Page 90 of Saving Sophia

He said he loved me too.

No one had ever said that to me. Not like that.

I had a Daddy, and he loved me.

I peeled one eye open, then the other, squinting into the morning light and making them focus.

“Good morning, sleepy girl,” he called out to me.

I sat up, the blanket wrapped around my body, and looked at him. Bare-chested, lean-muscled, and completely at ease in his own gorgeous skin. His hair tousled from sleep and glowing in the backlight of dawn, his stubble dark and thick, his dimple showing as he grinned at me. Happy. To see me.

I gazed around the deck for something besides a blanket to wear. My shirt lay crumpled on the deck, sliced in half. A delicious shiver ran down my spine at the memory, but it was definitely not in wearable condition.

His thick, white, linen shirt dangled at the foot of the lounger so I snatched it and pulled it on, readjusted my kitten ears to help hold my hair back in the morning breeze, then joined him at the table. My chair had been brought much closer to his for a more intimate breakfast setting. Bowls of dark red strawberries and neon green grapes, baskets of muffins and croissants, and covered silver platters filled the middle. My place already had a plate waiting, with a big coffee mug ready for me. He took my hand and kissed it, then poured coffee from a silver carafe into my cup.

I stirred in sugar and cream and watched him from the corner of my eye. Would he say something? Acknowledge last night? Pretend it didn’t happen?

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

Small talk. We were going to make small talk. Anxiety flopped in my tummy like a panicked, gasping fish. I needed reassurance that I hadn’t gone too far, said too much, pushed past a boundary he didn’t want to cross. But I couldn’t ask for that. Who knows what my treacherous tongue might let slip out. “The boat … rocking was nice.”

The rich, throaty sound of his chuckle made my heart pound in my ears. “Look at me, baby girl.”

I peeked at him over the rim of my coffee cup.

His gray eyes were bright, barely crinkled at the corners. His lips parted in a smile that highlighted his dimple and brought a rosy glow to his cheeks. “I meant everything I said last night.”

“You sure?” I asked, hating the neediness in my voice.

He reached out for my hand, stroking my knuckles with the tip of his finger and sending delicious little zaps of heat straight through to my spine. “We can still take our time if you need that. But I have no regrets. I know how I feel about you.”

No regrets. He knew how he felt. Something warm and brave stretched itself big inside my chest, almost painful after a lifetime of shrinking in. This was real.

Encouraging my new boldness, I stifled a giggle and asked, “No sex-frenzy?”

“No sex-frenzy.” His lips twitched up. “Even though you are incredibly tempting in my shirt.” He shook an admonishing finger at me, a playful frown crossing his face. “Now stop distracting me and eat. We have a busy day.”

The flopping fish in my tummy slipped back into calmer waters. I had a Daddy, and he loved me.

I smeared warm butter across a flaky croissant and watched a gull coast by on a wind current, landing on a nearby dock. We must have arrived back at the marina sometime in the night.

I had a Daddy, and he loved me. The thought kept flashing in my mind, making a goofy smile spread across my lips. Amber Jade practically brimmed with glee.

“We do have some business to take care of, though,” he said. I paused, mid-chew, trying to gauge his tone. “Did you have that talk with Callie?”

A flicker of guilt ran through me. Somehow, I’d never gotten around to telling her. Amber Jade froze, her hands covering her bottom.

“Umm … I tried. We kept getting interrupted.”

He made a slow, tsking sound with his tongue against his teeth, tapped a finger alongside his mouth and pulled up our texts on his phone. He pushed the damning dialogue toward me, my assurances that I would tell her glaring up at me in black and white. “What should we do about this?”

My heart fell. “Are you mad? Am I in trouble?”

His lip twitched up. He patted his lap. “Come here.”

I slipped out of my chair to crawl into his lap, burrowing my face into his neck.

He kissed my forehead, and I sucked in a shuddering breath, overwhelmed by the way he enveloped me in his arms. “Did you deliberately defy me?” he asked.

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