Page 58 of Falling for the Single Daddy

When she does, her voice is filled with certainty. “I love you too, Gray.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Callie

Emery’s face lights up in the sweetest way when she sees me the next morning. She runs to me across the kitchen, her eyes brimming happily, her mouth open in a wide grin. I ignore the little niggling voice that tells me this could end in disaster. There’s too much warmth in me to believe it anymore. If I can’t trust this feeling, whatcanI trust?

“Callie,” she beams. “Oh, Callie.”

She throws herself into a hug. I wrap my arms around her body, holding her close.

“Can we make breakfast together, please?” she pleads.

“We sure can,” I tell her, moving around the kitchen bar with her hand in mine.

Wes stands at the entrance to the kitchen. For a moment, his expression is clouded with suspicion, just like it was at the ice cream parlor. But when Emery giggles and says, “You need apanforeggs, Callie,” Wes’s face changes. It lights up almost like Emery’s. He smiles at me and nods as if to say,I was wrong about you. He doesn’t need to say anything else. I’m sure I’ve read that right.

“Emery, I’m going to talk to your daddy and then get going.”

“Oh, bye-bye, Uncle Wes!”

Emery and I busy ourselves in the kitchen. She insists we sit at the window overlooking the yard as we eat. My heart swells with love when she excitedly says, “It’s almost as pretty as you, C-A-L-L-I-E!”

After breakfast, I set her up with a book in the library. Gray joins me at the door. He doesn’t loop his arm around my waist, but I can sense himwantingto do that.

In a quiet voice, he tells me, “Wes has agreed to speak to Sloane.”

My stomach cramps with nerves. This is the big fatwhat-ifthat’s been hovering over everything. For the first time since the magic of last night, my resolve falters.

“What’s he going to say?”

“That I’m finally happy. That we have to put Emery first. And that you’re a good person who’s not trying to steal Emery, and you want the best for her.”

“Of course I do,” I say passionately.

He gently wraps his arm around my waist. I freeze for a moment, wondering if we’re going too far in front of Emery. But I have to start letting go of thoughts like that. Emery looks up and sees us. Her eyebrows shoot up almost comically, and a sweet smile graces her lips. Her expression suddenly becomes grownup in her precocious way. For a second, I think she’s going to say,I told you so.

But then she does something even more mature, especially for a girl with as much energy as she has. She smiles for a moment longer and then turns back to her book as though agreeing to let the development go unacknowledged, assenting to let it effortlessly and beautifully become a part of her life.

“I have to ask you something,” Gray says. “It’s tough, Callie.”

I turn to him, a chord of tension striking in me. But I try to keep my voice down and level for Emery. “What is it?” I ask.

“If Wes somehow makes Sloane see reason, you’ll have to forgive her for what she did with your ex-boss. I hate that bastard for what he did, and part of me hates her for pulling some crap like that. Drug addiction, pure sadism, whatever it was—there’s no excuse. But if we’re going to be together, you’ll need to find a way to let it go. Believe me, I don’t want to do this to you.”

“It’s done,” I tell him.

His mouth falls open in shock. “Really?”

“I meant what I said, Gray. I want the best for Emery. That’s why I tried to fight my feelings. It’s why I tried to lie to myself. I know what it’s like to be a scared, confused little girl. I know what it’s like to wonder and wonder if everything’s going to be okay. If forgiving Sloane is the price I must pay for Emery’s happiness, I’ll pay it.” I lay my hand on his chest over his heart. “Anyway, maybe Sloane can find a place of peace. Perhaps she can be the mother Emery deserves. I don’t want to replace her. I just want to make Emery’s life better.”

He lowers his voice. “I want to kiss you so badly right now.”

“Later,” I whisper.

We don’t want to rush Emery too fast. She’s been through so much. For now, we settle on holding hands. Emery looks up, unable to contain her energy for any longer. My heart glows when she hops down from her chair and skips over. She toes the floor in front of her, seeming uncharacteristically nervous.

“Is there something you want to say?” I ask.

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