Page 136 of Sloane

With a wink he opened his car door. “See you tonight.”

“See you tonight.”

I willed my stomach to have butterflies at the thought of spending time with him, to no avail.

Walking back inside, I found a scowling Sloane sitting at the kitchen island.

“You’re not taking my daughter on a date.”

****

Sloane

I liked Dr. Connolly. He was a good dude. But I wasn’t sure how I felt about him rubbing my daughter’s head. Or putting his hand on the small of Ashley’s back.

Actually, that wasn’t true. I knew exactly how I felt about it. I didn’t like it. At all.

That’s when I realized that Dr. Connolly must be the doctor Ashley was dating, and I really didn’t like that.

I’m not proud of what I did next. But as they walked out the front door, I shuffled to my room and brought up the camera feed I now had the password for. And I eavesdropped on their conversation.

I snorted as I listened to him tell Ashley to bring Millie along when Ashley had obviously been using that as an excuse why she couldn’t go. Then she agreed and I clenched my jaw so hard I thought my teeth might break.

I knew I had no right to be jealous, but I was. Jealousy was not a familiar emotion for me—especially over a woman. Yet here I was considering being the literal one-legged man in a proverbial ass-kicking contest.

Ryan’s warning about another man snatching Ashley up and becoming Millie’s bonus dad echoed in my head.

He was right. I was a fucking Marine, and I needed to start acting like it. I needed to fight for Ashley and my little girl.

I wasn’t exactly sure how though.

I guess it started with staking my claim.

Spoiler alert: I had no claim to stake. Not yet anyway.

Chapter Fifty

Ashley

I cocked my head with my brows furrowed, convinced I’d heard him wrong.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You’re not taking my daughter on a date.”

I was so stunned at his declaration, I didn’t even know how to respond. Finally, I let the flash of anger take over, although I was mindful I still had my baby strapped to my front when I harshly, yet softly, replied, “Well, I’m taking my daughter on a date, and you don’t get a say in the matter.”

I turned to head upstairs when a thought occurred to me and I whirled back around.

“How do you even know I’m going on a date?”

“I—I just assumed.”

“So why would you assume I was bringing Millie? Unless you were eavesdropping on my conversation with Jeff in the driveway.”

The bastard didn’t even bother to act contrite.

“If you don’t want your conversation overheard, don’t have it front of cameras, then.”

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