by SJ McCoy
“No?”
She laughed. “Yeah. Apparently, Cal couldn’t wait, and he wanted it to be about just the two of them. So, he asked her last night instead of doing it in front of everyone tomorrow.”
His dimple appeared as he smiled, making her laugh again.
“I take it you like that?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I do. I mean, I can see how it would be a big thing to ask her in front of all their friends, but I think it’d mean more being just the two of them. That’s what it’s all about, after all, isn’t it?”
She looked up into his eyes. Her heart hammered. She couldn’t let her mind go there. Falling in love could take you by surprise and happen fast—she was okay with that. But getting married?
His dimple was back, and he winked at her. “Or do you think it should be about letting the whole world know?”
Was he asking her opinion in general or …? No. He couldn’t be. And if he were? She met his gaze. She knew her answer. Just in case. She smiled. “I think Cal got it right. It’s about the two of them. The rest of the world can wait.”
He nodded and then turned away when Skye shouted. “Dondervan! Where do you want me to put your crayons?”
“Hang on. I’m coming.” He started toward the door and then stopped and turned back to Elle with a smile. “Am I allowed to keep my crayons here?”
She laughed. “I’m kind of hoping you will. And …” What the hell. She might as well say it. “I’m kind of hoping that after we talk to Mom and Cal, you’ll be keeping your toothbrush here, too.”
He came back and landed a quick kiss on her lips. They both laughed when Skye yelled again, sounding more impatient this time. “Dondervaaan!”
“I’m coming!”
Chapter Nineteen
Donovan woke early on Sunday morning. It didn’t feel right to wake up in his own bed. Well, it wasn’t so much the bed as the fact that Elle wasn’t here with him. Since that first night he’d stayed with her, he’d gotten used to it. He missed the feel of her, the smell of her, he missed … Down boy! He got up with a smile on his face.
He wanted to be able to wake up with her every morning. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have a problem with him talking to Cal after today was over. Teresa had made it obvious yesterday that she knew damned well what was going on. But if Cal knew, he hadn’t let on. Donovan shuddered at that. He wouldn’t blame the guy if he were pissed at him. All he could do was be honest with him as soon as Elle said it was okay.
When he got downstairs, he made himself a coffee and grabbed his phone, taking them both outside to sit on the sofa on the patio. He couldn’t help smiling to himself, remembering when he’d sat here with Elle and Skye at the party—and the way Leanne had said they looked like the perfect little family unit. Even Jackie had, apparently, described the three of them as the cutest little family. And after Skye had asked if he would be her daddy, he was hoping that was what they’d become.
He started when his phone rang. It was his sister, Stella. He hadn’t checked in with her for a while.
“Morning, Stella.”
“Good morning yourself. I almost hung up when I noticed the time. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m up.”
“Are you off out somewhere? Do you have a fun day lined up?”
He had to think about that one for a moment. He was looking forward to the day because he’d get to see Elle and Skye later, but he wasn’t exactly thinking of it as fun. Elle would no doubt be stressed about her dad. And as glad as Donovan was that Cal had invited him over this afternoon, he wasn’t feeling relaxed about it.
Stella laughed. “I didn’t think it was a difficult question. Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Sorry. The easy answer is, I have time to talk. I’m not rushing off out anywhere.”
“Okay. And what’s the not so easy answer? What’s going on with you? The last time we talked you were all hung up on that girl with a little girl of her own. Are you over that?”
He laughed. “Her name’s Elle, and nope, I’m not over her. I’m into her—in a big way. If I get what I want I won’t ever be over her.”
The silence stretched out before Stella spoke again. “What are you saying?”
“That I’ve fallen for her. That I love her, and I love her daughter, Skye and …” He stopped not wanting to go any further until he heard what she had to say about that.
“And?”
“And say something!”
Stella laughed. “What do you want me to say? I don’t know her. I can’t tell you that I’m happy for you—well, I am in principle, if that helps, but I can’t know for sure until I meet her. And Donovan, I know you. I know you’ve always wanted to build a stable life for yourself—and it sounds like that’s what you’re thinking here, right?”
“Yep.”
“I know that’s what you’ve always wanted, but you’ve taken your time getting there. Why do you think it’s time now?”
“It’s not about the timing. It’s about the woman. I’ve always known the kind of life I wanted to build but I’ve never known if I’d meet the person I wanted to build it with.”
“That sounds great. But are you sure you want to do it with someone who already has a child? I’m not judging. You know that. But I don’t want to see you get hurt. It won’t be easy, you know.”
“I know. Thanks, Stella. I know you’re only trying to look out for me. But it’s okay. Skye’s awesome. She loves me, and I love her. I couldn’t love her more if she were my own.” He smiled to himself, as he realized the truth of his words.
“I don’t doubt it. All the kids love you. You’re great with them. But she’s not your own, is she? What about her father? Is he still in the picture?”
Donovan’s smile faded. “No.”
“What’s the situation there?”
He blew out a sigh. “Honestly? I don’t know.”
“Well, don’t you think you should find out before you get in too deep?”
He had to laugh. “You’re right, I do need to find out. But I’m already in too deep for it to make a difference.”
Stella sighed. “Just be careful, okay? And much as I love you, I’m not just saying that for your sake. You said that Skye’s three?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s an important age, Donovan. You don’t want to go messing with her little head, getting her confused about daddy. Does she know her dad?”
“She remembers him. She says he’s mean, and she doesn’t like him.”
Stella sighed again. “That’s all the more reason to be careful. She’s no doubt right. And we know full well that an absent father who hasn’t shown any interest in years can get jealous enough to start causing trouble when his kids start calling someone else Daddy, don’t we?”
He nodded but didn’t answer. She was right, of course. His eldest sister tended to be. And reminding him about their middle sister’s ex-husband and all the trouble he’d caused when she met the man she was now married to, sobered him up in a hurry. He’d rather bow out of Elle and Skye’s life than be the reason that Tristan put them through that kind of hell.
“Buck up, Donny!”
He had to laugh. She was the only person on Earth who’d ever called him that—thank God!
She laughed with him. “If you want to make it work, I’m sure you will. But I think you need to talk to Elle sooner rather than later and figure out what the situation is with Skye’s father and how you want to handle it going forward.”
“Yeah.” He nodded to himself. She was right again. But he didn’t want to tell her that he was waiting to get over the hurdle of telling Cal that he was seeing Elle first. “Anyway, how’s everything with you? How are the kids?”
They chatted for a while longer, and Stella caught him up on everything that was going on with the family and all the kids. It made him wonder what it would be like when—if—he and Elle got together, and he was telling Stella about how Skye was doing.
Sh
e left him with a parting reminder that he needed to talk to Elle about Tristan. At least, she wasn’t trying to talk him out of it. But then, she wouldn’t do that. She’d always supported him in his choices, and he didn’t doubt that she always would.
After he ended the call, he took his now empty coffee mug back inside for a refill. He was grateful that even though he didn’t have his parents, he still had such a close and loving family. That thought brought him back to Elle. Though these days it seemed that everything did. She had her mom—and of course, now she had Cal, too. But her dad didn’t qualify as close and loving family, not in Donovan’s mind.
He checked the time on his phone. She’d be up by now. He wanted to see how she was after her visit with her dad. He’d hoped to go back over there to see her and Skye after Steve and Maddie left last night, but she’d texted to tell him that they still hadn’t left at Skye’s bedtime and that she’d see him this afternoon.
“Hey, you.” He could hear the smile in her voice when she answered.
“Good morning. How are you doing?”
“As well as can be expected. I didn’t manage to get rid of them until nine o’clock last night. Skye was a handful, to say the least. She kept calling my dad Steve and he didn’t like it.” She blew out a sigh. “I told them I was seeing someone, and my dad said that he saw Tristan last week.”
Donovan’s heart started to pound. He didn’t know what to say, so he waited.
“He said that Tristan was asking after us and that he said he wanted to see Skye.”
His heart sank. He’d been hoping that Tristan was the kind of asshole who was glad to be free of his responsibilities.
“Are you still there?”
“Yeah. What will you do?”
“Not a damned thing!”
The force of her words made him take a step back.
“Sorry. I’m not yelling at you. It’s just … yesterday with Steve, I finally figured out that he’s just a bully, and Tristan is, too. I put up with so much from Tristan because in a way, even though I wasn’t aware of it, he reminded me of my … of Steve, that’s all I’m ever going to call him now. But no more! I’m telling you. I’m done with their bullshit. Both of them.”
Donovan knew he probably shouldn’t ask, but he had to know. “If Tristan wants to see Skye, can you stop him?”
She let out a bitter little laugh. “Honestly? I don’t know. In terms of doing what’s right, I absolutely should stop him. He’s hurt her enough already. But in terms of what’s legal, I don’t know. I need to find a lawyer who can talk me through it all. It’s complicated. And … not just about his rights with Skye.”
Donovan waited.
“But also about some money things.”
“What money things?” He couldn’t help asking.
“He used my cards to make some of his payments and I think he forged my name to get a loan.”
Donovan closed his eyes and held his breath while the wave of anger passed. She didn’t need to hear it. She needed his support, not to have to deal with his frustration.
“You still there?”
“Yeah.” He forced himself to smile, knowing that it would take the edge of anger off his voice. “Sorry, Jellybean. I’m angry for you. I want to … well, I’m sure you can imagine. But this isn’t about me. This is about you. What do you want to do?”
“Like I said, I need to find a lawyer. But I haven’t wanted to because I didn’t want Mom to find out and …” she hesitated. “Honestly? I don’t know if I can afford it.”
He chuckled softly. “Well, it’s up to you what you do about your mom, but if you want him, you have your own lawyer, and he won’t charge you a penny.”
“You?”
“Of course, me.”
“But I thought you did … I don’t know … techy-type legal stuff. Not regular well, I guess it’d be family law? With Skye and paternal rights?”
“Yeah. That would fall under family law. And you’re right, it’s not my area of expertise, but I know the fundamentals, plus I have friends from law-school who went into family law. I’d be happy to help if you want me to …” He had to say it. “But I understand if you’d rather it were someone else. I can find you someone … someone good. There’s a group of us from my cohort who keep in touch. We all help each other out.” He stopped, waiting to see how she’d react.
“You wouldn’t mind?” she asked slowly.
“No. I’d be glad to help. I’m not sure that I’m the best person—because I’m biased, obviously.”
“What do you mean?”
He probably shouldn’t have said that, but he was glad he had. “I mean that I would love nothing more than to find a legal way to get him out of Skye’s life and keep him out. But that’s selfish. It’s about what I want and that’s not necessarily what would be best for Skye.”
He heard her gasp, but she didn’t speak.
“Now, it’s my turn to ask if you’re still there.”
“I am.”
“Sorry, Elle. I’m not trying to put pressure on you or to come between Skye and her father. I’m being selfish. I—”
“Oh, my God! Don’t go and apologize and spoil it! I’m not mad at you. I’m just trying to take in how awesome you are, and how lucky I am that I met you and … Donovan, if there’s any legal way to make sure he has no right to be part of her life I want to find it and use it. He never cared about her. He was horrible to her. He was a bully—to both of us.
“My mom always did her best to make sure that I kept a relationship going with my dad—with Steve. And I know she was trying to do what she thought was right, but it was the wrong choice. He’s another bully, and I wish I’d been free of him the day he left us.
“I want to give Skye that gift. And I understand why my mom did it the way she did. She believes that the bond between father and child is sacred somehow. But having been on the receiving end, I’m deciding differently for my daughter. I’m deciding that that bond should be earned. If Tristan ever grows up and comes around and wants to get to know Skye, then we’ll revisit it—on my terms and only doing what’s best for Skye.”
“Wow!”
“What?”
“That’s the strongest and most determined I’ve ever heard you.”
“Well. I need to be.”
“I agree. And I’ll do whatever you want me to. I’ll support you. I’ll do the legal work, or I’ll find you someone to do it.”
“Thanks, Donovan.”
“You’re welcome. Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
He took a deep breath, but he wanted to put it out there. “You said that for you, the bond between a father and child is earned. Would you mind if I try earning it?”
“You already have.” She chuckled. “I’ve realized this weekend that blood ties and years of relationship don’t mean much. What matters is who a person is—their character and how they treat people. Yesterday, Skye asked Cal if he’d be my daddy when he marries Mom. I said that even in the short time we’ve known him he’s been a better dad to me than Steve ever was. It’s true of you with Skye, too. I’ve told you before that I wished you were her father. You’ve been a better dad to her than Tristan ever was or would be.”
Donovan smiled. “I want to be.”
“You are.”
He kept on smiling. He didn’t need to explain how much more he meant than just being a good father figure. Not yet.
Chapter Twenty
“Come on down, Skye.” Elle stood at the bottom of the stairs with her hands on her hips. She just wanted Skye to come and say goodbye. Then she could get rid of Steve and Maddie and call Donovan. He was supposed to come over so that they could walk down to her mom and Cal’s place together.
She checked her watch. Cal had texted her a little while ago to say that they’d should be home in an hour. There was no way she was going to be late. She’d called around a whole bunch of her mom’s friends to make sure that they’d all be there to surprise her�
��her mom knew that Cal had planned a bit of a housewarming, but even though he’d already proposed to her, he hadn’t told her just how many people would be there waiting to share their good news and celebrate their engagement with them.
Her dad came out into hallway. He looked rough. He and Maddie had gone over to the new wine bar last night after they left here, and by the way he looked—and smelled—they must have stayed until the place closed down and drunk far too much.
He put his hand on her arm and she recoiled instinctively, making him scowl. “You’re just like your mother.”
She smiled as sweetly as she could. “Thank you.” He didn’t intend it as a compliment, but she knew it was one.
He made a face at her and then turned to look up the stairs.
“Come on, Skye.” Elle called again. They just needed to say goodbye to them and then it’d be over. “Come and say goodbye to Steve.”
He scowled at her again. “Stop doing that. “I’m your father. You should call me Dad. I’m her grandfather. She should call me Grandpa.”
Elle raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re the one who made her call you Papa Steve.”
“I did, but she’s getting a bit bigger now and I think she needs to understand that I’m her grandfather.” He looked up the stairs. “Skye! Come down and see your Grandpa. We need to see you before we go.”
“Grandpa?!” Skye appeared at the top of the stairs with a big smile on her face. “Where’s Grandpa? Grandpa’s going to put my pictures on my wall.”
Steve grinned at her. “I’m here. Come on, down and give your Grandpa a kiss.”
Skye frowned at him, but slowly started down the stairs. “Where’s Grandpa?” she asked again when she was halfway down.
Steve’s smile disappeared.
“Is Grandma here, too?” She reached her arms out to Elle and jumped at her from the third stair.
Elle caught her and twirled her around—partly to distract her and partly to provide cover for her laughter. She couldn’t help it. It was a sweet kind of poetic justice that by the time Steve wanted her to call him Grandpa, Cal had already taken that title—and lived up to it way better than Steve ever would have.