Page 57 of Daddy's Heart

“No, no, if my little girl makes a mess, I have to help her clean it up.” He gave her a lazy wink and hopped off the bed. “Stay there while I get a towel.”

How did he do that? Make her feel all grown up and womanly, then small and little again without breaking momentum? She didn’t have to think or figure out what her feelings were, he ebbed and flowed with her so naturally, it was a perfected waltz.

How much longer could this go on before it broke? They’d said temporary. This wasn’t going to last.

Someone should tell her heart.

Chapter 22

“Ithink I ate too much popcorn.” Samantha held her hand against her stomach.

Ryder laughed. “I think it was that grease you poured all over it.” He pushed open the door to his apartment and waved her inside.

“Pffft,” she scoffed. “It was that horrible water you made me drink.” She flashed him a forced scowl as she made her way into the living room.

“Oh, yes, the horrible water.” He dropped his keys onto the table. “That’s what did it.”

She plopped down on the couch, throwing her feet up on the coffee table, and rubbed her hand over her stomach.

He frowned and sat down beside her, brushing her hand away with his own. “Does it hurt bad, baby?” He began running his hand over her belly in circles.

“It will pass. The water was just so bad.” She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and feigned sick.

He grunted.

“You’re right, if I would have let you drink that forty ounces of pop you wanted along with all that grease on your popcorn, you’d be in much better shape right now.”

She opened one eye to peer at him. “That’s right.”

He shook his head. “I have some Tums in the bathroom.”

“No, that doesn’t help. I’ll be fine in a little while,” she said, dropping her hand and sitting up more. “Did your friend call you back yet?” she asked before he could question her whether she had a history of stomachaches. She made it sound like she’d been through this before.

“He texted, yeah. Wants to have us over for lunch tomorrow. You game?” He’d kept her occupied for the day, but keeping her from all the roaming around she enjoyed through the city wouldn’t be easy for long. She may be his little girl, but she was an adult—he couldn’t lock her away forever.

“Oh, yeah, sure. That sounds good.” She stretched her arms over her head with a big yawn. “I think I’ll take a long, hot bath.”

“Hot? Didn’t you get enough of heat walking back from the theater?” he asked with a laugh.

“That was icky heat.” She scrunched up her nose. “This is warm, muscle-relaxing, soothing heat.” She propelled herself back to her feet and kissed his chin. “Totally different.”

He laughed. “I suppose you’re right.”

He swiped his phone to life and started texting Kendrick as she disappeared down the hall to the bathroom. A soft groan drifted from the hall, but when she didn’t say anything afterward, he let it go. Maybe a hot bath would do her good.

Kendrick settled on a time for them to head over to his condo the next day for lunch and said he’d give a few of his friends at the precinct a call. With that decided, Ryder cleaned up the kitchen and got the dishwasher running, then went through the living room and stacked up the coloring books she’d left out.

Once everything was done, he went to the bathroom and knocked. She was humming behind the door and water splashed.

He opened the door and peeked inside. With her hair piled in a bun onto of her head, she sat in bubbles, flicking her finger into the water and splashing, making a mess of the floor outside the tub.

“Sam,” he said, grabbing a towel from the rack. “You’re getting water all over the place.” He laid the towel out over the spreading water and stood over the tub, his hands on his hips.

“Sorry, Daddy.” She grinned up at him. Such playfulness after such a stomachache?

He narrowed his gaze.

“How are you feeling, baby?” He sat on the edge of the tub.

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