Page 43 of Enemy Daddy Next Door

“Thank you for inviting me today,” Amy says, a lovely lilt to her voice. “It’s the perfect day for a beach picnic.”

“It is, isn’t it?” I say, stretching out my legs and leaning back on my palms. “I know Jessica doesn’t make it easy to, um, have a normal date, but –“

She grins and shakes her head. “It’s perfect. I’m having a great time.”

I swallow into a smile. “Good. I’m glad.”

Amy eyes my hand and then shifts herself to sit next to me. She leans herself back on her palms, just like me, but one of her fingers grazes mine delicately. My whole body feels like it’s been hit with an electric shock. Did she do that on purpose? I’m not sure.

“She’s a great kid, Hunter,” she says.

Damn, she just knows how to hit all the tender parts of my heart. “You’re sweet.”

“I mean it. She’s just…” Amy trails off and watches Jessica take an armful of wet sand over to her castle. “Darling.”

“You should see her when she’s hangry.”

Amy laughs. “You should see me when I’m hangry. Not a pretty sight.”

“I’m sure you’re pretty no matter what.”

She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Flatterer.”

I bite my lower lip. Okay, Hunter. You know how to be charming. Don’t rest on your laurels. I shift my hand closer to hers, a few fingers resting on the back of her hand. “You know, Amy, my life is inherently also Jessica’s.”

“I know.”

“So…we’re kind of a package deal.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

“What I mean is –” I turn to look at her, losing the compulsion to speak when I see how the sun reflects off the amber flecks in her irises. You have to say it, Hunter. “Seeing me is like seeing her too. I’ll always do my best to make you feel adored and…and special, of course, but she’s –”

“Your world.”

Wow, she just took the words out of my mouth.

Amy slips her hand out from under mine and before I can be disappointed, she puts it right back on top, squeezing my entire hand. “I love that about you.”

The word love…is scary this early. And while she isn’t saying she loves me; she’s saying she loves something about me.

That’s big. To my heart at least. I haven’t heard someone say they love something about me other than my dick in a long time.

“I wouldn’t want to be a part of your life if I couldn’t also be a part of Jessica’s. I want her in my life too, I promise,” Amy murmurs.

I watch Jessica for a moment. She’s completely engrossed, trying to form towers that keep falling from the dryness of the sand. But she is determined, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she’s deep in thought.

While my daughter is distracted, I lean over toward Amy and plant a kiss on her bare shoulder. Her skin is warm and sun-kissed. Her breath tickles my scalp. “I think you’re an amazing woman,” I say, raising my head.

“You barely know me,” she says with a smirk.

I could kiss Amy for real. She’s only an inch away. But I want to leave some anticipation. “I know. I barely know you and I already think you’re amazing. I can’t imagine how truly wonderful you’ll be to me when I get to know all of you.”

Her eyes flash with fear, but only for a moment. Amy sits up a little straighter, a smug smile on her lips. “Oh. That’s nice.”

I chuckle. Amy is shy. Parts of her are locked away. And I’m determined to find them out. On her own time, though. I’d never rush her.

I’ll wait for Amy as long as I have to.

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