Page 54 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

Dante was utterly devoted to making her laugh, his serious demeanor melting into a soft warmth I’d never seen before.

The sight hit me square in the chest.

He wasn’t just playing with my daughter. He was there for her in a way that made my heart ache.

Every carefully tucked blanket, every exaggerated roar as he pretended to be the bumbling monster from the movie spoke volumes about the kind of man he was.

And I couldn’t help but marvel at it.

Who would’ve thought Dante Bianco, the hulking, quietly intense man who walked around trying not to be noticed, would also be the kind of guy to build a pillow fort and make silly faces to delight a little girl?

It was enough to make me fall in love with him. Well, if I hadn’t already given him my heart. But I had. It was done.

And I was so fucked.

What if Penny was right, and I was no good for him?

I pushed that fear away as I leaned against the doorway, watching Dante tuck her in.

He lifted his gaze to mine and the look in his eyes—soft, full of unspoken promises—made my knees feel like jelly.

Yeah, he was a sweet man.

One of the sweetest I’d ever known. And every minute we spent together, I seemed to find more reasons to love him.

“Night, Danny,” Rosie whispered, clinging to Dante for one last nuzzle.

“Sleep tight, Rosie Posie,” he whispered and pressed his lips to her hair before tucking her in.

I went in for the last goodnight kiss, and we both stood there until her breathing evened out.

“She’s always been a good sleeper,” I said, feeling a little nervous now because I knew what was coming.

It was time for our talk.

Dante held the door for me, and I walked through it, leading the way down the hall to the primary bedroom. Dante closed the door behind us and walked to the bed with my hand in his.

He sat down first, his back against the headboard, and I didn’t hesitate. I just crawled into his lap and sighed as his big arms encircled me.

“I got you,” he whispered, kissing my head.

His woodsy scent was so warm and comforting, I breathed it in and just let him hold me. It felt so good to have someone to lean on. Someone who I could simply be with.

No one had ever treated me like that.

I mean, I understood. I got it. I wasn’t exactly easy to get along with. Not that I blamed myself, I mean, I was young when I had Rosie. And I spent a lot of my life having to defend that choice.

My attitude reflected that. I could be rude and loudmouthed but being quiet about what made me upset just wasn’t me. Still, I never thought I would have to defend myself to Penny. And it hurt.

I knew it wouldn’t last long. I mean, usually, when we argued I just sucked it up and went back. This felt different.

But maybe I didn’t have to go through it alone.

“Today was hard,” I said, taking a chance and opening up.

He hummed a sound of understanding, and I snuggled deeper into the comfort of his warm body. Dante’s big hands stroked along my back, lighting fires of awareness as they went.

“Penny and I argued. It was bad,” I whispered.

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