Page 121 of What About Us
My eyes roam over the two of them. Finn’s got the end of a string of beads in her mouth and she’s threading more onto the end. Paige’s hair is still damp from having probably just had a bath. Soft music plays from the speaker on the counter next to them.
They both look up and beam wide smiles at me.
“Daddy, you're home! We’re making necklaces.”
“Hey, sweetheart. I can see that.” I dump my keys and phone on the counter. “They’re beautiful,” I say, crossing the kitchen to plant a kiss on the top of her head. When I lean in, she looks up at me with big, dark eyes and scrunches her nose.
“Daddy, why are you all dirty?” she asks, taking in my light blue shirt and jeans that are covered in dirt and soot. “And why do you smell like a campfire?”
“Been burning fields all day, baby,” I say around a yawn, then press a kiss to the top of Finn’s head, too. Her eyes find mine, then drop to my mouth, making my heart stutter in my chest. I wish I could kiss her openly, but it wouldn’t be a good idea. Paige knows nothing so far, and unless—or until—I get the courage to talk to Finn about making this permanent, the less she knows, the better. So, instead, I run a hand over her hair and down her back and give her a squeeze just below her ribs, hoping she knows how much I want to kiss her.
Finn climbs off her chair while I bend over to unlace my work boots and toe them off, before carrying them back over to the garage. I open the door and set them on the top step just inside the garage. When I turn back around, Finn’s got the fridge open. So, I step up behind her and use the door as a shield from Paige’s eyes. I lean in and brush her hair off her neck, pressing a kiss to the soft skin there.
“Mmm, you smell so fucking good,” I whisper and run a hand around her waist from behind, pulling her back against me. She turns and briefly offers her lips for a quick, open-mouthed kiss, then hands me a beer.
“Go grab a shower and I’ll make you a plate. You look exhausted,” she says, pulling out a container of what looks like ravioli in some kind of white sauce.
“You got dessert to go with that?” I ask, throwing her a suggestive wink.
She chuckles lightly, then turns to set the container down and grab a plate and fork. “I can think of a couple of things you might like.”
“Cream pie sounds fantastic,” I say and manage to keep a straight face while I do.
Her head snaps up, and her mouth pops open with an amused gasp before her eyes dance over to Paige still sitting at the counter. But she’s too lost in trying to tie off her necklace and singing along to theMoanasoundtrack that just shuffled onto the speaker.
Finn brings her heated gaze back to mine, and when she bites that puffy bottom lip, it sends a shot of lust straight to my groin.
Shooting Finn a wide grin, I round the counter back to Paige, before leaning in to inspect her necklace. “That’s really pretty, Pip.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” She flashes a beaming smile. “Can you help me tie it?” she asks around a big yawn.
I look at the small strings pinched in her tiny fingers. I’ve tied off about six of these necklaces since Finn bought her the kit for Christmas, but that wasn’t after a full day in the hot sun with scorching temps and smoke grit in my eyes. I take the skinny strings between my fingers and pull out a stool with my foot, dropping onto it., then prop my elbows on the counter and work my tired fingers to tie it off.
“Why don’t you start cleaning up, and as soon as I’m out of the shower, I’ll be in to tuck you in, ok?” I say, double knotting her creation and draping it on the counter so she can inspecther work.
She nods, and with one last satisfied look at the necklace, she starts putting things away in the plastic bin she uses to hold all her crafts.
I strip off my shirt on the way up the stairs and catch a glimpse of Finn watching me from where she’s helping Paige on the other side of the island. Her cheeks flame the slightest bit pink, and she bites that damn lip again.
Once upstairs, I shower and throw on clean sweats. I don’t anticipate being up long. So, I forgo a shirt and socks and head across the hall, where I hear Finn reading Paige a bedtime story. Eyes glued to them, I lean in the doorway and cross my arms over my chest. I could get used to this.
Finn is so good with Paige, better than Tristen ever was. The fact that Paige has a stepmom who is willing to not only tuck her in but read her bedtime stories and make plastic necklaces with her is doing something to both my gut and my heart. I am so in love with this woman, and even more so when I see her like this, taking care of my daughter.
A thought flits through my mind, making my chest tighten. She’s Finn’s daughter, too. Maybe not legally, and not biologically, but in name and every other way that matters. My eyes burn a bit, and I can’t even blame it on the smoke from earlier. I clear my throat lightly to rid it of the emotion clogged there.
“The pirate queen—” Finn breaks off and her eyes take one long, heated sweep of my body from across the room. She shifts on the bed, and I don't miss the subtle press of her thighs together. I swear we will never get enough of each other. Not in this lifetime.
Paige nudges her. “Finnley, keep reading. This is the best part,” she whines, dragging out the last word and then lets out a long yawn.
An amused expression lifts the corners of Finn’s mouth, making that tiny dimple pop in her cheek. She drops her eyes back to the book, picking up where she left off, as I approach the bed.
“The pirate queen dashed down the stairs, sword drawn, looking for—”
Bracing a hand on the railing of the bed, I lean over her to press a soft kiss on the top of Paige’s head just as she continues.
Finn’s breath catches and her eyes trail up my chest before meeting my gaze. I throw her a playful wink and she shoves lightly at my chest.
“Get out of here or there’ll be no dessert for you,” she says, a smile ghosting across her beautiful face.
