Page 87 of Enemy Ex's Secret Baby

She giggles and pats my chest. “Don’t worry, honey. That’s what ordering in is for.”

“I know, I just wanted this to be…a special night. It’s a big night to have my two favorite girls in my house for the first time,” I say.

Stella reaches up and reaches up to pat my chest too. “It’s okay. We’ll get In-N-Out.”

* * *

It turns out In-N-Out eaten on the patio at twilight was exactly what we needed. The three of us sit around the table, eating and chatting the night away.

Just like everything with Gillian, things feel easy with Stella too. She’s so personable for someone her age, seemingly unfettered by shyness or nerves. The conversation is equal parts all of us. Or should I say it’s mostly Gillian and Stella. My heart is still pounding, burnt dinner notwithstanding.

After all, it’s a big night for us.

Gillian and I went through the order of events several times in the days leading up to today. She promised me softly over and over that it would all be okay. “The only thing Stella has ever wanted that I haven’t been able to give her is her father. There’s no reason to be scared.”

There are still moments I feel hurt that Gillian kept me away. Who knows how close Stella and I could be now if I had been her father right from the beginning? However, I have to remain grateful I get this opportunity at all. That Gillian and I finally put our egos aside to find each other.

Better late than never. I guess Lola was right about that after all.

Stella takes the last sip of her milkshake and sighs happily. “Mm. So good.”

“That was a lot of dairy,” Gillian remarks, picking up the empty cup.

“Relax,” I tell her, touching her knee gently under the table. “It’s a special occasion.”

Gillian’s warm brown eyes meet mine. There’s something tentative in her gaze. She’s nervous too. Every step of this journey, she’s been my rock, assuring me that our daughter will have nothing but open arms for me. I never thought she’d be nervous too. After all, she knows Stella better than I do. At least for now.

“I have a gift for you, Stella,” I declare.

“Oh! Really?” she asks, vibrating excitedly in her seat.

“Mhm. Just a small thing.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a small, flat jewelry box. The gift was my idea, but I wanted to clear it with Gillian first. She burst into tears when I told her. Her heart is so achingly full of love for Stella. I can’t believe how lucky I am that she chose to have my child, even when I didn’t deserve it.

Gillian takes Stella’s hand. “Why don’t you come over here and stand in front of Axel so he can give it to you?”

Stella cautiously approaches me, eyeing Gillian. She’s a smart kid. She knows something is up.

Once she’s standing right before me, I put the box down on the table. “Would you like to open it?”

She smiles and nods.

“Go ahead.”

Stella lifts the lid of the box and gasps. “A star!”

Inside is a necklace with a tiny gold star hanging from the chain. I picked it out myself.

“Like my name!” she giggles, beaming at me.

I nod. “Exactly. I wanted to get you something that could always be a symbol of how much I care about you. I know it might be a little weird that your mom has this new guy around all the time. But just as much as I’m her new guy, I’m yours too. I hope that as we get closer, you can start to feel me in your heart the way I already…” Don’t cry…don’t cry. “The way I already feel you in mine.”

Stella smiles hard, her shoulders going up to her ears.

My eyes flick to Gillian briefly. She’s holding it together really well, leaning on her hand and admiring a scene I bet she’s pictured in her head so many times as a faraway fantasy. “Can I put it on you?”

“Yes, please.”

“Turn around for me, then.”

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