Page 42 of Stealing Forever

“You girls look like you’re having fun. What’d you do today?”

“We went to the ocean, Daddy!”

“No way!” I feign disbelief and watch Sailor’s eyes light up like she’s about to tell me the most adventurous story. Of course, I already knew they were at the beach. Hailey sent me severalpictures of Sailor running away from the waves, too scared to even put her toes in the water because it was chilly. She’s very much a lover of hot water only—doesn’t even like to get in pools unless they’re already lukewarm.

Can’t say I blame her, though.

“Did you play in the sand?” I ask, and Hailey laughs.

“That’s why she came straight to the bath! She wouldn’t swim in the ocean, but she certainly tried to swim in the sand. It’s even in her ears.”

“I buried myself! The sand was warm.”

Leaning against the bathroom wall, I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m so glad you had a good day, baby girl. Did you guys have dinner yet?”

“I ordered room service,” Hailey says, then smirks. “I have to put that credit to good use. Got you a burger with everything on it, and a side salad. Everything should be here soon.”

She ordered me dinner?Fuck, she’s perfect. “That credit is supposed to be for your spa treatments, not dinner.”

“Declan Lane have you not figured out yet that the way to my heart is through a good meal? Although a massage is an easy way to get in there, too.” The way she looks at me tells me she means exactly how it’s coming out. She’s giving me pointers on how to get her to fall for me, almost like she knows I want to let myself so damn bad.

Her green eyes bore into mine, sparkling as she works hard for her expression to give nothing away.

“Schedule a massage for tomorrow,” I urge.

“But the game?—”

“Doesn’t start until four. I don’t need to be at the stadium until two. Schedule one.”

“If you say so,” she concedes. There’s a small upturn of her lips as she adds more soap to the washcloth she’s still holding, presumably getting ready to scrub Sailor down.

Ever since I witnessed her reaction to the way I encouraged her while she got her stitches, I’ve had a theory about the effect my words had on her. So although I know this will have me tip-toeing over the line yet again, I say with approval, “Good girl.”

Her gaze snaps back to mine, and a blush settles on her cheeks in a deep rouge, only solidifying my suspicion more.

Hailey has a thing for praise.

God, I want to take her face between both of my hands and kiss her hard.

The only thing holding me back from crossing the room and just doing it is the stark reminder, who is splashing water all over the expensive hotel bathroom.

With a sigh, I look down at Sailor, effectively cutting off my improper thoughts about Hailey. “Hey now, I’ll take a shower when you’re all done. No need to cover me in bubbles, little girl.” I wiggle my finger at her like I’m being stern, but we both know I’m not.

Sailor has me wrapped around her finger and she knows it.

And uses it to her advantage.

“Come on girly pop, let’s wash your hair.” Hailey abandons the washcloth in her hand and adds shampoo to it instead, while Sailor turns in the tub, shifting so Hailey can wash her hair thoroughly.

It’s a routine they’ve clearly perfected over the months Hailey’s been with us. It’s hard to believe that she hasn’t been a permanent fixture in our lives with the way she handles Sailor. She’s a natural.

“You’re going to be an amazing mom one day,” I blurt before I can stop myself.

I’m not sure why I say it—I don’t even know if Hailey wants children of her own, but there’s a part of me that wants to know if children are in her future.

She looks a little gobsmacked and bites down on her lower lip, fingers still hard at work massaging Sailor’s scalp. “Thank you.”

“Do you want kids?”Fuck, stop talking Declan.

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