CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Sean
“What if she doesn’t like mac ‘n’ cheese?” Paisley asked, a look of panic flickering across her young face.
I laughed and shook my head. “Everyone loves mac ‘n’ cheese,” I promised her.
“Everyone?” Paisley asked.
“Everyone.”
Paisley nodded and continued stirring the bowl. She perched on a step stool so she could reach the counter. A giant bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese sat in front of her. She stirred it slowly with a large wooden spoon. I watched for a second before I ducked down to check on the chicken.
It was baking perfectly in the oven, almost ready to serve. I smiled and flicked off the oven light. When I turned back to Paisley, she was frowning at the bowl.
I walked over to her. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s still chunks,” she complained. “I can’t get it all mixed.”
“Here,” I said. I wrapped my hand around hers so we both held the spoon. I stirred the mac ‘n’ cheese fast and hard. I jerked our hands around playfully, making sure to get every single chunk.
Paisley laughed and held tightly to the spoon. While we worked, she leaned back against me slightly and I smiled. Things between us were getting easier every day.
“Do you think she’ll like it?” Paisley asked as I took the chicken out of the oven. I placed the pan on the counter.
“She will,” I said. “Don’t worry.”
“Okay,” Paisley sighed. “If you say so.”
“I do.” I smiled. “Now, what movie are we going to watch first?”
“Brave!” Paisley said with excitement.
“Oh, come on,” I moaned. “You’ve seen that a million times!”
“Because it’s the best movie ever,” Paisley said with a seriousness that did not fit the situation. I laughed and turned to stir a pot of green beans cooking on the stove.
“What about one of the new ones we rented?” I asked. “Isn’t that why we got them? To watch?”
“Yes,” Paisley said. “But, you asked which one we should watch first. We can watch Brave and then one of the new ones.”
“I see,” I said, nodding. “Makes sense.”
“I know,” Paisley said. I grinned and continued stirring the green beans.
“Here,” I said. I walked over to the cabinet and pulled down three plates. I set them on the counter and grabbed three forks and three butter knifes from the cutlery drawer. “Set the table real quick.”
“Okay,” Paisley said. She jumped off the stool and grabbed the plates.
“Use two hands,” I warned as she hurried toward the table. She slowed down and wrapped both hands more tightly around the plates. I smiled again and watched her lay each plate down in their proper spot.
It happened so slowly that I almost hadn’t noticed, but my relationship with Paisley was becoming more natural than I ever thought it would. She was opening up to me, slowly revealing her emotions. The more she did, the more I realized how much like me she really was. We had more in common than just our looks. We thought the same, we felt the same, and we even talked the same sometimes.
Even her nerves about this dinner were a reflection of my own. I felt a twinge in my gut at the thought of Tara coming over for dinner. I was just as worried as Paisley that Tara wouldn’t have a good time, but I hid it well. Only one of us needed to be anxious.
As I watched Paisley set the table, I felt like a real father. After all those years of being absent from her life, I was beginning to think I had finally found my role. I was becoming the father I was always meant to be. Part of me thought Paisley felt it, too. She was too young to fully understand the complexities of our relationship, but I knew she was more comfortable with me than she’d been before.
When Tara’s car pulled into the driveway, Paisley ran outside to greet her. I chuckled and wiped my hands on a dishtowel. Glancing around the kitchen, I made sure everything was in order. The table was set with plates and silverware. The chicken rested on my nicest serving platter with the mac ‘n’ cheese and green beans on either side. I set the dinner rolls on the edge of the table and got out glasses for each of us. Just as I finished filling the glasses with iced tea, Tara and Paisley came through the front door.
“She’s here!” Paisley exclaimed. She hurried into the kitchen and immediately sat down at the table.
“I see that,” I said. I looked at Tara and forgot how to breathe. She looked so beautiful I could hardly stand it. Her curly blonde hair fell loosely over her shoulders. She wore jeans and a light green t-shirt that made her eyes look like emeralds. I’d never seen her dress so simply and the affect was amazing. She was gorgeous without even trying.
“Hi,” Tara said. She stepped closer to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I hugged her back and breathed in the smell of her hair. When she stepped away, I felt like I was waking from a dream.
“So,” I said, trying to clear my head. “Should we eat?”
“Absolutely,” Tara said. “It looks delicious.”
“Well, Paisley made everything,” I said. “So, I can’t take credit for it.”
“I did not,” Paisley said. She rolled her eyes and added, “Well, I did make the mac ‘n’ cheese.”
“Mac ‘n’ cheese is my favorite,” Tara grinned.
Paisley looked at me and gave me the thumbs up sign. I laughed and pulled Tara’s chair out for her. She sat down, and I hurried around the table to my own seat. I served the food while Tara and Paisley fell into an easy conversation that lasted throughout dinner.
I barely spoke, but I didn’t mind. Listening to Tara and Paisley talk was better than any conversation I could have been a part of. I loved the effortless dynamic between them. Tara had already helped me so much with Paisley. I knew I wouldn’t have made it this far with my daughter without her.
***
Dinner ended and we moved into the living room. While the girls set up the movie, I grabbed a bag of cookies from the pantry for us to share. We sat down on the couch, Tara sitting between me and Paisley. Paisley sat so close to Tara that Tara was forced to scoot toward me. We sat with our legs touching while we watched the movie and ate our cookies.
By the time Brave ended, the cookies were almost gone, and Paisley’s eyes were getting heavy.
“Are you ready for bed, kiddo?” I asked.
“No!” Paisley said. She shook her head frantically. “We haven’t even watched one of the new movies yet!”
“I told you we should have watched those first,” I reminded her.
“But Brave is a classic.”
Tara and I laughed, and I went to put on a new movie. When I sat back down, Tara leaned closer to me, and I wrapped my arm around her and Paisley. As the movie played, Paisley rested her head on Tara’s arm. I knew it wouldn’t be long before she fell asleep.
With my arm around Tara, I brushed Paisley’s hair off her face and slowly smoothed it down her back. She was curled against Tara’s side with her little arms tucked beneath her. Instead of watching the movie, I watched her face while she drifted off to sleep. Tara held her tightly until I was sure she was out for the night. Reluctantly, I removed my arm from Tara’s shoulders and stood up.
Gently, I picked Paisley up and laid her on my shoulder. She wasn’t heavy, but I was afraid to wake her so I moved slowly toward her bedroom. When I laid her down in bed, she rolled onto her side and mumbled incoherently in her sleep. I smiled and kissed her forehead, pulling the covers up around her.
I turned the light off and closed her door softly. After waiting a few seconds to make sure she didn’t wake, I made my way back into the living room where Tara waited for me. She saw me walking toward her and stood up, the movie forgotten. I wasn’t even sure what we’d been watching. After Brave ended, I put something on to lull Paisley to sleep so I could be alone with Tara.
It was all I thought about after we finished dinner. Being alone with Tara. As much as I loved my time with Paisley, Tara looked so beautiful that I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist her for long. When I walked over to the couch, Tara wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close. She held me against her for a few seconds without speaking. Her scent overwhelmed me. By the time she pulled away, I was breathing heavily.
Tara looked into my eyes and moved her hands to my shirt. She unbuttoned each button slowly, taking her time as she went. She slid my shirt off my shoulders, and it fell to the floor in a heap. I couldn’t breathe. Tara’s hands were on my chest, tracing small circles over my skin. She still hadn’t said a word. Her eyes were fixed on my face, only moving to look at my half naked body.
Tara leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly to my chest. She kissed me softly, moving an inch each time she lifted her face. Slowly, she worked her way down to my stomach and licked me lightly. I shivered, feeling myself growing harder by the second.
No woman had ever taken the time to tease me this way. Only Tara knew just what made me tick. We’d only known each other for a short time, but she already knew exactly which buttons to push to make me come alive.
Tara’s lips moved lower, and she knelt down in front of me. Her eyes moved back to my face. She looked deeply into my eyes while she unbuckled my belt and pulled my pants down off my waist. Next, she pulled my boxers down, leaving me standing in the middle of the living room completely naked.
Tara took in my naked body with lustful eyes. She massaged her hands down my thighs while she looked at me. I trembled with desire. Her mouth was so close to my erection, and I wanted her so badly. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. She barely touched me, but I was completely captivated by her.
Even fully clothed, Tara was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. In that moment, I knew I was a goner. This thing between us wasn’t just physical. I had fallen for her so hard I couldn’t imagine ever being without her.
Her tongue trailed the length of my dick, and I moaned softly. She took me completely in her mouth, and I forced myself to remain silent. Her head moved slowly. She let her tongue taste every inch of my cock. It was almost impossible for me to keep from groaning. Every move she made felt amazing. My entire body was alive with desire.
I brushed Tara’s hair away from her face while she worked. She moved faster, her hands wrapping around to squeeze my ass. I moaned and tightened my grip on her hair. If she kept this up, I would finish before the real fun could even begin. Tara didn’t seem to mind. She moved her lips back and forth, swirling her tongue around my erection. Her entire body rocked with each motion, and I knew she was enjoying it just as much as I was.
Just when I was about to finish, Tara pulled away quickly. It was like she could read my mind or my body. I moaned in protest, but her lips were already on mine. She kissed me furiously and pushed me backwards onto the couch.