Page 105 of The Forever Play

She has no idea what he’s saying, but she’s too happy filling her little belly to care.

“Mommy.” She points at me, then laughs at the two guys laughing and tussling behind me. “Siwwy.”

“That’s right, Zo. Those boys are silly.” I wink and then laugh as Zander pings up straight, shoving Grady away from him and winking at our daughter.

She grins and holds her hands up to be taken.

“One sec, beautiful.” He holds up his finger, taking off his hoodie and swapping out the blanket. He even does up the zipper like I’m a toddler who can’t. It’s adorably sweet.

I’m now swamped by this warm, soft fabric. Pulling it up to my nose, I take a whiff of his delectable scent and grin at him. He gives me a quick kiss before turning to take Zoey off Wily’s lap.

“Did you make Mommy a pancake?”

“Uh-huh.” She points down at her plate, which has about three mouthfuls of pancake left.

“You made Mommy’s pancake, then ate it?” Zander starts tickling her belly, and she giggles and squirms, tipping her head back with glee.

I laugh and pull out a chair, smiling up at Grady as heplaces a fresh pancake on the plate in front of me. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” His friendly wink makes me warm, and I spin back to find Wily grinning at me across the table.

Yeah, I think my day has just gotten a million times better.

Shoving up Zander’s ginormous sleeves, I wrestle to reach stuff without dragging his hoodie through sticky maple syrup or melting butter.

Zoey keeps sitting on his knee, poking holes in his pancake with her finger, then licking the maple syrup off her sticky digits.

Zander doesn’t seem to mind, and I can’t help tipping my head and murmuring, “You like Daddy’s knee, don’t you?”

Zoey looks at me, resting her head against Zander’s chest. “Daadee.”

Zander goes still, his fork poised in midair, his eyes rounding to dinner plates as he looks at me. They start to glisten, and I smile back at him, biting my bottom lip and feeling my own eyes burn.

I’m still not sure if Zoey knows exactly what she’s saying, and there’s a strong chance he’s going to be Foobawl again next time she wants to get his attention, but… holy shit.

She just said Daddy.

And it was to the right man.

The only man.

CHAPTER 38

ZANDER

I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing the second my little girl leaned her head on my chest and said, “Daadee,” in the sweetest voice known to man.

I think I’m about to fucking cry, and it’s taking everything in me to swallow this boulder in my throat.

Cupping the back of my daughter’s head, I give her a little kiss and murmur into her curls, “Love you, Zoey.”

I’m not sure she hears me, because she starts humming and resumes her pancake-poking routine, but I will eat Swiss cheese pancakes for the rest of my life if I get to hear her call me Daddy again.

Holy shit.

Sienna brushes her fingers across the back of my hand, her smile on full beam. When she goes to pull away, I grab her hand and kiss her knuckles.

She smiles and sucks in a shaky breath. “Hey, is there any chance we could stay here tonight?”

---