Chapter 22

Gabriel

The next few hours go by in a blur. From the pleasant car ride to Macey’s, to sitting on her kitchen floor with three little puppies running all over the place.

Trinity is in her element, watching them. There are two darker brown boys, and a lighter brown girl, and they’re all as tiny as each other.

“Just sit calmly, Trin, and let the puppies come to you,” I tell her. She is very good around Sunny now. She doesn’t pull on her tail or do anything annoying toward her. I’ve tried to instill into her that with animals she needs to be respectful.

She sits with Bunnykins at her side when one of the little boy dogs comes running up to her. Grabbing her bunny, he tries to take off with it, but it’s bigger than he is. “Bunnykins!” She giggles as he tries again. Trin grabs the other end of it where a little tug of war ensues.

“Here,” says Macey, “give him this squeaky toy, sweetie. That way, he’ll drop your bunny.”

She takes it and gives it a little squeeze, capturing his attention, and the attention of the other two dogs. I walk over to take the bunny off her so he doesn’t get damaged while they’re playing. The last thing I need is a torn apart bunny rabbit.

“Do you want to have a little hold?” Macey asks.

Trin nods frantically, and we all laugh. Skye already reaches down to pick up the light brown little girl. She’s a little more reserved than the other two and not running around as crazy.

“Why don’t you hold the girl puppy, Trin, while we catch the boys?”

“Yes!” Trinity cries happily.

“She’s so cute,” Skye says while she places the tiny pup in Trin’s arms.

“Softly, Trin, she’s tiny,” I remind her.

The little dog folds its tiny paws over Trin’s hand, one paw under, and one paw over.

“She’s holding your hand.” Macey smiles as she walks back with the other two little ones under each arm.

“She’s so cute, Daddy! Look!”

“She is, honey.” Admittedly, it appears the pup is holding Trinity’s hand.

Darned cute if you ask me.

I had no idea whether we would get a girl or a boy dog. It just has to feel right.

But when I look down at my daughter holding the girl dog, I know she’s hooked. She’s stroking her head so softly I could melt.

“Good girl,” I say. “She’s so tiny, Trin.”

“Like when I was a baby, Daddy?”

I swallow hard, feeling Skye glance at me in my peripheral.

It takes a second to regain my composure. “Yes, you were very tiny, too,” I say. Nothing could ever beat holding her in my arms for the first time the day she was born, and her laying on my chest. The sadness is; I had no idea what was going to happen and how it would all turn out. It’s best to push that aside for now. I’ve had to work hard on moving past all of that. Even if seeing my daughter every day is a constant reminder. I wouldn’t change things for the world, though.

I’m in a good place now.

“Daddy, I wuv her.”

I chuckle. “Well, have a cuddle with the other two as well, and then if we ask Macey very kindly, maybe we can take one home.” I raise my eyebrow toward Macey and she nods. She wasn’t joking when she said we had the first option. We’ve filled in the paperwork, it’s a matter of which dog is right for us.

Macey said the mom dog came into the rescue and had been in foster care until she’d had the pups and they were old enough to be on their own. They’re four months old now. Macey ended up adopting the birth mom, Molly, which means she’ll be close-by whenever we want to visit. She’s at the groomers this morning while we take a look at her babies.

Trin spends the next five minutes holding each one and playing gently with them.

But I think the clear winner is the girl, because for a pup, she’s very quiet and almost a little shy.

“What do you think?” I ask Trin.

“Daisy!” She beams.

I scrunch my forehead. “Daisy?”

“I think we may have a name,” Macey chuckles.

Skye bends down to give the girl pup another little pat. “She sure is cute. I think Daisy is a great name.”

“And you have daisies on your shirt!” Trinity points out once more.

We all laugh.

“How about we ask Macey if it’s okay to trial her at home and make sure she fits in?”

We all look at Macey, and she smiles. “Fine by me. I’ve got a little starter pack for you with some puppy food and some milk, and her favorite toy.”

“Daisy’s coming home!” Trinity yells with glee.

“Daisy, it is,” I say, walking over to pick up the tiny puppy. She looks up at me with her big brown eyes and I give her a gentle ruffle. “Welcome to the fold, little one.”

I kiss her on top of the head and Trinity jumps up, pulling my trouser leg, wanting another hold. “Gently, Trin. The gentlest you’ve ever been. Two hands.”

We arrange the paperwork with the bank info for the adoption fee, while Skye and Trinity play with the puppies. Macey grabs the puppy starter pack with a little ball and her favorite squeaky dinosaur and some food.

I’ve no idea what we’re in for now, but she already suits her name.

We leave soon after, and Skye sits in the back next to Trinity, holding Daisy in a little blanket while she sleeps. My daughter stroking her head so gently, a lump forms in my throat.

I can feel the love in the car all round, and my heart swells.

“Looks like Daisy Bassett is a bit of a hit,” I say, glancing at Skye in the rearview mirror as I turn to make a pit stop at the pet store.

Skye gives me a wink. “I think she’s going to fit in just perfectly.”

* * *

The rest of the afternoon is just as much a blur as the morning. We grab a few things at the pet store — including a little pink collar and lead — plus a water bowl and a food bowl, a fluffy dog bed and some puppy pads for the floor. Plus a whole bunch of other stuff the girls picked out. I’m sure toilet training is going to be fun, but I’ve already decided to get a little doggie door installed next week to make the process easier. The backyard is completely fenced off, so there’s nowhere she can run away to.

We drop Skye back in town so she can retrieve her car from earlier, and she follows us back to our place. Trinity spends the next couple of hours acquainting Daisy around the house, and we make a little nook for her in our mudroom to put the things we bought. Then we try her collar on, and put her little bed in the den.

By nightfall, both my daughter and Daisy are as pooped out as each other. Daisy has taken everything in her stride, not even batting an eyelid about coming home with complete strangers.

I decide to cook us all some pasta, and Skye agrees to stay for dinner. It’s been great hanging out with her all day, and she’s just as good with Daisy as she is with Trinity. Patient and kind and enthusiastic. Is there anything this woman can’t do?

“You know I’m going to have a lot of fun with little Daisy when Trinity is at school,” she says when I open a bottle of wine for us and place two glasses on the counter. I’m also ready to plate up our dinner.

We fed Daisy a little bowl of the puppy food Macey gave us and then took her outside to the lawn area so she could do her business and have a bounce around. We know she’s going to have accidents; all puppies do. Luckily, I don’t have carpets in the bedrooms anymore, and I have plenty of wet wipes and paper towels at the ready.

“You may not be saying that if she does something bad on the floor.” I swipe my hand down my face.

Skye laughs. “It’ll be fine. Macey said they’re smart little dogs. I’m happy to help toilet train her.”

“I may have to pay you extra for that,” I laugh. Now she’s offering to train my dog?

“Yeah, I’m not sure that’s part of my duties,” she jokes. “But you know I don’t mind helping out. She’s so damned cute, Gabe.”

There it is again when she says my name. My heart thuds and my palms start to sweat.

She also causes a stir between my legs, but I can’t think about that ache too much.

I pour us both a glass of wine while Trinity sings Daisy to sleep softly. She’s taken to her fluffy circular bed quite well. It’s a light rainbow color, and she gets lost inside it.

“She sure is,” I say. “I’m glad Trinity’s happy.”

Skye’s eyes dance when she says, “It was so cute the way Daisy looked like she was holding Trin’s hand.”

“They say the dog chooses you. I guess this is a perfect example.”

I hand her a glass and she smiles gratefully. “Thank you.” She pauses to take a sip. “You know, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about last night.”

You and me both. I also haven’t forgotten about that dream I had about her wrapped around me.

“Me either,” I confess.

“Gabe, it was so thoughtful of you.”

“I’ve never taken anyone there except Trin.”

“Why did you take me out there?” she whispers.

I’m grateful for a moment to have my back to her while I work over the stove; plating up the tomato and olive pasta. Just because I need a second to gather my thoughts.

I turn to her, carrying a bowl of pasta for her, and a small one for Trinity.

“Well, it’s a special place, and I wanted to share it with you.”

“Because of what happened with Gramps?”

“Not just that, but I find it’s a place where you can really relax when the world gets too much. Who doesn’t love star gazing?” I set Trin’s bowl down at her own little table she sometimes uses in the dining room. We don’t use the big table much, preferring the kitchen island. I help her into her chair while Daisy nods off to sleep.

“I know. But now I feel guilty that I haven’t even looked up at the stars for so long,” she says.

“That’s what I mean. Most people are so busy to think about the stars. It’s a little woo-woo, as Georgia would say.” I consider my next words as I walk back to her. “There’s another reason I took you there.”

She looks at me as Trinity declares she’s blowing on her food. “Good girl,” I call over to her. “Daddy just took it out of the pan.”

“What’s the other reason?” Skye’s watching me.

“Don’t you know by now?”

“I guess not.”

I smile softly. I may have shied away from opening up to women over the years, but for some reason, it seems a lot more easy and natural with her. She’s opening me up just by being herself. “Because I like you, Skye. And as Trinity established, you have pretty eyes.” I give her a playful wink as I pick up my bowl and walk around, taking a seat beside her.

Her smile says it all; she likes me too. More than a boss. The way I like her more than being the nanny. “That’s very sweet.”

“It’s also true.”

She takes a bite of the penne pasta with a little Parmesan sprinkled over the top.

“Gabe, this is delicious.”

A lot like you, sweetheart.

“Thank you. I got better at cooking over the years.”

“I like a man who can cook,” she whispers, taking another mouthful. “It’s very sexy.”

I glance at her, not being able to hide my smile. “Are you flirting with me?”

“You’re the one who said I had pretty eyes.”

“Touché,” I laugh. “But you do, so really, it’s just truth telling.”

“And you told your daughter I had pretty eyes before I started working for you.”

“Also another accurate observation.”

She takes a sip of wine and my eyes find her plump lips. “For the record, I think you have pretty eyes too. Even though it’s inappropriate to say it as you’re my boss.”

That causes another stir in my pants. Holy shit.

“I’m only the boss at work, not at home. When I leave the office, I try to switch off. I’m not as much of a tyrant as my sister probably made me out to be.”

“You’re definitely not a tyrant. Nope, I don’t see a hotshot CEO around here anywhere.”

I grin. “Gray’s always been the hotshot. He doesn’t even have to try. My home is where I’m most relaxed, or at least I try.”

“Maintaining that balance can’t be easy.”

“I’ve been practicing a long time,” I admit, eating a mouthful. She was right when she said it was good. I picked some fresh basil and parsley from my herb garden and added it in. I don’t usually follow recipes; courtesy of my grandma, who was an amazing cook.

“Well, you’ve also got cooking down to a fine art.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to share food with someone, not that Trin is bad company, but I never have women over.”

Something reflects in her eyes; surprise, I think. “Never?”

“Well, aside from my mom, sister, and Geraldine. I meant like a date. My focus has been solely on my kid for the past five years.” I know she must have heard things about my past around town. It’s not like everyone doesn’t know. She’s been polite about it so far, even though I know it’s going to come up at some stage. I should broach it, but I don’t want to sour the mood.

“I totally get that.”

I take a sip of wine. She does too. “If you don’t have to be anywhere, would you like to stay and watch a movie?” I ask her. “When Trin goes to bed?” What am I doing?

She doesn’t hesitate. “I’d love to.”

I smile. She’s good company. Easy to talk to. She even helps me clear away the dishes and washes them up while I tidy the stove and put the leftovers away. I get Trinity ready for bed and let her have little Daisy in her room on the floor until I go to bed. Later, I’ll take her outside again and set up the puppy pads at the back door.

Then we’re alone at last.

It’s actually a good feeling sitting down and relaxing on the couch with her.

Again, not something I’m used to and I realize how sad that sounds.

We start off watching some romcom – because I think she’d prefer that over an action movie – with another glass of wine as we settle onto the couch.

“Thanks for today,” she whispers out of nowhere.

I look at her, my arm around the back of the couch, not touching her.

“What did I do?” I ask.

“Just for being you. Asking me to come was nice, it was a good day. Trinity was so happy.”

I smile. “It was a good day. And anything that keeps my daughter happy has to be a good thing.”

“Daisy is so sweet.” She squeezes my forearm as I glance down at her hand.

“I’m glad you were part of it. I think she’s going to be a great addition to the family.”

Without realizing what I’m doing, my fingers interlace with hers and I see her swallow as she keeps watching me. After a moment, she slides closer.

“Gabe,” she whispers.

My hand reaches up to her cheek as I run the back of my hand over her skin. “You’re beautiful.” We stare at one another for a moment before I dip my head down so our heads press together. “We shouldn’t.”

“We should.” She closes the gap, pressing her lips against mine.

She’s soft, warm and inviting.

My breath hitches in my chest as she turns slowly, breaking the kiss, and slides into my lap. Her skirt hitching up to her hips in the process. Oh, God.

It doesn’t matter that I haven’t been able to stop imagining this scene. That I’ve played it out in my mind many, many times. But now I have her here, right where I want her. I’m like a teenager all over again who doesn’t know what to do.

Yet, I fucking know what to do.

“We’re playing with fire,” I growl, cupping her face as our kisses entangle. Fuck me if she doesn’t rub that sweet little pussy along my hard length, her eyes momentarily closing as she sighs.

“I know, but doesn’t the fire burn that much brighter when there’s flames?” she pants.

I smile against her lips. “Yes, but once we go there, we can’t go back. Do you have any idea how much I want you?”

She bites her lip adoringly. “You do?”

“Yes,” I admit. “I’ve wanted you for far too long, and I’ve been telling myself to remain professional. That this can’t work. That we shouldn’t do this. But then when I have you in my arms, that’s all I seem to want to do.”

“Kiss me again, Gabe.” She brushes her lips against mine lightly. “I’m going to die if you don’t kiss me right now.”

I make another feral noise that sounds a lot like possessiveness, and make no mistake, I am a jealous and possessive son of a bitch. I don’t want anybody else except her, and the idea that another man could have her makes my blood boil.

I don’t waste any time. I close the gap and I’m rewarded by her groan as she feels my erection. Her hips push into mine as I rest my hands on her hips.

Deciding to watch a movie was a very bad idea. Very bad indeed. Having her cuddled up on my couch was only ever going to lead to one thing. And if I don’t have Skye Hendry right now, I may combust.

Our kiss is tentative at first as we test the waters. But oh, sweet lord if it isn’t scorching hot now. She opens up and my tongue finds hers, just lightly. I don’t want to scare the woman. Her lips are soft, delicate, and delicious. Everything about her is.

“You feel so good,” she pants.

“So do you,” I say through gritted teeth, trying to keep my composure.

But even that hangs in the balance now she’s sitting on me, her skirt rucked up to her hips. “You’re fucking beautiful.”