Page 88 of Trusting You

“Dada!”

I raise her up for another press—

Hold up.

My head lifts off the floor. “What’d you say?”

Lily blinks at me from her frozen height.

“Did you say dada?”

“Dada!”

I’m agape. Yep, I’m using the word agape. I’m staring at my daughter like I’ve never seen her before, her dangling toes scraping against my chest as my mouth drops open and my ribs expand, filling with, filling with—

“Hey, I’m home.”

I didn’t hear the jangle of keys against the lock, didn’t register much, really, since hearing two glorious syllables. I’m still flat-assed against the floor, but I tilt my head to see Carter’s upside-down face, bland, as has been her usual standard in greeting me these days.

But her eyes skim down my body before landing on Lily, still swaying in mid-air. “What’s going on?”

“Exercise class,” I say as I pull into a sit-up smoothly, Lily now resting against my thighs. “Say it again.”

“Say what?” Carter asks.

“No, I mean Lily. C’mon honey, tell Carter what you just told me a few seconds go.” I’m so gleeful I’m pretty sure my cheeks are resembling Santa Clause right now. “Dada. C’mon, say it with me. Da-da.”

Lily throws up her hands. “Dada!”

“See?” I crank my neck so I can see Carter. “Did you hear that?”

Carter’s hovering near the door, casual in a leather jacket and jeans, but her lips are trembling like she’s holding back a smile.

“You know you heard it,” I say, beaming.

Carter cracks. “Holy shit.”

I fake a stern look. “Language.”

“Holy moly!” Carter amends, clapping her hands. She gets down on her knees, grabbing Lily’s hands. “You said dada!”

“Dadadadadada!” she replies.

“I’m determined to believe she means me with those consonants,” I say.

Carter glances at me quickly, as if to inquire, You know what consonants are? And I instantly want to erase any doubts she has about my smarts by tonguing brand new consonants against her plush lips, but I resist, preferring this moment instead.

Especially when she pulls me into a hug. “Locke, this is amazing. Lily’s first word!”

I recover from the shock of her touch quick enough, swinging my free arm around her waist. “Celebrate with me tonight,” I murmur into her hair.

I might as well have dropped a bomb between us. Carter scoots away. “Locke, don’t ruin…”

“I don’t mean a date,” I say and quell any disappointment. “The guys and I were going to hang tonight, listen to Easton go back to his roots. I think you should come.”

Carter pulls at her lower lip, and I swallow the explicit growl that wants to unfurl out of my throat.

“It’s probably not a good idea,” she says. “Besides, someone needs to watch Lily.”

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