Page 140 of The Single Dads Club
“Hi Cade.” She sounded out of breath but happy.
I sat on the couch and propped my feet up on the coffee table. “Hey, how’re things going?”
“We just finished at the ceramics place and grabbed some lunch. What’s up?”
I heard a squeal of laughter in the background. “Where are you guys?”
“At the spa. Is it okay if Lily gets her hair cut? It’ll just be a trim.”
“Ah, sure.” My neighbor lady usually cut it, but what the hell. “Where are you guys? I could swing by and see Lily.”
“Sure. She’d love that I’m sure.” She gave me the directions and I set off in my truck, needing to get out of my too-quiet house.
When I walked in the spa, I was greeted by the sounds of new age music mixed in with bird calls and the babble of water, and the scent of lavender that was so strong it slapped me in the face.Jeez.
I turned a corner and found Alexa and Lily seated in large chairs with their feet propped up in front of them.
“Caden!” Lily squealed once she spotted me.
They wiggled their pink toenails at me. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be noticing, so instead I just grinned. “Look at that. Two pretty girls.”
They smiled at my compliment, so it appeared I’d said the right thing and we made our way to the front.
“Here.” Alexa handed me her credit card. “Will you check us out? I want to run over to the bakery next door. I’ll just be a minute.”
“Sure.” I took her card, but planned to pay with my own once Alexa was outside. She’d done too much for us already. But when the girl at the counter told me the bill came to three-hundred dollars, I reluctantly handed over Alexa’s card. Three hundred dollars for toenail polish and a couple of haircuts? Their hair didn’t even look any different to me. One thing was clear—Alexa led a lifestyle I’d never be able to afford. And I sure as shit didn’t need Lily getting used to this kind of treatment.Holy fuck.
Alexa came back a few minutes later carrying a little pink pastry box, looking smug. She signed the credit card slip and took her card from the counter, then headed outside to her car with Lily in tow. “We’ll see you back at the house,” she called.
I stood by uselessly until they drove away, then stomped off to my truck. I stopped on the drive home to pick up dinner for the three of us, needing to do something to get things back under control.
Once I got home I could hear Lily singing and playing in her bedroom and found Alexa sitting on the couch waiting for me. I set the bags of food on the table and turned to her. “You didn’t have to do all that today.” My voice came out sterner than I intended. I pulled a deep breath into my lungs and tried to force myself to calm down. I shouldn’t take my own inadequacies out on Alexa, but shit, it was hard not to. My life was so different than hers.
She stood and placed her hands on her hips. “I know that, Cade. I wanted to. I never had a little sister. Did you ever think that maybe I like spending time with her?”
Shit.I sounded like a real prick. I rubbed the back of my neck. “Sorry, it’s just this is new for me.” There was no denying that the way Alexa was with Lily complicated things between us. It twisted my insides, and brought out my protective instincts. I loved it, but it worried me too.
Her expression softened. “It’s new for me too.” She leaned her hip against the counter, drawing herself unconsciously closer to me.
I brought my hand up to cup her cheek, unable to resist touching her soft skin. I brushed my callused thumb along her jaw. “Hey.” Her eyes met mine. “I’m sorry. I get sensitive about her.”
“Yeah, I noticed. That’s the last time I try to do something nice.” Her tone was serious, but she looked up at me with that crooked mischievous smile of hers. I wanted to kiss the smirk off her gorgeous face.
“Aw, don’t be that way, cupcake. Come on. Stay for dinner.”
She checked her watch. “That could probably be arranged.”
“You got somewhere to be? Don’t tell me it’s another hot date with that country club schmuck.”
We might have gotten physical the other night, but I was under no illusions that Alexa was mine. She was free to date whoever she wanted. Did that suck? Yeah. But I also knew I couldn’t stand in her way. She was a desirable woman who probably had men lining the block with date offers. Hell, I still had no earthly idea how she was even single. If I had to guess, I was betting she’d be married in under two years, living in a big old house filled with nice things. Things I would never be able to give her.
She chuckled. “No, actually Peter hasn’t called. It’s just my mom’s been hounding me about coming over for dinner and I kinda told her I’d come over tonight. But let me step outside to call her and see if I can postpone it until tomorrow night because the offer of having dinner with you and Lily is way more appealing.”
Hearing her say she’d choose spending time with me and Lily over her family made me feel incredible. “Sure. Come inside when you’re done.”
After Alexa stepped outside, Lily came tearing down the hall to show off her matching pink fingernails and toenails and the pink ceramic fairy she’d painted. It was like an explosion of pink had invaded my house—hell, my life. But I couldn’t even complain because I hadn’t seen Lily smile thismuch ina long damn time.
“I’m gonna go put it in my room, right near my bed so I can always see it,” she announced, already heading down the hall.
