by LeAnn Ashers
I laugh and gather my courage, and I slowly reach down to the container. I spot a worm at the top. I touch the worm with the tip of my finger and jerk my hand back. Tiffany and Lane laugh at me.
Lane grabs the worm and hooks it for me. “I got you, Doll.” He kisses my cheek, and I cringe, waiting for Tiffany’s reaction. She just smiles at me. I guess she is okay with it all.
She walks over to the water’s edge, and I get up and follow her. She brings her pole back and whips the line out into the water. I push the button on the reel and bring my pole back, then forward, letting go out of the bottom at the same time. The line goes out into the water, and I look back at Lane triumphantly.
“Daddy, I got one!” she screams and Lane walks over.
My line gets a swift tug and I jump, startled. “What do I do?” I yell.
“Give a swift tug once you feel it biting and reel it in.”
I feel another tug and I yank my pole; it makes a whipping sound. Lane laughs loudly.
“What?” I start reeling in the line, my pole bent.
“When I said tug, I didn’t mean to rip the fish’s face off.” He chuckles and I shake my head. I finish reeling it in, and I see it’s a little fish.
Tiffany is still reeling in hers, and Lane quickly takes the fish from his hook and throws it back in the water. Tiffany finally manages to reel in a fish and it’s huge!
“Good job, Tiffany!”
She flashes me a smile and places her foot on the fish, keeping it from moving. She grabs a pair of pliers off the ground. She reaches into the fish’s mouth, twists her wrist, and brings the pliers back out with the hook. She reaches under the fish’s gills, lifts it off the ground, and releases it back into the water.
Lane watches her with a huge grin on his face. “I just got showed up.”
Tiffany laughs and baits her hook again. Lane sits down on the blanket, and I set my pole down and sit in front of him.
“She is amazing, Lane.”
She is farther down the lake finding a better spot.
“She is, she has come a long way.”
Chills break out down my arms because of what could have happened.
“Tiffany came into my life...”
I suck in a deep breath as I mentally brace myself for what happened.
“Devil Souls were putting an end to a trafficking ring that was affecting our towns. This shit can’t get out, but I need to tell you. Kyle is the president, he found Tiffany sitting in a cage in a corner with a note on top of it. She was going to be used to extort ransom from me, and the message was about to be sent out—but we got there first.” He tightens his grip on me.
“I had a girlfriend for three months back when I was twenty-two, when I was home on leave. I was home only once a month. I saw her three times, and the last time I saw her, she was shooting up. I left her that second, and that was the last time I saw her. I didn’t love her or anything like that. I tolerated her because I was lonely.”
He stops and places his forehead against my shoulder. I rub his arm, wanting to comfort him.
“Tiffany knew exactly who I was, she knew what I looked like, but she was told that I never wanted her. I never saw my baby’s first steps, none of the little things. Tiffany is still afraid that I will be ripped from her life. She had a shitty childhood, no stability and no mother worth shit.”
“Lane, I am so sorry.” My voice cracks, and I shake my head at thoughts of that sweet little girl’s childhood. I don’t even want to think of what it was like living with a mother like that. A mother who was going to put her up for ransom.
I want to beat the shit out of her, and I want to make sure she never even looks at Tiffany again.
“It’s my mission to make sure she has the best life, Tiffany is my baby. She looks just like me, acts like me.”
My heart cracks a little as I watch her reel in another fish. “Look, Amelia!” she yells and holds up the fish.
“Good job, honey!”
She grins at me.
“Lane, where does her egg donor live?”
He bursts out laughing. “Baby, Shaylin already beat her ass.”
“Well, I didn’t get to.” I huff and I lean back. He kisses me on the lips softly. His hand rests on my jaw, deepening the kiss. He pulls back but stays close to me, his eyes staring deeply into mine. “I love you, Amelia.”
Oh my god. Tears fill my eyes instantly, and my heart soars with happiness. “God, I love you too, Lane, so fucking much.” I spin in his arms and hug him tightly.
“Fuck, Doll, you just made me so fucking happy.”
My body shakes. My life just changed when he said those three little words.
Untitled
Tiffany is lying between me and Lane on the blanket. We are looking up at the stars, a fire going next to us.
“It’s so peaceful.”
“Amelia, can I do your hair tomorrow?”
She wants to see me tomorrow! I smile at her. “You sure can, honey, I have a cookie recipe that I haven’t gotten to try out yet.”
Her eyes widen. “Can I help?”
“You sure can.” I tuck stray hairs that escaped her braid behind her ear. Lane is watching us, and what I really want right now is to hug her. I have been dying to hug her all evening, ever since I heard about her childhood.
I don’t even know her mom but I hate her—I hate her so much. I want to track her down and beat the shit out of her then come back the next day to do it all over again.
“I guess we need to head back. Tiffany, I am going to put your bike in the back.” Lane leaves us alone.
“You’re nice.”
Her statement stuns me. “Of course I am, Honey.”
She stares at me for a few seconds. “My daddy cares about you, and I know you care about him. Will you care about me too?”
My heart shatters into a million little pieces. She craves a mother figure. “I already care about you, Tiffany. I will always be a part of your life.” I touch her cheek, and she looks down at my hand.
“Promise?”
“I promise, Baby.”
She smiles and falls into me. I wrap my arms around her and close my eyes. “I think we need to have girls’ day together, if your dad lets us.”
“I will ask him and he will let me.”
I laugh because she’s right. It would be hard to turn her down.
“Are my girls ready?”
Tiffany lets me go and we stand up. I grab the blanket off the ground and walk over to the Rhino. Tiffany hops in the middle of the front seat. I put the dirty blanket in the back and grab another one from under the seat. The air is slightly chilly now, so the ride back will be pretty cold.
I climb in beside her and put my arm on the back of the seat, behind her head, to have more room. Lane climbs in and Tiffany moves closer to me then lays her head against my side.
My heart. She is so sweet. Lane starts driving toward home and, as I expected, it’s cold. I bring the blanket up to shield her face from the air.
Lane pulls to a stop and climbs out. He reaches under the seat, pulling out another blanket, and hands it to me. “Here, Doll.”
He is so sweet; Lane is just perfect. I cover myself and Tiffany. I feel her breathing steadily; she is fast asleep.
Once we arrive at Lane’s house, he pulls to a stop in the garage and the door closes behind us. I take the blankets off me and Tiffany; she is still out.
“Want me to wake her?”
“Yeah, she needs to shower before bed.”
“Tiffany.” I gently nudge her shoulder, and her eyes flutter open. “We are home.”
She sits up and raises her arms above her head, stretching.
“Go shower, Tiffany. I need to tell Amelia goodnight.”
“She’s not staying? We are making cookies tomorrow.” Her eyes are wide with near-panic.
“I will come back tomorrow. I promise.”
“Daddy, why doesn’t she stay here? She’s your girlfriend—isn’t she
supposed to stay?” She is determined; I’ve got to give her that.
“We can spend the day tomorrow watching movies,” she suggests and I know I am not going to tell her no. I didn’t want to leave in the first place. Lane sighs loudly. “Alright, miss sassy pants. Go shower.”
She kisses him on the cheek. “Thanks, Daddy.”
She walks through the door, and I burst out laughing. “Lane, you don’t have a chance!”
He glares at me and I quit laughing. I slowly slide off my seat, and he takes a step closer. Oh boy. I slowly back away from the Rhino, and he slowly moves closer.
I am the prey.
Once I am in front of the Rhino, I look behind me to gauge where the door is. Seeing that it is directly behind me, I turn around and make a break for it. I run into the kitchen and slam the door shut, and I place something in front of it to give me a few seconds’ head start.
I remember that under the sink there isn’t anything in the cabinet. I open the doors and stuff myself inside. I cover my mouth to try to hide my laughter. The basement door in the kitchen wiggles when he tries to open it.
A second later I hear a slight bang, and the door swings open with a creak. He walks through the kitchen, and I let my hand drop as I giggle slightly.
I can hear his heavy footsteps as he walks through the house trying to find me. I hear him walk back into the kitchen. I cover my mouth once again. “Amelia?”
Don’t laugh, Amelia.
A thought pops into my head: what if I scared him? I grin and throw open the cabinet, yelling. Lane jumps and glares at me.
I slide out of the cabinet and stand, holding my stomach as I laugh. I can’t believe I scared him. I scared the big bad Lane, and I will never let him live this down.
“Ha, ha, ha funny.” He rolls his eyes.
Since I am spending the night, I need to change into something more comfortable. “Lane, you have a pair of sweats and a T-shirt I can wear?”
“Yeah, just go grab something.”
I hurry and change so I can go back downstairs with Lane and Tiffany. I turn the corner to the living room, but when I hear Tiffany say my name I move back, hiding from view.
“I like Amelia, Daddy.”
“I’m glad, sweet girl.
“I can’t wait to make cookies with her.” I hear the excitement in her voice.
I take that moment to walk around the corner.
“Amelia, sit by me!” She pats the couch next to her, putting herself between me and Lane.
Lane smiles at me and wraps his arm around Tiffany, who is lying on his chest. I love seeing him like this with Tiffany. I love that he is such a caring father. It’s a refreshing thing because a lot of men aren’t like this. They don’t contribute.
Is it wrong of me to picture Lane holding our baby in his arms? I can imagine myself having a kid with him, because he is such an amazing father. Lane with Tiffany is enough to make my ovaries explode.
I sit down on the couch beside her. “What are we watching?” I ask. I look at the screen. Supernatural?
She grins at me. “Dean is cute.”
Lane looks down at her in horror. “What did you say?”
I smother my laugh and she rolls her eyes.
“Dad, Dean is so cute. He is so tough.” She sighs and hits play on the TV. Lane continues staring at her in horror.
I can’t resist. “What can you do, Lane? We girls love bad boys.” He glares at me and mouths, “You are getting it later.”
I just smirk and turn to the TV.
I absolutely can’t wait to get it later.
“Lane!” I moan as quietly as I can as he pounds into me, my arms held above my head. I am totally at his mercy, and I am loving every single second of it.
“So fucking hot,” he growls, lowering his head to capture my mouth. His teeth drag against my bottom lip. I shiver, tightening my legs against his hips.
“I need to come,” I plead, my legs shaking as my impending release gets closer.
“Yeah?” he whispers. He softly, lazily drags his lips across my face, but the pounding of his hips is anything but sweet. I am loving every second of it; I love driving him crazy.
I squeeze my inner muscles and he groans, falling on me. A hand sneaks between our bodies and he flicks my clit, sending me over the edge. My whole body tightens, my fingernails dragging up his back, as I shudder from my release.
Lane slides out of me and reaches down to take off the condom. I follow his hand and that’s when I notice the same thing he does.
The condom broke.
And guess fucking what? I am ovulating.
I blink and Lane blinks before he smiles. What the fuck?
“Doll, if a baby comes from this I wouldn’t mind one fucking bit. You’re my woman, and that isn’t going to change.”
My body relaxes at his words. I sit up in bed and wrap my arms around his middle, laying my hand on his chest. “Okay.”
“Okay?” He kisses my head. “Let’s go shower, shall we?” He picks me up bridal style and carries me into the bathroom, where he proceeds to fuck me again, but this time much more slowly and tenderly.
11
Amelia
The Next Morning
I wake up to a hand running softly down my cheek. I open my eyes, and I am face to face with Lane. His eyes on mine, his hand stroking my cheek softly. His expression soft and filled with love. The way he is looking at me right now is something I will never forget; if I doubted he loved me, it is gone in a split second.
You can say a lot of things to people, but actions mean more than words.
“Good morning, Doll.”
I smile at him sleepily. “Good morning, Lane.” I touch his cheek and scoot a little closer.
“You know I love you―right, Amelia?”
I nod my head, my heart full. “I love you too, Lane.”
He smiles and touches his forehead against mine. His hand snakes its way into my hair. For the next thirty minutes we don’t talk; we just bask in each other’s presence, enjoying each other.
He breaks the silence. “I am going to start breakfast. Tiffany will be waking up any second.” He slides out of bed.
I slip out of bed and pull on a pair of his sweats, which I had on last night. Lane slips on a shirt; he already has sweats on.
Together we walk down the stairs, and I toss my hair into a bun at the top of my head. I will make some eggs, you fry the bacon?” I suggest.
Tiffany walks downstairs as I am plating the food. Her hair is sticking up on one side of her head.
“Good morning.”
She looks at me sleepily and climbs up on the barstool. She stares into space, and when I slide her plate in front of her, she looks down at it, completely zoned out.
“Tiffany isn’t a morning person.” Lane laughs at her, and she slowly pierces a piece of egg with her fork.
A song comes on the radio, “Stay” by Black Stone Cherry. Lane takes my hand and pulls me into his arms. My head goes to his chest, my arms around his middle, and he wraps his arms around my body.
I have never felt love and happiness like this before, ever.
Once the song is over, I pull back and tilt my head back. Lane takes his cue and kisses me softly on the lips.
“Now it’s time for my baby girl’s dance.”
Tiffany laughs and hops off the barstool. Lane picks her up and twirls her around the room. It’s such a beautiful sight: him smiling and her eyes lighting up with happiness as laughter fills the room.
This is the life; how did I get so lucky? A family is something I always wanted but, deep down, thought I would never have until this very moment. My family is in front of me. Lane and Tiffany.
“How about we go out to dinner tonight?” Lane suggests.
Tiffany and I are taking the cookies out of the oven to cool. We have spent the last two hours baking. We spent so much time laughing that it took three times as long as it should have.
“That’s fine with me, Honey.
”
“Me too, Daddy.”
I smile at her as she sneaks a cookie into her mouth. I peek at Lane and see that he noticed it too. She wasn’t supposed to eat any until after dinner, but Lane and I don’t have the heart to remind her.
“We need to leave in an hour. I will clean this up as you ladies get ready.” He winks and helps Tiffany off the counter.
“Come on, Amelia!” Tiffany pulls me behind her. She leads me up to her bedroom, which is pink overload with so many toys it’s like a toy store has exploded in here.
I don’t blame Lane for spoiling her; I would too if I were in his position. He didn’t even know about her until a year ago, and this little girl had a bad life until the moment she was with Lane. She deserves to be happy, and she didn’t have that before. How could she if her own mother was going to use her for ransom?
“So what do you think of this?”
I break free from my thoughts, and I see her holding up a white sundress and a pair of cute sandals. “Oh, I love it!”
She grins at me happily and runs into her bathroom. Every time she smiles, I am hit with how much she looks like Lane, but I can also see his sister, Shaylin, in her.
A few minutes later, she steps out of the bathroom and spins for me.
“You’re gorgeous, Tiffany.”
“Thank you.”
“I am going to get ready myself.”
“Can I watch you put on makeup?” she asks me hopefully.
I nod. “You sure can, let me get dressed first. Give me five.”
I walk into Lane’s bedroom and put on a pair of skinny jeans with small holes down the legs and a striped button-up mid-sleeve top that is slightly longer in the back than the front.
I open Lane’s bedroom door and Tiffany runs in. She hops up on the counter, and I pull out my makeup bag. I take out my primers, foundation, and moisturizer. Her eyes widen as she watches me put on makeup.