I watched from the doorway while Cori, Mom, and the girls made breakfast for dinner. I was witnessing the single best moment I had ever seen. I had died and gone to heaven, but it was an entirely different version of heaven than I had pictured a few months before. Flour covered nearly every surface in the kitchen, including noses and hair. Cori had tiny flour handprints all over her black shirt with white streaked through her hair. Axel looked more like a ghost than a little girl and Celia kept shaking clouds of powder from her curls. Mom finally made her exit, joining me at my post to watch them for a while. I draped my arm over her narrow shoulders just as Celia hopped off the counter into Cori’s arms and hung off her hip to the fridge for eggs. Cori popped Celia back on the counter, walking her through cracking eggs before planting a kiss on her forehead. Celia giggled. Axel was stirring a pitcher of lemonade, laughing when it made a tornado down to the bottom of the plastic pitcher and sloshing it on the counter.

“Celia likes her.” Mom laid her head on my chest. I nodded. It took my princess longer to talk to me than it did Cori. Celia whispered to her and Cori tugged her phone out, touched the screen a few times and music started playing. Axel squealed and started singing along while they cracked eggs, dancing. Well, it was more like convulsions than dancing, but they looked like they were having fun. It was more fun than I had ever seen my princess have. Mom went to lie down, leaving me to watch alone and simply enjoy the moment.

The four of us sat on the patio, eating pancakes, eggs, and bacon while the girls talked excitedly about playing on the swing set once they were done. They must have been more than excited about it because they shovelled food into their mouths in record time then bolted into the fenced yard. Tank laid at my side, licking up the bits of egg I “dropped” then lumbered out into the yard to tug a rope with the girls. Even when they teamed up on him, he got the rope every time. I watched Cori smile at them before gathering up the plates.

“We can clean up later.” I put my hand on hers making her drop the plate before pulling her into my lap. “Were you serious about Sophie’s party? I don’t think we should go.” I had my own reasons and they surprisingly had nothing to do with Cori’s insecurities where Karen was concerned. Watching my woman get all possessive over me was hilarious, like she needed to be defensive. She would run hard and fast if she knew how obsessed with her I was.

“I already mentally bought a present. You’re the one who told Karen we would be there.” She smirked, calling me on my bluff. “Why would you not want to go to watch all that mess unfold? Shane will undoubtedly get drunk and cause a huge mortifying scene.”

“I don’t want Celia being judged.” I swallowed, watching the girls play in the yard. I could picture the confusion on Cori’s face without even looking. “People can be cruel, Cori. Your sister made it clear the other day. I don’t want Celia treated differently because of the way I look or bringing up that her mother isn’t around. I don’t want her to have it any harder than she already does.” When I finally looked at her, she looked on the brink of tears and leaned in to kiss my scar.

“You’re a good dad, Griffin. An amazing dad. Just worrying about things means you are, but you can’t not live, or let her live because you want to protect her. She has had enough trauma for a lifetime, but look at her.” I let my gaze move to Axel putting little white flowers in Celia’s hair. “We don’t have to go, but don’t let fear hold you back. Assholes are everywhere. If she’s happy, you’re doing fine, and she is a happy little girl.” I pulled her into me, kissing her head, breathing in her smell. It was the lightest floral scent, that drove me wild.

“What did she say to make you turn on the music?”

Cori smiled. “She said her mom used to play music when they cooked, before she got sick.” A tear ran down Cori’s cheek and she swiped it away. Drug abuse was something she knew far more about than she should. The situations were eerily similar. I didn’t answer other than to kiss her cheek and slouch back with her in my lap. Celia never talked to me about her mom. I was afraid to ask. I was afraid she would curl back into her shell, but if there were good memories of Trina, I wanted Celia to have those too.

Mom took the girls in for a bath while Cori and I cleaned up the disaster of a kitchen. It was a wreck, but between the broom and a lot of elbow grease we got flour out of every crack. Cori kept apologizing for making such a mess and letting it get out of hand, but I hadn’t invited her over only for her to cook. I figured it was fair to let her mess slide. After the kitchen was cleaned up, we put on a princess movie and the girls laid out on the floor of the playroom to watch it before bed.

“You know I’m not letting you leave, right?” Cori nodded against my shoulder and I tipped her head up to put a soft kiss on her lips. I don’t think she knew exactly what I meant, but at least she knew they were staying the night. Cori snuggled back down into me, holding my hand tightly while we watched the movie. Was it possible to fall in love in a week? Waylon said he knew instantly that Dana was his. Briggs said the same about Harriet. Both of them had their share of drama and hurdles, but they were strong, united. I never had the desire for any of it until Cori. When I looked in the window to that dance class and saw her sitting alone with her back to me, I knew exactly what was going to happen. Cori took all my rules about life, about women, tearing them to shreds.

Once the girls had passed out, Cori and I crept upstairs, leaving the bathroom light on in case one of them woke up. It was obvious Cori didn’t know what to make of my house when we arrived, but her reaction to my room was even more priceless. Her lips puckered and she cocked her head to look up at me. I laughed. The midnight-blue walls were complimented by the cream and tan bedding on my king-sized bed and the two sitting chairs on either side of my bookcase. The headboard was my favorite because I made it. The tan fabric matched the bed perfectly.

“Am I in The Twilight Zone?” Cori walked over to inspect the framed, pressed plants on the wall leading to the bathroom. “This is way too tame to be Griffin Steele’s room. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this. No, I expected handcuffs, a neon beer signs, and half naked women on posters. This looks like someone with taste designed it.”

I kicked my shoes off, stripping my way to the bed. Finally flopping back in only my underwear, I asked, “I can’t have taste?” I pointed to the top dresser drawer, watching as Cori undressed. Fuck me sideways, the woman was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. Curves and softness for days. I wanted every broken piece of her. She pulled one of my undershirts from the drawer, tugging it over her head, holding her hands out for me to inspect. I patted the bed and she followed my example, lying back next to me

“Of course you can have taste, I just didn’t expect it to be good taste. The whole house is beautiful.” She snuggled in next to me, resting her hand on my chest.

“I knew I wanted this place to be it for me, so I did it right. Took me forever to find the perfect house.” I propped on the pillows, watching her throw her leg over mine. I had to touch her thigh, rub my hand over the smooth skin there, soaking up how perfectly she fit into my life. I also had to appreciate her in my shirt, laying in my bed. Mine.

“Who decorated in here?” Her voice started sounding drowsy so I clicked off the lamp next to my bed.

“No one, babe. Other than Celia when she first got here, no one has even been in my room but you.” It didn’t seem right to ruin my dream home with a chick I wasn’t willing to stick with. So, in the time I had owned my home, no women had been in it. I kind of figured no woman would ever be in my bed, but Cori was my woman.

“Seriously?” Cori squeezed me lightly. I hummed an answer and kissed her hair. It was like I had saved that part of my life only for Cori, even if it was unintentional, she obviously appreciated it.

She passed out quick, but I couldn’t sleep. Her ex was weighing on my mind, along with a million other things. I wanted to know what steps she was taking to keep her and Axel safe from him. He hadn’t personally attacked her, but he might as well have. There was no doubt that he would come around wanting his family back. The thought of her making the choice to go back to Axel’s father made my stomach churn. The idea scared the shit out of me. She swore she wanted nothing to do with him, but what happened when he was clean and sober? The obvious choice was to reunite her family. What woman didn’t want their family together?

The fucking party she wanted to take the girls to was on my mind too. At the time, it seemed funny as hell to watch Karen Tolley get all flustered, but the more I thought it over, the more I didn’t want to have Celia, Axel, and Cori judged because of me. Country Clubs with suburban pool houses were not my scene, daughter or not. Between her ex and the damn party, I would never relax again. If I closed my eyes, it could all be gone.

I must have finally fallen asleep, because I woke up to an empty bed and the faint smell of my body wash. The shower was freshly used which meant my woman was walking around my house smelling exactly like me. The very idea made my cock hard. Damn, I wished I hadn’t missed that shower. I got dressed and went in search of Cori, for no other purpose than to sniff her, smell myself on her.

“So, where is her dad?” Mom’s question made me freeze in my tracks, just before I got to the kitchen doorway to listen. It was rude, but hey, my house.

“Prison. He was in jail for a while before we finalized the divorce. It was like I couldn’t believe the mess my life had become, like I was waiting for him to come home and greet us like he always did. We’ve been divorced for years now, though, he can’t come near us if he does get out either. Or, well, when he gets out I guess.” I heard the water run and the clatter of dishes being washed.

“Does she ask about him?” Mom was going to pry until there were no details left.

“Not much. I have made a point to never talk bad about him, but my family didn’t show the same respect. I don’t ever want her to think there is any bad in her, ever. When she asks, I tell her he made a mistake that got him in trouble. It’s been over a year since the last time it was brought up.” Cori was taking to my mother’s twenty-questions like a champ.

“You should be proud. Most people would break under that kind of pressure, but you have done so well for yourself. And I have to thank you for the quick work you did whipping Griffin into shape. Celia settled him down, but you grounded him. I think he might be falling in love with you girls.” A dish clattered to the floor. If she wasn’t my mother I would have threatened the woman’s life. Instead of killing her, though, I rounded the corner, wishing them a good morning. I could see the girls dressed and ready, eating on the porch.

I kissed Mom on the head and Cori on the lips, smelling her. “Sleep okay?” I had no idea what to say to my mother, so I poured my coffee. Cori nodded, red-faced and wide-eyed. Her reaction to the idea of me loving her was not a positive one. Fuck. The worst part was that I couldn’t be mad at Mom, because she was right. One week and Cori had me wrapped around her finger almost as tightly as Celia. Axel just added to the devotion I already felt. I wanted her to trust me, bond with me the way Celia had with Cori. “Can I take Ax with us to the movies this weekend? For her birthday.” I added the last part to not sound so awkward.

“Uh, wow. Sure. I mean, if she wants.” Cori had the same confused look that she wore when she walked into my bedroom the night before. I pecked her on the lips again.

“Great. I’ll let you know when.” Axel didn’t have a father, or not one worth a damn and needed to know how men were supposed to treat women. I was going to teach her how men behaved. Ax wasn’t mine, but Cori was a package deal, and I had plenty of room for a couple more princesses in my life. Taking the girls out would give Cori a chance to relax, to get some rest.

Cori and Axel ran out of the house, thanking us graciously for showing them a good time and heading to work. I had to hold my woman a little longer, loving my smell on her before I let her go. Axel’s party was in a couple of days and her family would be there no doubt. Arianna was one thing, but parents were another. I mentally prepared myself for Cori to bolt when she realized her parents wouldn’t stand for her being with a man like me. Not that I wouldn’t chase her to the end of the Earth, but no matter how much Cori had changed me in a week, I would never be viewed as enough for her and had come to terms with it. If Arianna was her sister, I couldn’t even imagine what the parents would be like.