Page 27 of Twisted Fate

Delilah reached over and lovingly brushed a wild strand of Charlie’s hair from her face, so it didn’t get in her mouth while she ate. Eyes shining with affection, she smiled tenderly at my daughter. Emotion clogged my throat, and I had to swallow past the thick lump. Watching the two of them together both melted my heart and shattered it into a million pieces. I was glad for Charlie’s sake that she had a motherly figure in her life now that Sarah was gone. Sadness swelled in my chest at the devastating circumstances that made that possible.

“Did you make cookies?” Charlie asked Delilah, and Delilah chuckled. The ghost of a smile formed on my lips. Leave it to Charlie to dissolve the tension I’d been feeling all throughout dinner with a simple, innocent question.

“Not this time,” Delilah answered, and Charlie began to pout. “But I made something better.”

Charlie perked up at this. “What is it?

“Strawberry shortcake.”

“That’s my favorite!” Charlie gushed.

“It is?”

Charlie nodded, a huge smile plastered on her face. Delilah gave me a conspiratorial grin that I returned. She’d asked me the day before what Charlie’s favorite dessert was and as promised, she made it. I was grateful she had. It meant I got to see Charlie’s face light up with excitement. It meant I could watch as Delilah scooped up whipped topping with her finger and smear on Charlie's nose. She erupted into a fit of giggles and batted it away, only serving to smear the cream across her face. Ever the good sport, Delilah let Charlie do the same to her, only she was much less controlled. It ended up in Delilah’s hair and on her top, but she didn’t care. They laughed together as Delilah swiped a paper towel over Charlie’s face and handed her a bowl filled with syrupy strawberries, decadent cake, and sweet cream.

I stepped up to the counter, ready to serve myself dessert while Delilah wiped at her face.

“You missed a spot,” I informed her, pointing to the coinciding spot on my face. She wiped at the opposite side, and I laughed.

“No, this side,” I instructed, pointing to my face again. Somehow, she still managed to miss it.

I chuckled and held out my hand. “Here, let me.” She handed me the paper towel, and I stepped closer, lifting it to her cheek. Her breath caught, and my gaze darted to hers. Up close, I could make out a faint ring of golden sunbursts around her pupils. They dilated slightly as I stared into her eyes, lost in their crystalline depths. Swallowing thickly, I forced myself to look away and focus on the spot on her cheek. I gently wiped at the whipped topping, letting my hand linger on her face.

“Thanks,” she breathed, and I chanced another look into her eyes. Fuck, they were mesmerizing. A man could easily get lost in them.

I wanted to reach out and touch her, to wrap my arm around her waist and bring her body flush with mine. But I couldn’t. Iwouldn’t.

But damn, the temptation was almost too much.

As if reading my mind, Delilah took a step back, putting a little space between us. She dropped her gaze, and I almost begged her to look at me again.

“I’d better head home,” she said, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking her to stay.

“No,” Charlie cried, beating me to it. “I don’t want you to weave.”

Delilah gave her a sad smile and went to her side. “I’m sorry, baby. It's getting late. But I’ll be back again soon,” she promised, smoothing a hand over her hair.

“Why don’t we have a slumber party?” Charlie asked, bouncing in her chair excitedly.

“We can’t have a slumber party, silly,” Delilah replied, playfully booping her on the nose.

“Why not?” Charlie inquired, and I wondered what excuse she would come up with.

“Because you can only have slumber parties with friends your age,” Delilah explained.Nice save.

Charlie thought about this, pressing her finger to her chin as though deep in thought. “I know!” she announced, lifting that same finger into the air. “You and Daddy are the same age. You can have a slumber party wif him!”

Delilah’s face flushed red as all the blood in my body rushed to my cock. A sleepover with Delilah? Fuck, that would be a disaster. A deliciously sinful disaster that could never happen.

“Ummm, well…” Delilah sputtered, searching for an age-appropriate explanation for why her dad and nanny couldn’t have a sleepover. “Actually, your daddy is a bit older than me,” she explained, the corner of her lip turning up in a smirk. And by a bit, she meant nearly twelve years, but Charlie didn’t know that. “Besides,” she continued, “grownups don’t have slumber parties.”

“They don’t?” Charlie’s face screwed up like that was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. I covered my mouth with my hand to shield my amusement, glad not to be the one answering these questions.

“Nope.”

Charlie harrumphed and crossed her arms.

“Sorry, sweet pea.” She kissed Charlie’s hair one last time. “See you soon,” she promised and turned for the door, halting in her tracks when she saw that I stood between her and the exit. The moment we shared earlier weighed heavily between us. “Goodnight, Vance,” she said finally.

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