The weekend flew by too quickly. Dalia left Saturday night, needing time alone to think. I won’t lie, that hadn’t sat well with me. I didn’t need to think about what needed to happen. I knew. I knew it the moment I made love to her in the park. I probably knew before but couldn’t admit it, even to myself.

I was in love with my nanny.

I was in love with Dalia Cooper.

She’d come into my life and brought the sunshine with her. She made everything good, regardless of the situation. She cared for Tobi so deeply, and Tobi cared for her, it was perfect. Our sex life was off the charts. Even now, getting ready for work, all I could do was think about her. All I wanted to do was have her here beside me. To kneel between her legs and tease her to insanity with kisses, before I slid my tongue into her perfect, tight little pussy and lick her until she came screaming my name.

I was obsessed.

Over the past few months, I’d seen a side of her I wanted to know better. Her passion was teaching, rearing young children to be good people. What man wouldn’t want that in a partner? I’d be crazy not to want her.

And she was sexy. Fuck, was she sexy. All curvy limbs, golden hair, seductive voice. She dripped sex appeal and innocence all at once. She was a delicious enigma and I wanted her all for myself. I wanted people to know she was mine.

It had been difficult to let her go home Saturday night. But I saw her face. She was conflicted. All I wanted to do was comfort her but she pushed me away.

I rubbed my chest where my heart stuttered.

I didn’t like that she did that. But what was I supposed to do? I was afraid that pulling her closer would only end up pushing her away. Hell if that didn’t give me a headache. The TV in the living room suddenly blared throughout the house, sounds of the Disney channel filling the once quiet space.

I winced.

“Turn that down, Tobi!” I yelled from inside my bedroom. Music and laughter continued to echo from downstairs and I sighed loudly. Pulling my pants on quickly, I buttoned them up and sat down to put on my shoes, my thoughts in turmoil.

If Dalia wanted this to be over, then who was I to change her mind? And what about Tobi? I frowned. Would Dalia just leave Tobi and me? How would our life go back to the way it was before her? My stomach churned horribly considering the possibilities.

It was impossible.

I shook my head, standing, suddenly irritated. I’d texted Dalia yesterday and she still hadn’t gotten back to me. I looked at my phone on the nightstand. Not a single text.

“Great, just great,” I muttered into the room. One mishap and she was just giving up? I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t having it.

I left my room, strode downstairs, straight into a cacophony of sound. My head was pounding. I rushed into the living room and grabbed the remote, turning the TV down quickly.

“Tobi, that’s too loud,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. Tobi looked up at me from her position on the floor, eyes wide. I took a deep breath. She’s only three, I told myself. Though for a three-year-old, she certainly had command of the television remote.

“Sorry daddy,” she said, before turning back to the TV. She was wearing a SpongeBob t-shirt and purple underpants. She was also wearing only one sock. Her hair was a tangled mess around her shoulders and all I could do was smile.

How could Dalia want to leave this?

I leaned down and kissed her forehead and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee. I had plenty of time before I needed to head to work and knowing Dalia, she’d be here early. I needed to talk to her.

We needed to fix this. We had to.

Five minutes turned into ten minutes, which soon turned into a half hour. I was getting nervous. It wasn’t like Dalia to be late, and I didn’t have anyone else to watch Tobi. What if she didn’t come today?

She would have called. She would have at least done that, I was sure. I sucked in a breath when I saw a cab pull up to the curb and she stepped out. Everything seemed to still, time freezing to this moment. Still, I couldn’t get enough of the sight of her. Even with all the nerves and fears weighing on me, I watched her climb out of that cab and savored the view, her long legs, her smooth arms, the way her hair swayed in front of her face as she stood…

Fuck. She was it for me. If she didn’t want this the way I did, I didn’t know what to do.

“I’m going to go outside sweetheart, sit tight, okay?” I called out to Tobi. I saw her nod, her eyes still glued to the TV. I closed the front door behind me and met Dalia on the stoop.

“Dalia,” I said softly. She looked gorgeous this morning. I’d never seen her in workout gear but the yoga pants and tight crop top she was wearing were doing all the right things to my anatomy.

“Good morning, Cedric,” she said, coming forward. I was surprised when she stood on her tiptoes and gave me a quick kiss. “I’m sorry I’m late. I started at the gym later than normal.” I know I looked like an idiot. I was just standing there, mouth open, staring at her.

Were we okay?

“You didn’t text me back,” I said, clearing my throat.

“I dropped my phone. Completely destroyed. I’ll pick up a new one today,” she answered, patting my chest. “You okay?” she asked, giving me a funny look. She was fresh and bright and beautiful. She wasn’t the devastated woman that had left my house Saturday night, that’s for sure.

I wasn’t positive I was okay. I’d spent the past twenty-four hours formulating arguments for why we needed to be together. Apparently, it was a one-sided fight, but I’d really worked myself up. She hadn’t let me be there for her. If she cared for me, as much as I cared for her, she would have done that.

Wouldn’t she?

“I guess I thought you might still be upset, from Saturday,” I finally said.

“I was,” she said, coming into my arms. The press of her body against mine eased my earlier fears. She felt good. Damn good. Having her close like this had my world falling back into place.

“I was never upset with you, though,” she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I needed to think about how I was going to handle my dad, that’s all.”

I nodded. I didn’t have anything to say. I wrapped my arms around her and cupped her ass, pulling her into my groin. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her nipples hardening as I tightened my grip on her, drawing her even tighter against me.

My cock hardened, pulsing in beat with my heart. I wanted her.

Fuck, how I wanted her.

“You need to get to work,” she said softly. Her husky voice had the hairs on my arms sticking straight up. It moved through me like electricity, igniting all the right nerve endings.

“Fuck it, I’ll be late,” I murmured, kissing her again. She bit my lip and pulled back.

“Go to work Cedric,” she said, laughing up into my face. Pulling out of my arms, she gave me a saucy wave as she went into the house. And I stood there, watching her walk away, her ass jiggling. A tease, reminding my cock of all the release I wouldn’t be able to have, not until I got home later and could finally toss her across the couch and fuck her the way I wanted to.

Fuck.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

I knew what I needed to do. I just dreaded it. Ted and I had a good business relationship. We’d built up our marketing firm from ground zero to something truly amazing. We represented all the top agencies in the United States and we were breaking into the European market. We had a top-notch staff, a kick ass company, and I could see myself spending my entire career at this firm, working side by side with Ted.

And my relationship with his daughter could potentially ruin it all.

I stared at my computer screen, unfocused. A cold cup of coffee sat to my right and my appointment book was open, blank. There was nothing to keep me occupied from my thoughts. Nothing to keep me from getting up and walking down the hall to Ted’s office and working this out, man to man.

I’d told my assistant to field all my calls this morning. Maria was good about not asking questions. She’d been with me since the beginning as well. She was my right hand and I trusted her completely. Thank god for that.

I stood, unease an acrid ball in my stomach. It was time to get it over with.

I left my office, throwing a request over my shoulder to Maria. “See that Ted and I aren’t disturbed.”

“Yes sir,” she said, tapping away at her computer. I kept going, passing other offices, some doors closed, some open, until I made it to Ted’s. I knocked as I opened the door. Walking inside, I closed the door and faced him.

“We need to talk,” I said, looking him in the eyes. He looked haggard for a Monday. I hadn’t realized, until this moment, our age difference. He was in his mid-fifties and today it showed. He looked like he hadn’t gotten much sleep this weekend either.

We had that in common, at least.

“I don’t have anything to say,” Ted muttered, staring at me straight back. I moved into the office and sat in one of the chairs facing his desk. I took my time about it, waiting to see if he did, in fact, have nothing to say. That rarely happened, so I was surprised when he stayed silent.

“I can understand if you want to sell your shares and leave,” I began. “I don’t want you to go, what we have here works.”

Ted snorted.

“We can hire someone to be a liaison, a go-to person between us if things are going to be difficult,” I added. Ted shook his head and my stomach sank to my shoes. I moved my eyes to a side table behind him, and for the first time, I really studied his office. I considered what he had around him instead of bypassing it and getting to business.

He had pictures of family. I saw Dalia in a few photos, with some other woman I assumed was her sister. They looked alike. Ted had a photo of a dog, a boat, and some lighthouses. I knew he liked to sail, that he’d done a few tours up and down the east coast.

We never did talk about it much. And thinking about it, we rarely spoke about personal things. It was always business. If things played out the way I hoped, Ted could be my future father-in-law. We’d have to start talking about things other than numbers and increasing our profit shares.

I swallowed.

Suddenly, the situation came into focus.

“I love her, Ted,” I finally said. “I can’t leave her. I need her in my life.” I was talking to a picture of Dalia behind his shoulder and shifted my attention back to his face. “Tobi needs her too.” I watched Ted’s eyes widen.

“Have you told her this?” he asked me after a beat. I shook my head. A few hours ago I wasn’t even sure she wanted to stay with me but Ted didn’t need to know that.

“I haven’t. Not yet,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. Ted sighed, standing up. I moved to follow but he waved be back down into the chair.

“I need to stand for this, just let me talk,” he said, running his fingers through his silver tipped hair. He had been blonde once, like Dalia, but his hair was getting whiter by the year. This job, and being a single father, could do that to a man.

I can relate and I’m only thirty-two.

“Has Dalia ever mentioned her sister, Amy?” he asked me. I nodded, remembering a conversation I had with her on the couch a few months ago. “Amy ran away with a boy, someone I didn’t approve of. Well,” Ted exhaled, moving over to the windows. His office was a lot like mine, full of natural light and gleaming tile.

“The piece of shit boy abandoned her the minute they got out of town. Amy finally told me after months of silence. And all that time, she’d been alone.” Ted shook his head. I could see the tension in his shoulders and all I could do was think of Tobi. I’d murder any man that did that to my baby girl.

“It was a struggle for Amy to confess. When she left …” Ted paused. I sat there silently, unsure if I should say anything. I could hear the ticking of his desk clock, each second passing by with an automated click. “She didn’t leave on good terms. We fought. I said things, she said things.”

Ted turned back to me and made his way around the desk, shrugging his shoulders. “I offered to help her, asked her to come home. But she wouldn’t. She’s a lot like me in a way,” he said, his mouth turning up in a half smile. “Stubborn and persistent. She said she needed to find her own way.”

“Do you still talk to her?” I asked. If Dalia had a chance to reconnect with her sister, I’d find a way. I would never forget the sadness in her eyes when she spoke about her. It still eats her up inside.

“No, not really.” Disappointment crashed into me and I fell back into the chair.

“I can’t let it go, though. I refuse to let that happen to Dalia. If she found the wrong man and suffered because of it … I couldn’t live through that again,” Ted finished, looking at me imploringly.

“I’ll never hurt Dalia,” I said because it was true. She mattered too much to me.

“I can see that,” Ted replied, finally taking a seat in his office chair. The strain in the room when I first entered evaporated. It was almost as if someone had opened the window, turned a fan on, and blew out all the bad energy.

“I see that I was wrong.” Ted cleared his throat. “Granted, I had every right to be pissed that you kept this from me.” Ted gave me a narrowed look and I threw up my hands.

“Every right,” I replied. “Hell, Ted. When you started talking about hunting the mystery man down and cutting off his balls, I wasn’t sure how to approach you. Besides,” I added, shrugging my shoulders. “We have a good thing here. I didn’t want it to affect our business. I didn’t know if what Dalia and I had would turn into something real.”

Ted was quiet for a moment before he nodded. “I’m glad Dalia is with you, Cedric. I respect you.” I felt my face fall into a gape. I hadn’t expected to hear that today. “And I’m happy for you both. I feel lighter … better about it, now that we’ve talked.” Ted smiled, standing swiftly and coming around the corner to smack me on the back.

“Well, I’m glad you’re still not hell-bent on cutting off my balls,” I said, interjecting a bit of humor. When in fact, I was more than glad. I won’t lie, Ted had been perfectly serious about that threat a few weeks ago. At the time, it hadn’t been a risk I was willing to take.

“I think I’ll head home for the day,” I said, standing. “I’d like to talk to Dalia.”

Ted nodded before saying, “Good luck.”

I was counting on it.

* * *

I got home after lunch and when I came inside, the house was quiet. When I looked out the window over the sink, I saw Dalia watching Tobi run around in the grass. My heart swelled.

The two most important people in my life were right outside. Instantly, I was nervous. I knew Dalia cared about us. She was absolutely in love with Tobi. But did that mean forever? Would she want to stay here, with me, and make a home?

Possibly have more kids in the future? She was still so young.

I rubbed a hand on my chest where my heart was beating rapidly. Only one way to find out, I thought.

I opened the back door and walked out. Dalia turned and gasped with surprise.

“You’re home early!” she said happily, coming forward and into my arms. I squeezed her, breathing in deep the scent of her hair. The smell of sandalwood invaded my senses.

“Hi daddy!” Tobi yelled as she spun in dizzying circles.

“Hi sweetheart,” I said back. But my eyes were only on Dalia. She was looking up at me, her eyes crinkled up at the edges in a smile.

“So, how was work?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. I wove my fingers into her hair and pulled her in for a deep kiss. She melted against me, her body molding to form against mine. I loved when she did that.

I kissed her until I couldn’t breathe, then kept on going. She made a sound at the back of her throat and I pulled her tighter against me.

“I love you,” I said against her lips. She sucked in a breath, flinging her eyes open wide.

“What did you just say to me?” she asked, breathless. I grinned as I ran my hands down her back.

“I love you, Dalia Cooper.” And then she started to cry. She was even more beautiful when she cried. She was trying to say something, hopefully returning the same sentiment but I couldn’t understand her. Every time she opened her mouth she would start to cry, then shake her head and laugh.

I stood there, holding the woman I wanted to be with forever, nervously waiting for her to tell me she loved me back.

“Dalia,” I whispered, running my fingers along her cheek. I ran my eyes across her face, absorbing this moment. “I love you,” I said again, this time smiling when she gave a watery laugh.

“I love you too, Cedric!” she said joyfully. I exhaled in relief. She jumped into my arms and I held her close. Tobi squealed, running towards us.

“Guess what, guess what!” Tobi yelled, throwing her hands in the air. “I love Dalia, too!” Dalia gave a watery laugh and reached down, picking Tobi up. She gave her a kiss on her cheek and a giant squeeze.

“I love you too, Tobi girl,” Dalia said. And my heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest.

“I take it you talked to my father, then?” Dalia asked, her eyes alight with love and happiness. I nodded.

“He told me a lot, actually. We’ll want to talk about it,” I said, reaching out to run my fingertips along her jaw. Her eyes closed and she exhaled softly. “But he’s happy for us and gave us his blessing.” Dalia’s smile rivaled the sun.

“I love you,” she said again. I grinned. I couldn’t stop. I felt goofy and stupid but hell, I didn’t care.

I was happy.

* * *

“It’s amazing how fast she can fall asleep,” Dalia said, coming up behind me. I was sitting out back, looking up at the stars. The moon was full tonight, and big. It lit the sky with an eerie light, washing the firmament in a deep blue.

“It’s kind of nice,” I replied, throwing a smile her way. “Gives us time alone.” I grinned at her, letting my gaze drift pointedly down her body.

“Oh yeah?” Dalia asked, sitting next to me. Her hand came down on my thigh and rubbed back and forth. At dinner, I’d told her everything Ted and I had talked about. She’d been shocked hearing about her sister Amy. She’d also voiced that she wanted to find her.

I told her I’d help. It mattered to her.

Therefore, it mattered to me.

“I’m going to have to fire you, you know,” I said, in all seriousness. I felt Dalia stiffen next to me.

“Excuse me?” she said. I could hear the surprise and confusion in her voice. And her face, well, she couldn’t hide her emotions from me. Not anymore.

“I want to take you on proper dates. We’ll need someone else to watch Tobi going forward, don’t you think?” I smiled at her. Her face lit up and she threw back her head and laughed.

“I guess you’re right,” she said.

“I usually am.”

Dalia snorted and rolled her eyes at me. That gesture was ruined by her half smile. Laughing softly I stood and pulled her into my arms. “Are you laughing at me, Ms. Cooper?” I teased. I kissed her neck and rubbed my five o’clock shadow against the sensitive skin there. She shivered.

“I would never laugh at you,” she whispered. I jerked my head back and looked into her eyes. They were direct, bright and intense. Everything I saw in her gaze was exactly what I was feeling. Love and lust, the two most powerful emotions when we were together. Happiness…my future. I saw it all.

I crashed my lips down onto hers and kissed her deeply, tasting and savoring. Her hands came up to grip my shoulders tight and I pulled her down to the ground. I didn’t have the finesse or patience that I wanted to have in this moment as I ripped off her clothes.

I needed to feel her, skin to skin. I needed it more than I needed to live.

“Hurry,” I said urgently. She tore at my shirt as I grappled with my belt. And soon, or not soon enough, we were both naked underneath the starry sky. I felt the cool night air against my heated back, the brush of damp grass against my hands and knees.

“Say it again,” I asked, pushing her legs open. She smiled up at me, and it was a smile so full of love and wonder that I was momentarily blinded by it. It was the promise of forever shining on her face. She does that to me. Dalia, my sweet Dalia.

“I love you, Cedric.”

I groaned long and deep and entered her in one swift thrust. And I felt euphoric. Pleasure I’d never known before spread through every part of me. A sense of rightness, a sense of coming home invaded every single one of my cells and I welcomed it.

Because I had Dalia. And Dalia, she had me.