Chapter Ten - Gage

“Hey, look over there. Isn’t that Harry Potter?” I steal a bite of Lilah’s macadamia nut pancakes.

“Dad…” She rolls her eyes. “You just ate three whole pancakes. And Harry Potter isn’t real, you know.”

“I know,” I wink. “But I got you to look, didn’t I? Besides, yours taste better.”

She giggles, cuts one of her pancakes in half and puts it on my plate. “You’re silly.”

“Guilty as charged.” I kiss her cheek. “Thank you, peanut.”

“What about me?” Darla fake-pouts.

“Do you want a kiss, too? Come sit right here.” I pat my thigh. “You can have as many of those as you want. Whenever you want, baby. I’m waiting.”

Darla’s cheeks flush a pretty shade of pink. I know exactly what she’s thinking. Last night, she straddled my thighs and rode me like a damn mechanical bull. It was hot. It was fantastic. And I can’t wait to do it again. For three days, we’ve been going at like a pair of horny teenagers.

“I’m not going to sit on your lap in the restaurant.”

I turn to Lilah. “Do you care if your mother sits on my lap?”

“Nope.” She shakes her head.

“See?” I wiggle my brows and give my leg another pat. “Come here. Or do you want me to come and pick you up?”

“Alright, alright.”

As soon as she sits down, I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. “You smell good enough to eat.” I whisper in her ear.

Her head rests again my chest. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, mister.”

“Oh, it’s a promise I plan to keep, hotshot.” I kiss her forehead.

She moves back to her chair to finish her fruitcup.

Tonight’s our last night in paradise. If I didn’t have a baseball contract to honor, I would stay right here for another two weeks just to give us more time before we drop back into the normal pressures of daily life.

“Can I sign up for the kite making class?” Lilah points to the flyer on the table. “It looks fun.”

“Yes, peanut.” I look over at Darla. “Is that okay with you, mom?”

Lilah rushes over to the counter with the flyer in her hand.

“I hate that we’re going home tomorrow.” I keep my eye on Lilah as the clerk pins a kite to her dress. “I’m going to miss seeing you every day.”

“Me too.”

“What are we going to do?” I take Darla’s hand.

“We make a plan, I suppose.”

“What kind of plan?” Darla glances away.

“Hey,” I turn her face back to me. “I’m not talking about custody here. I’m talking about making a plan on how we can be together. You, me and Lilah.”

Her eyes glitter with tears. “What if we’re moving too fast? What if it doesn’t work out? I don’t care about me getting hurt…but…I can’t risk Lilah getting hurt. It will break her little heart. I’ve never seen her so happy.” She bites down on her lip. “It would kill me.”

“Baby, listen to me. We’re older. We’re wiser. And we know what we want because we know what we lost. I’m never leaving you again. You’re stuck with me.”

“But what if you find out you don’t really like me? That it’s just about the sex.”

I’m taken aback. “You don’t really believe that, do you?” Do you truly think I’m that shallow?”

“No, of course not.” She stares at her lap.

I cup her jaw in my hand and tip her face up. “Look at me, baby.”

She keeps her lashes down.

“Remember the other night when you told me you hadn’t been with anyone since me?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I haven’t been with anyone either.”

Her eyes snap to mine.

“That’s right. You heard me. I haven’t been with anyone since you.” I gently stroke her cheek. “I never wanted to be with anyone else. It’s always been you, Darla. Always.”

“I don’t know what to say to that.” She breathes.

“I love you, Darla. It’s just that simple.”

“I love you, too.” She jumps back onto my lap. “I’ve always loved you. From the moment I first saw you, I’ve loved you.”

“Finally.” I let out a big breath. “We’re on the same page. Now, can we make a plan?”

“Yes.” She kisses me. “But first…” She nibbles at my earlobe. “Am I still good enough to eat?”