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Kane was so proud of his girls. Yes, that’s what he had been considering them for the past twelve hours during the flights and the layover in L.A. Both Haley and Lucie had done tremendously well for such a long trip, but now as they entered the posh condominium facing the beach, he was grateful they would have five full days of relaxation.
Or he hoped they would.
Apparently, Haley got her second wind somewhere between the airport and the condo, and keeping up with her was becoming increasingly more difficult. She was also getting a little cranky, but Kane couldn’t necessarily blame her.
“Let’s order room service and watch a movie,” Kane offered and watched his daughter’s eyes light up.
“Can we, Mommy?” she asked, turning to face Lucie.
Lucie glanced over at Kane and smiled.
“Of course we can.”
“Can I pick out what we’re going to eat, Daddy?”
Kane had been walking across the room, and he stopped mid stride, his legs no longer working the way they were supposed to. Turning to face the most beautiful little girl in the entire world, he didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. Did she just call him Daddy? He still wondered whether his ears were betraying him.
He had dreamed of the day she would start calling him Daddy, but he knew he would never force her to. Hearing her call him Kane had been harder on him than he thought it would be, but now, his heart was doing somersaults in his chest and he was literally scared he actually might cry.
He looked up, met Lucie’s eyes and saw that she was crying. One single tear rolled silently down her cheek, and she smiled so sweetly at him.
“Of course you can, honey,” he answered Haley as he turned back toward the dresser he had been taking his clothes to. He needed a minute.
Or maybe twenty.
He admitted to feeling an overwhelming resentment when Lucie had finally informed him that he was Haley’s father. Despite the fact that he insisted on a paternity test, he had believed her. Aside from the anger, he’d felt something else too. Paralyzing joy. No matter what, he would never get the time back that he had missed with Haley, but Kane had never thought he’d have children, so finding out the incredibly beautiful little girl was his had shifted something deep down inside of him.
“Are you ok?” Lucie’s voice was soft, her hand warm on his back as she came to stand beside him.
“I will be.” He would be better than ok, that was for damn sure. He just needed some time to catch his breath.
“She loves you,” Lucie stated, sounding as though she were trying to make him feel better. What she didn’t know, there was no way he would ever feel better than he did right at that moment. For Haley to accept him as her father, even if she didn’t quite know what that meant, made everything better.
Pushing the drawer in, Kane took a deep breath and then turned to face his daughter. Walking quickly over to her, he scooped her up in his arms, turned her over his shoulder before flipping her back onto her feet while she belted out that sweet little girl giggle.
“All right, kiddo. What’re we gonna have for dinner?”
~~*~~
Lucie sat cross legged on the bed beside Haley, Kane on the opposite side of the bed leaning back against the headboard with a plate balanced on his flat stomach. They had rented a movie, one of Haley’s favorites and the two of them were waiting patiently for her to fall asleep. She was fighting it, every step of the way.
After Kane ordered food, they finished unpacking, and set up Haley’s things in the second bedroom. Lucie still wasn’t sure how the sleeping arrangements were going to work because sleeping in the same bed with Kane was what she wanted more than anything, but she didn’t want Haley to get any mixed messages either.
They weren’t a couple. In fact, Lucie wasn’t even sure what they were. They were on vacation, and yes, if she had anything to say about it, she and Kane would enjoy a little horizontal time together, but she knew once they were back in the real world, nothing would have changed. She wasn’t sure she honestly wanted it to either.
Kane and Haley were obviously making progress with their relationship, and she had to give credit to Kane. He had asked her permission to seek counseling for him and Haley in order to try and work through some of the changes that were inevitable in the little girl’s life. Apparently, Haley was adapting better than any of them had expected her to.
She’d called Kane daddy and Lucie’s heart had undoubtedly missed a beat, or maybe two. Watching while Kane absorbed the words had been one of the most heart wrenching things she had ever seen. At first, she thought he might cry, but the big tough guy had managed to get through the moment without even a hint of a tear. He was stronger than she was.
Since that moment, Haley had probably called him daddy no less than fifty times, and he seemed to eat it up every single time. Lucie couldn’t blame him. This was a huge milestone for the two of them, and she was just happy she had the opportunity to witness it for herself. After all the heartache she had caused, seeing the bond between father and daughter grow stronger every day didn’t make her guilt lessen any, but she was grateful for the choice she finally did make.
“She’s asleep,” Kane whispered, breaking Lucie from her thoughts. Glancing over, she noticed that Haley was, in fact, asleep, propped on Kane’s shoulder, her teddy bear tucked beneath her arm. Glancing over at the television, she noticed the closing credits were rolling down the screen.
Damn, she had missed most of the movie thanks to her wandering thoughts.
Lucie climbed out of the bed and started to reach for Haley, but Kane waved her off easily. “I’ll carry her if you want to pull the blankets back on her bed.”
Making quick work of getting the bed ready for Haley, Lucie watched while Kane tucked her in before standing back and staring down at her.
“She’s beautiful,” Kane whispered. Lucie barely heard the words, but she felt the sentiment. He was a proud father, and that made Lucie’s heart break even more. How could she have been so stupid for so long?
Turning quickly, she escaped back into the other bedroom and quickly grabbed the empty plates and the bowl of popcorn Haley had been munching on earlier. With hurried movements, she returned everything to the small kitchen, rinsed the plates before stacking them in the dish drainer and dumping the popcorn in the trash can.
When Lucie was finished, she returned to the living area, studying the couch to see whether it actually folded out to a bed like she assumed. She knew there was an extra blanket and pillow in the hall closet, and this would work perfectly, even if it didn’t fold out.
“Are you ok?” Kane’s voice startled her, and she jumped, turning to face him. Surprised to see him just a couple of inches behind her, Lucie nearly stumbled backward, and she would have if he hadn’t slipped his arms around her and stopped her.
“I’m fine.” Ok, so she didn’t even sound fine to her own ears.
“You don’t look fine.” Kane smiled. “Well, that’s not entirely true. You look fucking hot, but you don’t look happy.”
Despite herself, Lucie smiled. Kane had a way of doing that to her.
“I was just trying to figure out how this makes into a bed,” she explained, her hand flailing backward hinting at the sofa behind her.
“Well, I’ve got a better idea.” Kane lifted her easily, and Lucie was forced to wrap her legs around him.
“I don’t want Haley to see us in bed together,” she murmured against his neck, giving in to the emotions that were overwhelming her.
Kane stopped, leaning his head back slightly so she was forced to look up at him.
“Do you trust me, Luce?” he asked, and she was instantly mesmerized by his smoky gray gaze.
“I do,” she said honestly. Lucie had always trusted him. That had never been her issue. The reason she kept Haley a secret from him hadn’t been because she didn’t trust him with their daughter. She had done the unthinkable because she was trying to protect him. In her mind, she didn’t want Kane to feel trapped.
“Then do exactly what I tell you to do,” he whispered as he continued moving toward the bedroom.
Kane carried her to the bed and then stood her back on her feet. Once she was planted firmly on the ground, she looked up at him, noticing the passion and anticipation that had replaced the concern she detected a few seconds ago.
“I’ll be right back. When I get back, I want you naked.” Kane kept his gaze leveled on hers. “And I want you standing right here where I left you.”
Lucie nodded her head in understanding, although she felt a little out of sorts. This was new to her. This place. This man. This feeling. All of it churned together making it difficult to breathe, much less think.
Kane turned and disappeared from the room. For two, maybe three seconds, Lucie hesitated. Finally, when the warmth that had started in her tummy penetrated her limbs, she began to move, quickly disrobing, tossing her clothes on the chair in the corner.
When Kane returned, Lucie was stunned silent as he stalked toward her sans his shirt. The man’s body was drool worthy. The way his shoulders bunched, his biceps flexed, and the perfectly sculpted triangle of his tricep tightened had her clenching her thighs together. That was only part of it. The ripple-effect of his washboard abs made her want to drop to her knees and trace every luscious line with her tongue until she’d gotten her fill of him.
Lucie was pretty sure that would never happen, and she got the impression Kane knew it.