Page 82 of The Maxwell Brothers
She noticed me right away and squealed, “Lexi, you’re here! Please help me. Dad isn’t even paying attention.”
"Yes, I am!" Tate said, sounding indignant.
Paisley rolled her eyes. "Dad, you looked right through me the past four dresses."
I laughed, glancing between the two of them. "Well, I think this dress looks great on you, Paisley. The one thing I don't really like is the color. This shade of yellow is too pale. Do you have it in any other colors?"
"Yes, I also have it in pink."
"Okay. Let's see it. You want me to come inside and help you?"
"No, I’m okay.”
"All right, I’ll wait right here," I replied, smiling at her display of maturity.
Going back to the changing room, she drew the curtain. I remembered being her age and not wanting anyone to see my body. In a few years, she was going to need a bra. I wondered if Tate or one of his cousins was going to take her, or maybe the future nanny.
A lump suddenly settled in my throat. I wanted to be there for every milestone.
Tate was right behind me the next second, putting an arm around my waist and kissing my cheek.
"Hello, beautiful," he whispered in my ear. Hmm… his voice had a naughty edge that turned my skin to goose bumps. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
I turned around, putting my hands on his arms and feeling those hard muscles under my fingers. “Any time. I love shopping. How did she manage to drag you here?”
“Ambushed me.”
“Clever.”
He touched my bare shoulder with his fingertips. An unexpected wave of heat shot through me.
“Dad!” Paisley exclaimed, startling both of us.
Holy shit!She was standing right next to us.
I instantly let my hands drop, taking a step back. My pulse quickened.
Her eyes widened, looking from me to Tate, who seemed as taken aback as I was.
Shit, shit, shit.I had no clue if he ever intended to tell her about us, but this wasn’t the best way for her to find out.
I bit my lip, wondering if I should try to distract her. Did he want her to know? I sucked in a breath, waiting for his reply.
“Paisley, Lexi and I would like to tell you something.” He cleared his throat, stepping closer to me. My pulse calmed downa bit. “Remember when you asked me a while ago if I ever wanted a lady in my life? Well, Lexi and I are dating. We’re?—”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Paisley’s face exploded in a grin. She clapped her hands and then started shimmying her hips, the way I did when I was happy about something. Then she hugged Tate around his middle, staring up at him before looking at me.
“I’m going back to try more dresses.”
She did a little dance as she went back into the changing room. She’d even forgotten to ask our opinion on the dress she had on.
Tate trained his gaze on me, and the air between us instantly charged. He took me a few feet away from the dressing room to the back of the store before stepping right into my personal space, tilting my chin up.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes. Why?”
“We never spoke about telling Paisley.”
