Page 58 of Shot Through the Heart

She then asks the most asked question by any toddler. “Why?”

“When Mommy came to tell me,” Greyson speaks for the first time, his voice thick with emotion as he stares at Harper with nothing but adoration, “someone stopped her. But what’s important is that I know now.”

Harper tilts back, eyes wide as she stares up at me and whispers, “He’s my daddy?”

I nod and watch as a smile breaks out across her face. She launches herself from my arms and directly at Grey. He barely gets his own cup set on the ground as he catches her.

There’s no stopping the tears that fall down my cheeks at the sight of them together.

Harper pulls back suddenly, placing both hands on Grey’s cheeks and forcing him to look at her. “I’m happy.”

She pats his cheek before turning to grab her cup again and sits so she’s leaning up against his side. As she starts babbling about what she wants to do tomorrow, Greyson catches my attention.

His eyes are equally misty as mine as he quietly echoes Harper’s sentiment. “I’m happy.”

ChapterTwenty

GREYSON

Harper’slittle voice when she told me she’s happy has been on repeat in my mind for the past two hours.

With those two little words, it felt as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Today was easily one of the best days of my life. When I got the skates for Harper, I was fully prepared for it to be a five-minute activity before we moved on to whatever else she wanted to do. The fact that it was nearly impossible to get her off the ice after a whole day out there made me feel a whole new kind of high.

Then she went and said those two beautiful words after she found out I’m her dad…

I set the now clean mug onto the drying rack beside the sink and turn around to see if there’s anything else I can clean up while Stella finishes getting Harper to bed. I had tried to help as best I could, wanting to learn her bedtime routine so I can start helping with that. However, after thirty minutes of Harper and me just talking back and forth about anything that popped into her mind, Stella shooed me away so she could get Harper to sleep.

Moving across the living room, I aim to start picking up the blankets and pillows from in front of the fire.

“I wouldn’t bother picking those up yet.”

I jump at the sound of Stella’s voice, whirling around with a pillow in my hands.

“Geez, woman. A little warning before you give a guy a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” she says, but her mischievous grin and the little shine in her eyes tell me she’s very much not sorry.

She steps up in front of me and takes the pillow from me to drop back on the ground.

“Harper was already asking if we can eat breakfast in front of the fire, so might as well leave these here.”

Now that my hands are free, I wrap an arm around Stella’s waist and hold her against me.

“Good, that means we can enjoy the fire for a bit longer. If you want.” My eyes trail down her neck and to the way her breasts are spilling out of her pajama top. The urge to dip my head down to worship her cleavage is difficult to ignore.

And now I’m getting a boner.

I’d managed to go five years with little to no sex drive. If I ever did feel the need, I just hopped in the shower and took care of myself.

Two times with Stella is all it took to kick my libido into overdrive.

Unable to resist, I bend forward to kiss her. She smiles against my lips and trails her palms up my stomach. Hugging her tighter against me, she gasps when she presses against my hard length.

She pulls back, blinking in confusion. “You’re already…but we’re only kissing.”

I drop my forehead to hers.

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