Page 25 of Trick

The pink in her cheeks is still there, and I really like the way it softens all her sharp edges. Heidi isn’t the hardened bitch everyone thinks she is. I don’t know why she hides the truth, but I like that I get glimpses of the real her that she gives to no one else.

I shake my head. “Why would it be weird?”

“Because I’m not her mother. I’m not even related to her.”

Fuck, the way Heidi clutches that towel to her chest, and the vulnerability in her eyes, hits me in a way I don’t expect. The need to defend her and make her feel better surges inside me. “She’s a baby, and you’ve taken care of her from the day she was born. No, it’s not weird. It sounded like you were having fun.”

That makes me smile, something that is becoming more frequent since I came home.

Because of the two people in front of you…

Guilt and betrayal wash through me, vying for attention. I feel shitty for finding any hint of joy again when I know I shouldn’t. Mara would have hated who I became after her death.

Heidi gives me a tentative smile. “Yeah, uh, we were. Or rather this little madam was.” Sophia cackles as she smashes her hands into the water, spraying it everywhere.

I step back to avoid being in the splash zone.

“See?” Heidi grins, fresh droplets dripping off her face. “Your kid is a menace.”

“How can you say that when she’s sitting there looking like butter wouldn’t fuckin’ melt?”

“Language,” she berates. “Trust me, she’s going to be a handful when she reaches the terrible twos.”

I frown at that statement. Nothing about that sounds like fun. “The terrible what?”

Heidi laughs, the colour in her cheeks fading out as she relaxes. “The toddler years are brutal, Trick. You have that to look forward to.”

As she says this, a little sadness creeps into her voice. “We have that to look forward to. I’m not facing this ‘terrible twos’ nightmare without backup.”

Her smile is back and, fuck, I want to keep it in place. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

“Is that why Max is a little hellion?” I ask, thinking about Blackjack and Elyse’s boy.

Heidi gets splashed again, and I sink down next to her at the side of the tub, grabbing my daughter’s hands before she can soak us both. Sophia cackles again, and it’s the dirtiest laugh I’ve ever heard a baby make.

“I think your daughter already gives him a run for his money,” Heidi says.

I shake my head, laughing and, fuck, does it feel good to let go, even if it is just for a moment. “She’s her father’s daughter.”

“Yeah, her dad’s also a menace.” Heidi’s gaze finds mine, and I’m drawn into it, unable to look away.

Her smile fades as she stares back, her full lips parted slightly. It would be so easy to lean forward and close the space between us. I want to taste her. I want to suck that plump bottom lip into my mouth and?—

Sophia kicks her legs out, and I get a mouthful of soapy bathwater. It hits the back of my throat, instantly making me cough. I keep hold of my daughter while I choke. Fuck.

“Shit, are you okay?” Heidi hands a towel to me, and I wipe my dripping face, all while still coughing up a lung.

I gasp for breath between coughs and realise when my lungs stop spasming that Heidi’s hand is on my back, steadying me.

She isn’t making this easy. I want to push her onto the tiles and shove that tiny towel up to her hips so I can dive between her legs.

And that thought leaves me feeling guilty as fuck.

“Bath time’s over,” I mutter.

I pluck my daughter out the water and try to hold her as she flails, spraying water everywhere. She’s like a fucking octopus as I snag a towel, entombing her in it before my shirt gets any wetter.

“Trick?” Heidi scrambles off the floor to follow me, but I’m already down the landing and into the nursery before she’s close.

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