Page 130 of Single Dad Dilemma
“Yeah?” He nipped at my bottom lip, soothing it with a soft kiss after. “I’ve got two more years on my contract in Buffalo—more, if they want to keep me. I really like it there.”
“I know.”
His gaze was soft and heady. “You can handle the snow and the cold?”
“That’s what I have you for.” I snuggled into his arms, sighing happily when they tightened around my back. I was safe. Happy. And more than that, I was loved. “You’ll keep me warm, right?”
He gently kissed the top of my head, burying his nose in my hair and breathing deeply.
“Always.”
Epilogue
Lily
“You sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah.”
Barrett hadn’t come down to Florida for my last weekend there, but when I told him there was something I wanted to do in Texas, he told team ownership he needed thirty-six hours off. They gave it to him even though the beginning of the season was in full swing.
Before I’d even had the chance to ask, there was no question that he’d be there for me. He always was.
I handed him the key, shielding my eyes from the brutal heat of the sun while he unlocked the padlock that had kept the unit secure for the last decade. Not that long ago, I would’ve known exactly how many months and weeks and days it had stayed that way.
Counting that passage of time didn’t help. Didn’t make me miss them less. So I stopped. Now my countdowns involved the three members of the King family who held my future.
How many days until I’d see them. Until I could sleep in Barrett’s arms. Until I could bake with Maggie after school. Watch Bryce play soccer and be that sideline mom who yelled at the refs until Barrett told me to calm down.
Barrett pulled the lock out and pocketed it, leaning down to yank open the rolling door.
My stomach had been unsettled all morning, my brain anxious, only settling slightly when Barrett got off the plane he’d chartered to come be with me. Banging the coach came with perks, and access to a private jet was definitely one of them. Pearl, as it turned out, was a closet romantic.
Before I opened my eyes, Barrett slid his fingers in between mine, holding them tightly in his grip as the stale smell hit me. I blew out a breath and finally pried my eyes open.
The unit was smaller than I remembered. In my head, it had grown into something big and intimidating, rows and rows of memories that I’d never dared touch. In reality, there wasn’t as much as I thought. A couple of wardrobe boxes that held clothes I hadn’t been able to part with. A leather chair my dad had often fallen asleep in. The covered body of the car he’d worked on for years, completed only about six months before he died.
He’d taken me on two drives in that car, and if I closed my eyes again, I’d remember the wind on my face and the songs playing on the radio. I walked closer, fingers dragging along the edge of the cloth covering the car. Barrett stayed with me, his eyes lingering on the vehicle, lit with curiosity when I glanced over my shoulder.
“What is it?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“You can look.” My voice came out thick, tight with emotion that I’d kept bottled up all morning in anticipation of what we were doing.
Before he uncovered the vehicle, Barrett held my face in his hands and studied me closely. “Are you okay?”
After letting out a deep breath, I nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay.” Then I smiled. “I’m ready.”
Barrett dropped a kiss on my forehead, then turned to the low-slung car. With careful hands, he pulled the cover off, his face going slack when the beautiful blue was completely uncovered.
“Whoa,” he breathed. “A Corvette?”
“1969 Stingray,” I told him, eyes lingering on the sleek lines of the perfectly restored machine. “His dream car.”
“It’s incredible.” His gaze locked on mine. “You should take this back with us. I think he’d like knowing you were driving it.”
My eyes filled. I liked that idea. “Do we have enough garage space?”
“Sweetheart, I’ll buy you a new house if we need to make room for this,” he said, sliding an arm around my waist while we stared down at the car.
