Page 24 of Be My Traitor

Chapter 11

Milly

“Do you think Daddy will like my dress?” Amber came running in to the kitchen where I was sitting at the table doing some marking. It was the fourth outfit she’d put on that day and she did a little twirl, the skirt fanning out.

“I’m sure he’ll love it,” I said, barely glancing up from my work. If I could finish with these books in the next couple of hours, I could put my feet up and enjoy some child free time. Which would probably involve a glass of wine and a Netfix series, rather than going out anywhere exciting, but it would feel really decadent to do it in the middle of the afternoon. I might even really go for it and have a bubble bath. It would be wonderful to soak without having to get out every five minutes to deal with a screaming child.

“You’re not looking Mummy.”

I sighed and put down my pen and turned to see Amber’s dress.

“You look beautiful,” I told her. “Daddy is going to love it.”

“Do you think so?” Amber’s forehead wrinkled in a cute frown. “Maybe I should wear my Hello Kitty dress. It’s my favourite.”

“Amber, I really don’t think Daddy will mind what dress you put on.”

“I’m going to put my Hello Kitty dress on.” Amber turned and raced off.

I rubbed my head to stave off the dull ache that was starting. It appeared that Amber had inherited my indecisiveness when it came to outfit choice. Until I had her, I had no idea just how wearing it was to have to give your opinion on every single item in someone’s wardrobe. As soon as she was old enough to dress herself, she’d drive me nuts by going through ten changes of clothes in a day. I remember apologising profusely one night to Ivy for all the times I’d made her sit while I figured out what I was going to wear. She just laughed and said that’s what friends were for, but I’d still tried to cut back on how long Ivy had to wait for me to decide what I was going to wear.

My date with Lucas had seen me revert back to old habits. I was beginning to think it was a mistake even considering starting something with him.

The doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts.

“Daddeeeee!” Amber screamed and ran to the front door, any idea of changing her clothes instantly gone. Having learned her lesson, she waited by the door, impatiently jogging from one foot to another as she waited for me to catch up with her.

When I saw Lucas standing on the doorstep, my heart skipped a beat and I knew I was in trouble. Much as he drove me crazy, he had an effect on me made me want to forget about everything and drag him off to bed. It wasn’t that he was wearing anything amazing – he was in jeans and a T-shirt which had a picture of a bone on it with a slogan that said ‘I found this humerus.’ But it was the way he wore it, the outline of his well-defined muscles visible through the shirt, and his body language reminding me of just how confident he was in bed.

“Look at my dress, Daddy!” Amber pushed herself between us and performed another little twirl. I was grateful for the distraction. It took my mind off wondering whether Lucas looked as good naked as I remembered.

“It’s beautiful.” Lucas leaned down and picked up Amber, carrying her inside. “Now, are you ready to have fun?”

“Yes!” Amber practically screamed the word and I winced, hoping she hadn’t just deafened Lucas.

“I thought I would take you to see my house,” Lucas said. “I’ve got lots of surprises there for you.”

“Yay!” Amber scrunched up her fists and waved them in the air. She was so cute!

“Are you coming with us?” Lucas’s invite took me by surprise.

“I thought you wanted to spend some quality time alone with Amber?”

“I do and I will. But I thought you might like to come along this first time, make sure that you’re happy that my home is sufficiently child proofed.”

I bit my lip gazing across at the stack of books I still had to work through. I really should stay behind and finish marking them. I was going to be up all night catching up otherwise and I could think of better ways of spending a Saturday evening.

At the same time, the thought of spending more time with Lucas was tempting, very tempting. I hadn’t had a chance to speak to him since our date except a very brief text exchanging confirming this afternoon’s play date. Maybe hanging out together doing some normal family things would be good for us.

“Okay.” Lucas’s face lit up and I smiled right back at him. “Just let me go get changed. I’m not exactly dressed for an afternoon playing with Amber.”

“You look fine to me,” Lucas said. Was it my imagination or was there a little leer in his eyes?

“I’ll only be five minutes,” I promised. “Why don’t you take Amber out into the garden and play?”

“Okay.” Lucas carried Amber off in the direction of the garden, jogging her up and down to make her laugh.

I hurried upstairs, wondering whether I should phone Ivy for advice on what to wear…

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