appearance that fairies were hiding. It was absolutely amazing. Not to mention her bed was literally off the ground, and you had to walk over a little suspension type bridge to get to it. He was a bit nervous about that, considering she was still young and could roll-off, but the way the bed was designed, it had sides. Of course, Sienna loved it. It had been hard to drag her from the room.
The biggest challenge so far had been hair maintenance. Sienna had long hair, and the nightly washing and detangling process was killing him, especially the first time he made her cry when he yanked too hard. He still felt terrible. Thankfully, Tenley being the sweetheart she is, had stopped by and dropped off some kind of spray that would help with the detangling process. While there, she also gave him a crash course in ponytails and pigtails. But whatever it took to make sure his little peanut was cared for, he’d make sure it happened, even if she did step out in public with uneven pigtails.
For him personally, the hardest adjustment was when he traded his Corvette in for a more family friendly vehicle. Diego took him to a dealership that a friend of his owned and he traded the sports car in for a red Lincoln Navigator. He’d admit, the Navigator was pretty cool.
Sienna’s first day of school was in two days. They had missed the meet the teacher day because they were traveling back to Virginia Beach, but when Autumn swung by the school to get everything he needed to get Sienna enrolled, she was able to meet Sienna’s teacher. Autumn seemed impressed with her, so he felt good about that.
The next couple of weeks were going to be hectic and possibly a little difficult for Sienna, and that had him worried. Because of the schedule at work, he wasn’t going to be able to drop her off or pick her up from school, which he wanted to do, to start getting into a routine. It would be good for both of them. For now, Tenley offered to pick-up and drop-off since Alejandra attended the same school.
The first night he and Sienna got home, he’d had “the talk” with her. The talk meaning there were times he would need to leave for work. He assured her she would be taken care of. He’d already made arrangements with Alex. She would be Sienna’s guardian any time he was out of town. If it weren’t for his team and the women, he was pretty sure he would be up shit creek without a paddle. They’d all been nothing but supportive since they heard Sienna was coming to live with him. In just the couple of days they’ve been home, Sienna had already become close with Alejandra, Potter, and Tenley’s daughter, as well as Cody, Frost, and Autumn’s son. Irish had a lot of respect for Cody. He was already a little alpha male as he watched over Alejandra and Sienna. He had a protective streak in him. He proved that when he took it upon himself to paddle his surfboard out into the Atlantic Ocean to save his mother from an evil man.
Then there was Mr. Whiskers. Irish still wasn’t completely sold on the cat yet. That damn cat still gave him an attitude, even though he was one who fed him, gave him water, and cleaned his shit out of the litter box every single day. To top it off, the damn thing decided to make himself at home in his bed. Every night, he had to chase him out, but every morning he’d wake up, and the bastard was back in the bed. This morning, he decided it was a battle he didn’t want to fight. In his career, he’d learned there are times when to pick your battles, and this was not one of those times.
Overall, all was well in the Daniel’s household.
Chapter Eight
Irish and Sienna walked into her school. It was “Back to School” night, and Sienna was practically bouncing as she walked, holding his large hand. She’d been so excited the last few days. He had to admit he was somewhat curious to meet her teacher, Ms. Anderson, that she’d been talking non-stop about for the past three weeks since school started. She also mentioned several times how pretty she is. Not that he would ever hit on one of Sienna’s teachers. No way. Plus, now that things were settling at home, he was determined to start his hunt for “Blue.”
The last few weeks had gone by in a blur. Keeping up with Sienna had been an eye-opener, but he wouldn’t trade spending time wit
h her for the world. He felt he had taken on the role of fatherhood well. He’d even received compliments from the guys. That’s not to say there had been times where he’d had to call up one of the women and ask for advice.
Sienna had adjusted to the move and new living arrangements quickly. She was also doing well in school based on the assignments she had been bringing home in her daily folder. He enjoyed their nightly routine. After he would pick her up from Tenley’s, they would come home, and he would fix them dinner. After dinner, they would go through her daily folder together, and he would ask her questions and sometimes even quiz her on things she was learning in class. Then it was bath time, and if time allowed a little TV time together on the couch with Disney Jr., then off to bed with a bedtime story. Irish loved every minute of it.
They were running late getting to the school. The one night that he needed to leave work on time, a situation occurred. He was worried they wouldn’t even make it, but they did, although from the looks of the empty room, they were the last ones.
As Sienna steered him into the classroom talking a mile a minute, she paused, then squealed before she took off running. “Ms. Anderson!”
Irish scanned the set-up of the room. There were four tables with four chairs at each in the middle of the room. To one side was a play area, and the other side was arranged like a reading library with shelves of books surrounding a couple of bean bags for the children to sit in while they read their favorite book. It was pretty cool.
His eyes zeroed in on the petite woman who was bent over hugging Sienna. As he made his way over to the two of them, the woman stood and met his gaze. Irish felt his knees buckle, and he almost lost his ability to stand. It was her…
“Irish?” That sweet, soulful, southern voice rang in the air with a gasp. All Irish could do was stare. He swallowed hard; his throat was dry as a desert. He looked into those eyes and the face he had memorized over a month ago. Shit, he had it ingrained in his head. “B-Blue?” He said, finally able to speak. He shook his head. Did he just stutter?
She quirked an eyebrow. “Blue?”
His eyes grew large when he realized he said that out loud, and he felt his cheeks warm. “I’m sorry. Ever since that night we met, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Your eyes. They are so unique.” Her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned pink. Then like a freight train, it hit him. Blue, the woman who had caused many sleepless nights as he fantasized about her, is Sienna’s teacher! This was so not a good thing. “I am so sorry. I sound like some whack job.” He ran his hand through his hair. He was a mess. She just stood there, and finally, she smiled and held her hand out.
“Why don’t we start over? I’m Bailey Anderson, Sienna’s teacher.”
He grinned and shook her hand, still in denial that Blue was standing in front of him. “Ky…Ky Daniels, Sienna’s uncle.”
She scrunched her eyebrows together and gave him an odd look. “I thought you said your name was Irish.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a nickname.” She nodded her head. Christ, this was awkward.
She cleared her throat and grinned. “Why don’t we have a seat while Sienna plays a little, and I can tell you about what she’s learning now, and I can go over what the curriculum is for the remainder of the year since I didn’t get a chance to talk to you before now.” She gestured toward a larger table off to the side of the room that he assumed was her desk.
They both sat down, and when she started talking, all he could do was stare and get lost in her beauty and voice. She was dressed in a pair of form-fitting stylish black pants, a brown cowl neck sweater, paired with dark brown boots that came up just below the knee. She was absolutely stunning. Her blonde hair was straight and hung below her shoulders. She had the sides tucked behind her cute little ears. Her face looked natural, not much make-up, but it glowed like she had gotten a little sun. He couldn’t get over the fact that “Blue” was literally sitting in front of him. Was this fate? He wondered to himself.
“Ky?” That sweet southern angelic voice pulled him out of his head.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, can you repeat what you just said?”
She smiled, and Jesus if that didn’t make his dick harder. By the time he got through with this meeting, he was going to have a permanent tattoo of his zipper on his dick.
“I asked you if you were okay. You seemed to really zone out there for a minute.”
“Sorry, I was just thinking about something.” He wanted to tell her it was her he was thinking about.
She smiled and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and he wanted to moan. She probably had no clue how seductive she appeared right now. She tried inconspicuously not to look over his body, but Irish caught her, and he smiled to himself. Oh yeah, could the pretty little teacher be having some of the same naughty thoughts I am?
Thank God she asked a question because if she hadn’t, there was no telling what his next course of action or words would have been toward her. She was that appealing.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what is it that you do? The last week we’ve been talking about careers. The other day we went around the room, and each student had an opportunity to say something about what their parents or guardian, as in your case, did for a living. And well, Sienna seemed a little flustered, I guess you could call it. I mean, she jumped right away at the opportunity and even raised her hand to go first and has no issues speaking in front of people, but as she started, she couldn’t really say what you did other than you help people.”
Irish wanted to laugh. God, he loved Sienna. She still couldn’t comprehend the military stuff and the difference between Navy and Army, and he definitely was not getting into the things he did with her. But she absolutely said what he told her to say if anyone ever inquired about what he did for a living. And that was that he helped people. That statement left a plethora of things he could be. However, saying that would only last for another year or two as she started getting older and understanding more.
He held Bailey’s gaze but noticed a slight twinkle or sparkle to her eyes. “I’m in the Navy,” he said gruffly, and when he saw her eyes light up, his stomach formed a knot. Could this little pixie have a thing for military men? God, he prayed not because that would devastate him. He had enough of the women who wanted him only for the uniform he wore. He didn’t want another one.
Her lips quirked up just slightly, and he had a feeling he was missing something. “Well, that explains a lot about Sienna’s family drawing,” she said, and Irish was now utterly confused.
“What drawing? I didn’t see anything in the folder she brings home,” he stated.
Bailey smiled again, then got up and walked over to the wall that had a bunch of drawings tacked up on it. He couldn’t help to take a quick glance at her ass as she stood on her tiptoes to remove a piece of paper.
“We hung them up to show tonight. But I am happy to hear that you look at her folder.” She walked back to the desk and sat back down. “You’d be surprised at how many parents don’t.”
She handed him the piece of paper, and he looked at it. There were eight stick people in blue, three stick people in pink, and three stick people in green. Under the blue ones, Sienna had written the names of Irish and each of his team members. Under the pink ones, she wrote, Alex, Tenley, and Autumn, and under the green were Cody, Alejandra, and Sienna.
Irish was in awe. He was so caught up in his emotions; he hadn’t realized a tear had slipped out of his eye. He went to wipe it away and locked gazes with Bailey. She, too, looked emotional. He couldn’t believe a five-year-old understood who her family really was. All the people she drew were her family.
Realizing he must have looked like a dork, he set the paper on the desk. “I’m sorry.” He said, still staring at it.
She gave him a sympathetic smile and patted his hand. Her touch sent jolts of electricity up his entire arm.
“It happens all of the time and trust me; it won’t be the last
time she does something that gets you emotional. Autumn, the woman who I met and gave Sienna’s enrollment papers to, explained a little about Sienna’s situation. Mainly that you were taking over guardianship of her.”
“Yeah, my parents are at that age where they should be settling down more, and having a rambunctious, full of life five-year-old was hindering that,” he stated with a grin.
“I completely get what you’re saying. I just have them for a couple of hours a day, and they wear me out. But I come back every day because it’s what I love to do. And it gives me a greater pleasure when I can give something like this,” she motioned toward the picture, “to a parent and really see the love and proudness in their eyes.”
“I’m sure all parents, some time or another, get that emotional feeling when they see something extraordinary their kids do or accomplish,” he said, and suddenly, he wished he hadn’t because a look of sadness crossed her beautiful face. It happened quickly, but then it was gone, and a slight smile appeared. “I’m sorry if I said something that upset you,” he told her, as he studied her. But she waved him off.
“Please, don’t be sorry.” She glanced over to the table where Sienna was building something out of playdough and smiled, then looked back at Irish, pausing almost as if she were considering her words carefully. “Let’s just say my childhood wasn’t filled with warm and happy memories.” She gave him a soft smile, then cleared her throat. And just like that, she was back focused on what was in front of her; whatever thoughts or memories that had saddened her just moments ago were gone. “Anyway, Sienna talks very highly of everyone in the picture. She seems really happy and is very social in class. You’re doing a wonderful job with her.”