by Elle James
“I like the outside.” He leaned back and gave the house another look. “It reminds me of something…”
Her brow furrowed. “Yeah?”
He returned his attention to her. “It reminds me of home.”
Her frown deepened. “Your home?”
“Not mine,” he snorted. “The home I fantasized about as a kid.”
She touched a hand to his chest. “I’m sorry.”
He took one of her hands in his and brought it to his lips. “Don’t feel sorry for me. All that fantasizing helped guide me into the future.” He leaned close. “A future where I could stand on the front porch of a house I only dreamed about with a beautiful woman.” He stared into her face, captivated by her clear blue eyes. Resistance was futile. He had to…kiss her.
Sean leaned down and claimed her mouth with his.
Ava stiffened for a moment, and then melted into him, her hands moving up to wrap around his neck. Her lips opened.
Sean slipped his tongue between her teeth and caressed hers, loving the taste, the texture and heat.
The light blinked on over their heads.
“Ms. Swan? Is that you?” a female voice called out.
Ava sighed and stepped out of Sean’s arms. “Yes, Darcy. It’s me,” she answered.
The front door opened, and a young woman leaned out. “I thought you might have forgotten your keys.” She spotted Sean, and her eyes rounded. “Oh. Sorry. Did I interrupt something?”
Ava’s cheeks bloomed with color. “No, no. Mr. Decker was just leaving.”
“Hi, Mr. Decker.” The young woman held out her hand.
Sean took her hand.
“I’m Darcy,” she said. “I’m the—”
Ava stepped between them, forcing Darcy to drop her hand. “Darcy, thank you for opening the door for me.” She moved toward the door and stopped short when another face appeared in the crack.
Sean’s heart skipped a few beats as he gazed down at the prettiest little girl he’d ever seen.
“Mica, darling.” Ava knelt down in front of the little girl with vivid blue eyes and light blond hair curling around her face and shoulders. “Why are you still awake?”
“I was waiting for you.” The little girl pushed past Darcy and flung her arms around Ava.
Ava scooped her up and held her tightly. “Hey, sweetie, I told you I was coming back late. You weren’t supposed to wait up for me.”
Mica buried her face in Ava’s shoulder. “I know, but I couldn’t sleep.”
Ava leaned back and tipped Mica’s face up to stare into her eyes. “Why not?”
“Someone has to read to me,” she said, her gaze shifting to Sean.
He tensed.
“I offered to read to her, but she didn’t want me,” Darcy said.
Ava smiled at the young woman. “Thank you, Darcy. Is your boyfriend picking you up?”
She nodded. “I just texted him. He’s not far from here. He should be here any second.” Darcy grinned as headlights flashed at the end of the street. “That’s him, now. I’ll just grab my things.” The young woman ducked back inside and returned, carrying a lightweight jacket and a crossbody purse. “See ya Monday,” she said and ran down the driveway to the Ford Mustang sports car that pulled up against the curb.
The little girl clasped Ava’s cheeks between her little hands and forced Ava to look at her. “Who is he?” she whispered, her gaze shooting to Sean.
Ava gave her a weak smile and set her on her feet. “This is a…friend of mine.”
Sean smiled, feeling a little on the spot. “I’m Sean.” He held out his hand.
Mica looked from Sean to Ava and back to Sean.
“It’s okay,” Ava said. “He just wants to shake your hand.”
Mica took his hand and gave it a firm shake. Her warm hand in his felt so small and fragile. His hand completely engulfed hers. But she stood tall, her shoulders back and her chin held high. “Nice to meet you, Mister.”
“Decker,” Ava prompted. “Mr. Decker.”
“Mr. Decker,” Mica said. “Aren’t you going to come inside?” She led the way to the door and held it open for Sean and Ava.
Ava frowned. “I’m sure Mr. Decker has to go, don’t you?”
“Please, Mr. Decker,” Mica turned those pretty blue eyes up at him. “Won’t you read to me? At least the boy parts. Mama tries, but she doesn’t sound like a boy.”
Sean chuckled. “No, she doesn’t.” He caught Ava’s glance. “I don’t have to be anywhere else. Sure. Why not?” His brow dipped. “If that’s okay with your mama.” He raised an eyebrow, challenging Ava to say no or let him come in.
For a moment, she chewed on her lip, her frown deepening.
Not Mica. She hopped up and down, clapping her hands, a huge grin splitting her face. “Yay! I’ll have two people reading to me tonight.”
“I don’t know, Mica. It’s late.”
“Just one story,” she said. “Please.” She looked up at her mother, her eyes wide, innocent and pleading.
“I don’t know how you can say no to that,” Sean said softly.
Ava’s lips twisted. “It’s not easy.” She tilted her head. “I guess if you’re okay with it, I am.”
“I promise you can trust me.”
“I know that,” Ava said. “Leslie vets all of her clients. She wouldn’t have added you to her database, if you hadn’t passed her background check.”
“She did a background check on me?” He chuckled.
Ava nodded. “It was in the fine print.”
“Remind me to read fine print before signing another legal document.”
“I will. But for now, we have a book to read. I guess you’re covering all the boy parts.”
Mica skipped ahead in her soft pink nightgown, her blond curls bouncing with every step. She led the way to a small bedroom in a short hallway. Inside was a full-sized bed with a swath of sheer, gauzy material hanging from the wall over the pillows.
“Do you like my princess bed?” Mica asked. “Mama made it for me. I love it.” She moved around the room to a small teepee in the far corner. “And she made a teepee. Sometimes, I sleep in the teepee. But not tonight.” She hopped up onto the bed and stacked her pillows against the padded headboard. One on each side.
Ava pulled a colorful book from a small white bookshelf and carried it to the bed.
Mica patted the mattress on one side of her. “You can sit here,” she said to Sean.
Sean had thought he’d be sitting in a chair, but there wasn’t one in the room. So, he sat on the bed beside Mica.
Ava sat on the other side of the little girl.
Looking at them side by side, Sean could see the striking resemblance. Mica was the spitting image of her mother. She would grow to be just as beautiful as Ava.
Something pulled hard in Sean’s chest. He didn’t have time to examine that feeling as Mica took the book from her mother’s hands and handed it to Sean. “You can start.”
“Oh, okay.”
“You don’t have to do it,” Ava whispered over Mica’s head.
Sean shook his head. “I want to.” Then he opened the book and read a story about a little princess, a wizard and a pesky dragon.
Sean read the “boy” parts and Ava handled the “girl” parts of the story. By the time they reached the end of the short book, Mica’s eyes were drooping, and she yawned.
Sean slipped off the bed and straightened.
“Go to sleep, little one.” Ava tucked the blanket around her daughter and smiled down at her.
“Could I have a drink of water?” Mica asked and yawned again.
“Of course.” Ava glanced at Sean. “I’ll be right back.”
Sean nodded. “I’ll stick around.”
Ava left the room and hurried down the hallway to the little kitchen.
“Mr. Decker,” Mica lay with her head against her pillow, her eyes half-closed. “Thank you for reading to me.”
“You’re welcome,” he
said. He had never read to a child before. The act had been strangely gratifying.
“Mr. Decker?”
“Yes, Mica?”
Her eyes had closed all the way. “Will you be my daddy?” Mica whispered.
Sean’s heart stopped for several beats and then raced away again. “Pardon me?”
“Will you be my…” Mica drew in a deep breath and yawned again. “Daddy?”
Oh, hell. What was he supposed to say? “Don’t you have a daddy?”
She shook her head. “No, he died.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sean said. And he really was. A little girl needed a good man in her life to guide and protect her. But she had Ava, and Ava was doing her best to give her little girl all the love and attention she deserved.
“Mr. Decker?” Mica opened her eyes and reached out a hand to Sean.
He crossed to her and took her hand. “Yes, Mica?”
“They’re having Daddy Day at school on Monday,” she said. “Will you be my daddy?”
“Mica, I’m not your daddy.” He hated disappointing the child, but it didn’t seem right for him to pretend to be something he wasn’t.
She gave him the saddest look that hit him square in the heart. “I don’t know any other men. Except Mr. Johnson, the janitor, and he’s old enough to be a grandpa. I want someone to be my daddy for Daddy Day. All the other children’s daddies are coming.”
“Can’t your mother come instead?” he asked, feeling himself get sucked into those watery blue eyes.
She shook her head. “She’s not a daddy. It’s only for daddies. If I don’t have a daddy, I have to sit by myself.” She took his hand in both of hers. “Please, Mr. Decker. Will you be my daddy, just for Daddy Day?”
He couldn’t look into that little girl’s eyes and say no. She had tears brimming and her little hands holding his squeezed hard is if trying to squeeze a yes out of him.
When he opened his mouth to say no, a different word came out. “Okay.”
Her eyes widened, and a smile spread across her face. That smile lit the room with her joy. “You will?” She pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Decker. Thank you so very much.”
“You’ll have to tell your mother. She might not want me to go.”
“I’ll tell her.” Mica said. “I can’t wait for Monday. I’m going to have a daddy at Daddy Day for the first time ever.”
Her words tugged at Sean’s heart again. He shouldn’t have said yes, but he couldn’t disappoint her. She so desperately wanted to participate in Daddy Day with a daddy of her own, even if he really wasn’t her daddy. At least for a day, she’d be like all the other kids who had fathers who loved them.
Sean leaned down and pressed a kiss to Mica’s forehead. “I’d better go.”
“You’ll be at my school at ten o’clock on Monday?” She named the school and waited for his response.
“I’ll be there,” he promised. “Now, you need to sleep. It’s late.”
“I will. I’ll go right to sleep. I’m a very good girl. And you’ll be a very good daddy.” She turned on her side, closed her eyes and pulled a stuffed bunny up to her cheek. “Thank you, Mr. Decker. I’ll love having you as a daddy.”
Sean backed out of the room, wondering if he’d just agreed to something he shouldn’t have. He didn’t want to set Mica up for future disappointment.
It was only one day. How much could that hurt? Surely, she wouldn’t expect anything more from him. Would she?
“Did I miss anything?” Ava hurried down the hallway carrying a plastic cup of water. “My sink sprang a leak. I had to find a bucket to catch the water and clean up the mess.
She wore an apron over the little black dress, and she’d shed her high heeled shoes somewhere along the way, making her considerably shorter than the woman he’d met in the restaurant. Ava was a petite little thing, the kind of woman a man wanted to protect.
“What’s leaking?” he asked.
“The drain beneath the sink,” she said. “I’ll have to call a plumber tomorrow. I put a pan beneath it for now. It’ll be fine.”
Sean frowned. “I’ll take a look at it.”
“Oh, no. You’ll get your clothes all wet. I was lucky enough to find this old apron to cover the dress Leslie loaned me.” She smiled. “Thank you, but you don’t have to do anything with my old drain.” She glanced down at the cup in her hand. “Let me give this to Mica, then I’ll walk you to the door.”
He waited for her to enter Mica’s room. While she was saying goodnight to her daughter, he walked down the hallway to the small kitchen. The floor was damp where she’d mopped up the water.
Sean slipped the suit jacket from his shoulder and rolled up his sleeves. It had been a while since he’d done any plumbing, but he’d worked his way through college. One of his jobs had been assisting a construction crew. He had installed his share of sinks in the past and understood how they worked.
He found a couple of dish towels and spread them out over the damp floor. Once he had the floor relatively covered, he laid down on his back, reached under the sink and jiggled the drainpipes, searching for anything loose.
He tightened one of the connections and looked over the rest of the pipes. They appeared to be intact and working appropriately.
“Sean? Seriously, you shouldn’t be working on my plumbing.” Ava hurried into the kitchen.
“While you’re up there, would you turn on the water. I want to see if it’s still leaking.”
“Are you sure? It was pouring out pretty steady when I turned it on just a minute ago.”
“I’m sure,” he said. To be safe, he backed out of the cabinet and sat cross-legged.
Ava turned on the water and bent to watch as it slid down through the drain.
Nothing dripped or gushed.
She grinned and extended a hand, pulling him to his feet. “You just saved my next paycheck.”
“Glad I could help.” Hell, if one visit from a plumber set her back an entire paycheck, she wasn’t making much. Which would account for the small house in an older neighborhood. He wanted to do more, but it wasn’t his place to. They’d only been out on one date.
She walked with him to the front door. “Look. I’m sorry your evening ended with you having to fix my sink and read a story to my daughter. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t how you pictured spending your evening.”
“Actually, I enjoyed myself, more than I thought I would.”
“Really?” She grimaced and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I hadn’t planned on introducing you to Mica. She’s the main reason I haven’t dated since my husband’s death.”
“Mica’s a wonderful little girl.”
Ava smiled. “I know. I just hadn’t planned on dating again until she was grown and on her own. I didn’t want to confuse her by bringing other men into her life. I think most men shy away from ready-made families, and I don’t want her to get attached to someone who isn’t going to be around for the long haul.” She sighed.
“So, we messed up tonight.”
Ava nodded. “She was supposed to be asleep when I got home.”
“Instead, she met the man.” He jabbed a thumb at his chest.
“Yes.” Ava sighed. “She’s been noticing other children have daddies and she doesn’t. She never even knew her father. He died when I was pregnant with Mica.” A shadow crossed her face. “He was so excited to be a father.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. And for Mica’s.”
“Michael would have been a good father. So, you see, I don’t want to bring another man into Mica’s life who won’t love her as much as she deserves.” Ava squared her shoulders. “So, you see now why I’m not looking for a relationship. I want to protect Mica from disappointment.”
“I get that,” he said. “But there are men out there who have done a great job of raising children who aren’t their own. Being related doesn’t guarantee a man will make a good father. My father was a prime example. I don’t t
hink he ever cared about me or my brother. He thought we were put on the earth to aggravate him.”
“I’m so sorry.” She touched his arm. “No child should feel that unloved.”
“Yeah. Well, I survived, but I didn’t have the best role model. If genetics has any say in my personality, I won’t make much of a father. I don’t even want to risk it.”
Ava frowned. “You aren’t your father.”
“No, I’m not. And I’d better get going. I’ve kept you up past your bedtime.” He smiled and touched a hand to her cheek. “Thank you for going out with me.”
“No, thank you, despite how it ended.” She cupped his hand on her face. “I’d like to make it up to you, though, if I could. I can’t afford to take you out to that fancy steak house, but I’m a pretty decent cook. Will you let me make dinner for you sometime?” She released his hand and stepped back. “You’re under no obligation, and you know I have no expectations of anything. And you don’t have to say yes.”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “It’s okay. I’d like to have dinner with you again.”
“I have a friend who could keep Mica while we have dinner, unless you want me to cook it at your place?”
“Here would be fine. And it’s Mica’s home. You shouldn’t have to boot her for me.”
Ava chewed on her bottom lip before continuing. “She’d love it, but, like I said, I don’t want to confuse her by bringing someone into her life who won’t be around for the long haul.”
Sean nodded and held up a finger. “I get it. And based on that thought, I have a confession to make.”
Ava’s brow dipped. “Confession?”
He nodded. “While you were wrestling the sink, Mica asked me to attend a function with her at her school.”
“What?” Ava’s frown deepened. “What function?”
“Apparently, they’re having Daddy Day on Monday.”
“How did I not know about this?” Ava shook her head. “She usually tells me everything. And I get flyers from the school on all major events.”
“Maybe she didn’t want to tell you because it would make you feel bad? I don’t know.” Sean pushed a hand through his hair. “All I know is that she asked me to go.”