Be Mine Forever: A Valentine (Single Father Romance)

by Lexy Parker

  “It’s a dessert when it’s dipped in chocolate,” he retorted.

  “I think the banana somewhat counteracts the chocolate, and it really is very little chocolate on the thing,” I reasoned.

  He gave me a look, shaking his head. “You two are ganging up on me.”

  “We’re only pointing out the facts.”

  “Can I go in the bounce house?” Sadie asked.

  “After you eat,” Philip replied.

  “And then I can have a banana?” she pressed.

  He rolled his eyes. “Yes, then you can have a banana.”

  We finished eating and headed for the area set aside for the kids to play. Philip surprised me when he took my hand in his. His other hand held Sadie’s. Sadie leaned forward, saw our joined hands, and offered me a toothy grin.

  With Sadie in the bounce house, we had a few minutes alone.

  “She’s very sweet, and you were right, she is very smart,” I told him.

  He laughed. “I warned you.”

  “Yes, you did, but it’s not a bad thing. She’s very mature.”

  He nodded. “Sometimes, I don’t think that’s a good thing.”

  I shrugged. “I could understand your hesitation, but when she is in high school or even middle school, it might be a good thing. She’s going to have that maturity to choose between right and wrong.”

  “I certainly hope so.”

  Sadie bounced out a few minutes later, clearly having a good time. I watched as she pulled off her headband before expertly putting it back in place.

  “There’s a few games over there if you’d like to check them out,” I told her.

  She nodded her head, dragging Philip behind her as she ran toward a ring toss game. I stood back and watched father and daughter play. My heart literally felt as if it was growing in my chest. I loved watching the two of them together. I had never been all that close to my father. I was a little jealous of how lucky Sadie was. Her daddy was her everything and vice versa. It was truly the sweetest thing ever.

  After a long, busy day, Sadie was dragging. Philip had picked her up and was carrying her back to the truck.

  “Come by?” he asked.

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “Please. It’s still early.”

  I nodded back. “I’ll follow you.”

  His house was on the outskirts of town. I recognized the neighborhood well. My grandparents had lived in the area forever ago. It looked a lot different than it did back then. I parked behind Philip’s truck in the driveway. Sadie had passed out cold. Philip carried her inside and put her to bed while I waited in his living room.

  He came back out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to him, kissing me.

  “She had a lot of fun today,” he said, pulling me to the couch.

  “I did too,” I told him. “She’s a fun girl and so obedient. I’ve been around a few kids, and none have ever been like her.”

  “Thank you. I think I got really lucky with her. She’s a good egg.”

  I nodded. “Yes, she is.”

  “You’re the first woman she’s been around since her mother died. I mean, we’ve had a few nannies and her teachers and friends, but today was really special to her.” His hand still held mine.

  “I’m glad you trusted me enough to let me meet her,” I said. “I promise I will never do anything that would hurt her or make her mad.”

  He grinned. “If you don’t make her mad at least once, you’re not doing it right. I firmly believe kids can and should get mad at their parents and the other adults in their lives.”

  I laughed. “Well, I don’t want to make her mad, and I will not go out of my way to do so.”

  “Thank you for that. And really, today was amazing. I don’t remember the last time the two of us had so much fun together. It was nice to do something different, something new and really experience what it will be like to live here.”

  “I’m glad she’s already made friends,” I said. “When the other kids saw her, she was treated like a celebrity.”

  He laughed. “She has that effect on people. I worry she’s going to become a prima donna and be one of those mean girls.”

  I smiled. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. She’s very grounded. I think the kids are drawn to her natural confidence. She has that thing about her that just makes her special.”

  “Thank you for saying that,” he said. “I think she is very special.”

  “I should get going,” I said, not wanting to overstay.

  Part of me was hoping he’d ask me to stay, but when he didn’t immediately offer up the invitation, I got to my feet. I didn’t want him to feel obligated to ask me.

  He stood and walked me to the door. His hands went around my waist, and he gave me a kiss, but it wasn’t one of the heated, passionate kisses I was hoping for. It was clear he wasn’t interested in me staying any longer, and he was definitely not asking me to stay the night.

  I walked to my car, refusing to let myself feel bad about his lack of an invitation. Today had been a big day for him as well. I was happy to know I was the first woman he’d brought around Sadie. That would have to comfort me as I went home alone.

  Chapter 31

  Philip

  I tossed another load of laundry into the dryer, pushed the button to get things going, and set about folding the load I had just removed. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon. Sadie had been playing in her room, drawing pictures and planning her wardrobe for the week, giving me plenty of time to catch up on all the housework that had been ignored the past few days.

  At breakfast, all Sadie could talk about was Jamie and how much she liked her. It made me happy to know she did. I had been a little worried the two of them would clash or Jamie would think Sadie was spoiled or a brat. I was extremely protective of my baby girl and couldn’t deal with a woman who thought negatively of my kid.

  I was putting the laundry away when I heard the doorbell.

  “Dad, someone’s here!” Sadie called out from her room.

  “I heard,” I muttered.

  At least she was obeying and not opening the door. I had made it very clear from an early age she was never to open the door. Hell, I wasn’t sure I would let her open the door when she was sixteen. I had read too many horror stories of home invasions or other horrible events that happened when the front door was opened. We were in a small town, relatively safe, but I wasn’t going to take any chances.

  I looked through the glass in the door and saw Clay standing there. I pulled open the door, surprised to see him. “Hey, what’s up?” I asked him, gesturing for him to enter.

  He shrugged a shoulder. “I thought I’d come by.”

  I looked at him, sensing there was more to his impromptu visit. “Come by? Why? Is everything okay?”

  He shrugged as I shut the door behind him. “How was your day yesterday?” he asked.

  I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over my face. “It was great, absolutely fantastic actually.”

  Clay grinned. “That’s good to hear. Jamie and Sadie hit it off?”

  I nodded my head. “They did. Sadie loves her, and Jamie thinks Sadie is a pretty special little girl.”

  “How was the cookoff?” he asked.

  I laughed. “That was an eye-opening experience. Sadie and I both had a ton of fun. I don’t think I’ve eaten that much in a long time. Sadie was buzzing around the place, high on life, fueled by lots of sugar. We all had a good time.”

  “Did she stay over?” he asked in a low voice.

  I shook my head. “No, I didn’t ask her to.”

  He grimaced. “What are you doing right now?”

  I shrugged. “Nothing, cleaning up, laundry, the fun stuff.”

  He nodded. “Good. Then I’m here to hang out with Sadie for a while and give you some time to properly thank her for being such an amazing woman.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  He flopped down on my couch. “You need to tell her how much
you appreciate her for being so awesome. I know you were busy on the big V-Day, but don’t you think you owe her a dinner or something?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I hadn’t thought about it.”

  “You like her, and Sadie likes her, so go spend some time with her,” he ordered.

  “Go, Daddy,” Sadie said from behind me. “Me and Clay are going to watch the new Disney movie on Netflix.”

  I looked at Clay. He nodded his head. “Go.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I’ve got nothing better to do today. I’ll order me and Sadie some pizza, and we will veg out in front of the TV.”

  I took a deep breath. “Okay. Thank you, really. I guess I kind of do owe her.”

  “You do. Go change. You can’t wear sweats and a ratty T-shirt.” He curled his lip.

  I laughed. “It’s laundry day!”

  “Hurry up and change,” he ordered.

  I headed into my room, quickly pulling on a pair of jeans and finding a clean, black, long-sleeved cotton shirt. I slipped on my favorite black boots and brushed my hair. I hadn’t shaved this morning, taking advantage of my Sunday off. The dark scruff wasn’t too bad, I decided.

  I headed out to the living room. After giving Sadie a quick kiss and a hug and thanking Clay again, I was on my way to Jamie’s. I probably should have called first, but I was looking forward to surprising her.

  I realized I didn’t even know if she was home or out. She could be hanging out with Dani. When I saw her car in the driveway, I breathed a sigh of relief. I knocked on the door, tossing around words in my head, trying to figure out what I would say to her.

  She opened the door, her face revealing her surprise at seeing me. “Philip?” She said my name as if she wasn’t sure it was really me.

  “Hi,” I said somewhat sheepishly.

  She looked over my shoulder and then back at me. “Is everything okay?”

  I nodded. “Yes, I wanted to thank you for yesterday. Sadie and I both had a great time.”

  She laughed, opening the door and gesturing me to come inside. I took in her relaxed Sunday attire that hadn’t been all that different from my own. Her gray leggings paired with a tight blue T-shirt revealed all of her curves. Her blonde hair was hanging loose around her shoulders, and her face was devoid of makeup. Her bare feet with the pretty pink toenails had me aching to touch her.

  “You did thank me, and a text would have sufficed,” she said as we stood in the small entryway of her home. “Where’s Sadie?”

  “She’s with Clay,” I said. “I wanted to properly thank you. Are you up for dinner?”

  She checked her watch. “Now?”

  I nodded. “An early dinner,” I said with a small laugh.

  “Sure. Let me change, and then we can go.”

  I waited in the living room, looking around at her comfortable digs and smiling. I liked the coziness. The woman’s touch was a real thing. There were candles scattered around the room. Some in jars and some in pretty candleholders. Most of them had been burned, which told me they weren’t just for looks. I saw a shelf with several framed photos and was about to go check them out when she reappeared.

  “That was fast!” I exclaimed, taking in the jeans and the pretty blue shirt she had on.

  She grinned. “You looked casual, so I was going for casual. Casual is easy.” She shrugged.

  “You look beautiful,” I told her, kissing her.

  I had missed kissing her, even though it had been less than twenty-four hours since I’d been able to touch her. I was becoming more addicted to her touch, her taste, and the feel of her against me. I wanted to be around her night and day.

  “I’ll grab my purse, and then we can go.”

  “Fast casual good with you?” I asked her as we walked to my truck.

  “Sounds perfect to me.”

  I drove to the Denny’s I had seen while out on my deliveries. I loved that she was perfectly content with a simple dinner and didn’t demand a fancy restaurant with wine and the whole nine yards. It was so much more comfortable than something fancy.

  “I’m going for a burger,” I said. “What about you?”

  “Same, with fries,” she said with a grin.

  After we ordered, I reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “Yesterday was amazing. That was the first time in a long time that we had that kind of fun, and it was the first time we’ve ever done anything like that since Tara died.”

  She smiled, squeezing my hand. “It was really my pleasure. I should be thanking you. Sadie is a great kid. I really like her.”

  “She likes you as well,” I told her sincerely. “I wasn’t sure how to do all this. I mean, I haven’t dated anyone since Tara, and that was right out of high school. Thank you for giving me the chance to figure things out.”

  “You’re doing fine,” she replied.

  “You make it very easy,” I said with a laugh.

  Our burgers were delivered, and we both dug in. We laughed and talked and had a good time. The feeling of being completely relaxed and at ease with her was huge. I wasn’t nervous or worried about saying the wrong thing. I could be me.

  I took her home, and she invited me in. I wasn’t expecting anything more than a kiss, but I wasn’t ready to go home. It was still early. I had time.

  “Want a soda or something?” she asked.

  “Water would be good,” I said, moving to take a seat on her couch.

  I settled in and was surprised by how comfortable it was. It certainly didn’t look like much, but it was very relaxing.

  She returned with two bottles of water and sat down beside me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her against me. Another first. It was strange but felt right to have her snuggled against my body.

  “Philip, I know this is not the question any guy wants to hear, but what exactly are we doing?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Doing?”

  “Like, us. What are we?”

  I took a deep breath. “I don’t know for sure, but I know that I’m really enjoying myself. I like this. I like what we have.”

  “You like the sex?” she asked bluntly.

  I chuckled. “I love the sex, but it isn’t only that. I care about you. I told you, this is all new to me. I’m trying to figure it out.”

  She was quiet for a few seconds. “Okay,” she replied.

  “I’m not sure what else to say,” I told her, feeling like I was letting her down.

  “No, it’s fine,” she said. “I’m okay with that. I just needed to know if this was you and me hooking up when you had a few minutes, or if we were going to take it any further.”

  In my mind, I wasn’t sure. I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure I was ready. I didn’t want to tell her I was, only to find out I wasn’t.

  “I’m trying,” I told her, my voice a whisper.

  She looked up at me and smiled. “That’s enough for me,” she said.

  “I’ll do my best to be honest and up front with you,” I told her.

  She gave me a quick kiss. “I can live with that. Do you have to leave right away?” Her eyes dropped to my mouth.

  I shook my head. “I have some time.”

  “Good,” she said, taking the bottle of water from my hand and placing it on the coffee table before crawling into my lap and straddling me.

  I scooted over a little, adjusting her body on mine, looking into her eyes, and feeling myself getting lost. Her hand brushed over my stubbled jaw.

  “Sorry, I didn’t take the time to shave,” I told her.

  She shook her head. “I like it. I like the way it feels against my skin. I like the way you look with the dark shadow along your jaw.”

  I smiled. “Good, because I really like not shaving every morning.”

  Her mouth closed over mine. She kissed me gently at first before she forced my lips apart, pushing her tongue inside. With her vantage point over me, she was in complete control of the kiss, ravishing my mouth with her
s while her body ground against me. I could feel her need. Her passion turned me on. I loved that she wanted me as much as I wanted her. It was a heady feeling to be desired.

  I reached my hands to the back of her head, pulling her mouth harder against mine and showing her just how badly I longed for her. The more our tongues dueled, the more the passion inside me burned throughout. I was hungry for her. Starving for her body. I promised myself to take my time, but with the way she was kissing me, all my willpower was being stripped away.

  Chapter 32

  Jamie

  My body was primed and ready for him with a single kiss. He had a way of igniting a fire within me that I had never had the pleasure of experiencing before. I loved foreplay. I loved it, and usually, I loved to stretch it out, but with Philip, I couldn’t wait to get to the good stuff. He satisfied me in every way, and riding him was all I could think about as I felt his hard length under me.

  I circled my hips, grinding against him, rubbing his shaft between my legs. I could make myself orgasm with a few more rotations. The friction triggered a carnal response inside me that took me by surprise.

  “Slow down,” he whispered, putting his hands on my cheeks and pushing me back a little.

  “I can’t help it,” I told him apologetically. “Every time I’m with you like this, all I can think about is getting to the end.”

  He grinned. “I get it. Trust me, I do, but I want to draw this out. We’re always so frenzied.” He kissed over my neck.

  As if that was going to help slow things down. It was driving me crazy in the best way possible, his hot tongue leaving a trail of heat as he moved to my collar bone. I groaned, moving my head to the side to give him easier access.

  “This is torture,” I gasped.

  He chuckled softly, his soft lips kissing over my skin. “I want to torture you. I want you begging for mercy.”

  “I am,” I protested, sliding my hips forward, relishing in the hard feel of him.

  His hands moved to my shirt and lifted it up and over my head. I had taken an extra minute to change into a matching lingerie set, just in case there was a chance he was going to see me naked. The lacy red bra matched the thong I was wearing. Both were very skimpy and hid almost nothing.