Chapter Nine
Katie kept an eye on the digital clock on her computer as she worked on a full-page ad for a local business that was due to the client in two days while trying to block out the sound of her lawn guy mowing the grass in the front and back yards. Val would be home soon from her playdate with Leah for the afternoon, which had given Katie some much-needed quiet time to concentrate on the commissioned piece without interruptions, and Connor was due to arrive, too, with pizza for dinner.
Tonight was a big night for all of them, and Katie would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous about finally telling Val that Connor was her daddy. Knowing that every moment he’d spent with the little girl had been leading up to this moment didn’t make it any easier for Katie to face, but she’d made peace with the fact that she’d be sharing Val with a man who clearly adored the ground the little girl walked on, and eventually, she’d meet his family, too.
Since Val’s birthday party a week and a half ago, Connor had made every effort to spend as much time with Val as he could to build his relationship with her and establish a routine Val looked forward to. Mostly, that was on the weekends or in the early evenings, after he got off work and before their daughter’s bedtime. He’d either take them out to dinner or Katie would cook for them, and afterward he’d sit on the floor and play with whatever toys Val brought out from her room. There were even a few nights that they’d all gone over to his place to eat, so his daughter was comfortable at his house, too.
They watched Disney movies together with Val usually curled up to his side, and Connor now knew all the lyrics to “Let it Go” and sang it out loud with Val when it came on, which always made Katie laugh because they were both so off-key. When Val was finally tucked in bed for the night with Sparkles the unicorn, he’d read her a story from one of her favorite books, then kiss her good night.
And then, when Val was asleep, he’d kiss Katie hello, which usually ended up with them in a hot make-out session or in the bedroom with Connor deep inside of her, making her feel things—intimate, emotional things—that she was struggling to keep compartmentalized so she didn’t end up getting hurt down the line. She was trying to be smart and sensible when it came to their arrangement.
The situation felt so perfect, like that “honeymoon phase” of a relationship, when everything was wonderful and shiny and happy. But in her experience, that never lasted, and there was no denying the one common denominator in all those previously failed relationships was her. The one thing that kept her from letting her guard down completely with Connor was knowing that any issues between the two of them would directly affect Val, and Katie would do anything to protect her little girl from the kind of unstable and painful childhood she’d had. It was safer to keep things as simple and as casual as possible between them.
Mentally, she knew it was the most practical thing to do, but her heart was definitely having a hard time trying to stick to that particular game plan.
The doorbell rang, pulling her from her wandering thoughts, and she cringed when she realized she’d wasted twenty minutes in her own head, rather than on the ad she needed to finish. Knowing she’d have to get more work done tonight after Val was asleep and Connor was gone, she shut down her computer and made her way to the front door. She smoothed a hand down the front of the pretty dress she’d worn, all too aware of that giddy sensation in the pit of her stomach at the thought of seeing Connor.
She opened her door with a huge smile on her face, which quickly faded when she found Garrett, her lawn guy, standing there instead, his mower and leaf blower on the sidewalk leading up to the house. The yard looked immaculate, like always when he was done, and she’d already paid him for the month, so maybe there was a problem of some sort he had to tell her about?
“Hey, Garrett,” she said, coming out onto the porch. “Is everything okay?”
“With your lawn? Yeah, everything is fine,” he assured her with a smile that was friendly but more direct than usual, as was the way he moved a bit closer. “Actually, I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes, non-business-related?”
Oh, crap. She’d forgotten all about Avery telling Garrett that she was single and available. The last few times he’d come to do the yard, she hadn’t been home, so he clearly was taking the opportunity to approach her now. A sense of dread trickled through her, because the last thing she wanted was to have this conversation with him, which would undoubtedly lead to having to reject any overture he made. Yet she couldn’t very well say, No, I don’t want to talk, either.
“Sure,” she said instead, keeping her voice casual even as she saw Connor pull up to the curb and get out of his truck with two boxes of pizza balanced in one of his hands. “What’s up?”
“I was talking to your neighbor a few weeks ago, and she mentioned you were single and not seeing anyone,” he said, his eyes filled with undeniable interest. “And I thought maybe you and I could go out on a date sometime?”
Behind him, Connor was making his way up the walkway, his stride definitely more purposeful than usual, though the man in front of Katie wasn’t paying attention to anything but her. “Garrett, that’s really nice of you to ask, but I’m going to have to say no.”
“Ahh, come on, Katie.” His voice was persuasive as he unexpectedly reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it tight in his as he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. “Give a guy a chance. I guarantee you’ll have a good time.” He winked at her.
Ugh. She was already giving one guy a chance, but even if she wasn’t, Garrett just didn’t do anything for her. God, no other man would ever do it for her like Connor did, and she’d known that since that night in Denver.
She was trying to find a nice way to turn him down, but the fact that Connor now had a ferocious frown on his face as he approached was distracting the heck out of her. She tried to retrieve her hand as gracefully as possible, but Garrett clearly wasn’t ready to let go.
“Is there a problem here?” Connor asked gruffly as he made his way up the porch stairs, his chest puffed out in a way she’d never seen before, which made his shoulders look broader and his body language more intimidating.
Garrett was initially startled by Connor’s sudden appearance and demanding question since he hadn’t seen him coming, but he quickly recovered and gave Connor an equally aggressive glare. “No, there’s no problem here.”
Connor, usually so easygoing, looked pointedly at where Garrett still had a hold on her, his gaze laser hot. “If there isn’t a problem, then I suggest you let go of her hand before I do it for you.”
Jesus, the testosterone in the air was so thick she could have cut it with a knife. The two men were sizing each other up, never having met each other, and Katie opened her mouth to tell Connor that she was fine so he’d cool his jets, but Garrett spoke first.
“You’re the fucking pizza delivery guy,” he mocked incredulously, clearly misconstruing the boxes in Connor’s hand. “What the hell business is it of yours what I do with this woman?”
Connor went from merely uptight to livid. “Because I’m not the fucking pizza delivery guy, you asshole,” he said, stepping closer to Garrett. “I’m Val’s father, and if you touch Katie again, I’ll break your fucking arm.”
Garrett’s hold on her finally loosened, and she pulled her hand back and immediately pressed it to Connor’s chest, trying to keep him from moving forward any more and to hopefully calm him. “Connor, everything is fine. He’s the guy who does my lawn.”
“Not anymore,” Connor said without missing a beat. “Thank you for your services, but I’ll be mowing her grass and taking care of her yard from now on.”
Then he promptly grabbed Katie’s elbow and steered her back into the house, kicking the door shut after them. He released her arm and Katie stared at him in disbelief as he walked into the kitchen and set the pizza boxes on the counter. She crossed her arms over her chest, and when he turned back around and saw her giving him a what the hell kind of look, his posture turned defensive.
“What?” he asked in a gravelly voice, like he’d done nothing out of the ordinary, or wrong.
She shook her head as she moved into the kitchen, letting her annoyance surface. “Don’t you think you went a little overboard out there? He is, was, my landscaper!”
He braced his hands on his hips, and she was both in awe and annoyed with this alpha side to Connor. “I’m more than capable of taking care of your yard for you.”
“What if I don’t want you to?” she said, her own temper rising, because the last thing she wanted was to rely on him to take care of her. Val depending on him was one thing because he was her father, but it was a luxury Katie refused to get used to. “It’s not up to you to decide who I hire to do anything around here. It’s my house.”
“He was coming on to you,” Connor argued, obviously not liking what he’d seen out on the porch. “What kind of professional does that?”
She tried to explain Garrett’s reasons for approaching her. “Avery told him I was single and available, and he was just asking me out based on that information.”
A muscle in Connor’s jaw clenched as he stalked toward her. “Avery did what?”
She took a step back as he neared, and found herself backed up against the counter. “She told him that before I found you,” she clarified so he didn’t think Avery was currently soliciting dates for her with Connor in the picture. “Before you and I . . . ” God, what did she call this thing between them?
He braced those sturdy, muscled arms on the counter on either side of her, their bodies so close she could feel the heat radiating off his chest, could see the possessive spark in his gaze that made her go weak in the knees, and dear God, made her shamelessly wet.
His gorgeous dark blue eyes bored into hers. “Before you and I what, Katie?” he demanded, forcing her to define their relationship.
And still, she couldn’t come up with one single word to describe what they were doing, because they weren’t dating, they weren’t a couple . . . hell, they weren’t even technically exclusive. So, she stated the obvious. “Before you and I started sleeping together.”
He didn’t seem all that happy with her answer. In fact, he appeared even more frustrated. “Yeah, well, while we’re sleeping together, you’re mine. I don’t fucking share.”
He cupped the back of her head in one of his big hands as his mouth crashed down on hers, capturing the startled gasp that escaped from her throat as his firm lips parted hers without any sweet preliminaries and his tongue pushed deep. No, this kiss was hot and hard and possessive from the get-go, the fingers gripping her scalp giving him all the control and giving her no choice but to surrender to his mouth. To him.
She did. Eagerly and willingly, her body inevitably craving his. He yanked up the hem of her dress with his free hand, and she moaned when he slid his hand between her legs. His strong fingers rubbed along her drenched panties and his thumb pressed hard and firm against her clit through the silk fabric, sending jolts of need pulsing through her sex as his mouth ravaged hers and his touch made her think of only one thing: feeling him inside of her, filling her full and easing the ache building between her thighs.
Her hands dropped to the waistband of his jeans, working the top button open, then unzipping the fly. She reached inside his briefs. He was like a thick, steel rod in her hand, and she wrapped him in her fist and stroked him the same way he was sliding his fingers against her pussy. A generous bead of fluid leaked from the tip of his cock, and she slicked it over the head, earning her a deep, ragged groan from him as he thrust his shaft in the tight clasp of her hand.
Desire slammed through her, and she rocked her hips against his fingers, wanting, needing to come. But instead of giving her that release, he tore his mouth from hers and spun her around so he was standing behind her now. He made quick work of shoving her dress up to her waist and tugging her panties down so that they fell to the floor around her feet.
Before she could take her next breath, he pushed his cock along the crease of her bottom, found her slick opening, and entered her in one driving thrust that had her crying out from the force of it. He gripped her hips so hard she was sure he’d leave marks behind, his body pistoning into hers in a fast, hard fuck that had her head spinning and her heart racing.
“Connor,” she moaned, standing on the tips of her toes and trying to grind back against him for more.
He continued to pound into her. “Put your hands on the counter and push your ass back against me,” he demanded, his voice a low rasp of sound that was rich with lust and sent chills of excitement through her. “I want as deep as I can get.”
She obeyed his order, bending her upper body and using the counter as leverage as she tipped her bottom higher for him, gasping as the angle seemed to gain him another inch inside her. He came over her from behind, aligning their bodies, from their thighs to his chest pressing against her back. One of his hands slid down her stomach and returned between her legs, catching her aching clit between two fingers and tugging rhythmically, while his other hand slid around her throat, tipping her head back so his mouth was against her cheek, his ragged breaths hot and damp against her skin.
He held her firm and immobile, taking her with a passion so fierce it branded her soul, while fucking her like he had a point to prove, that she was his. She couldn’t move even if she tried . . . and Lord help her, she didn’t want to. She’d never felt so possessed, so completely and utterly dominated, and as soon as her orgasm crashed through her, she felt Connor lose control behind her, his thrusts coming shorter, tighter, infinitely deeper as raw, primal grunts filled her ear—hell, the entire kitchen—as he came, too.
They were both panting when it was over, and suddenly Connor went from fairly relaxed to tense behind her. “Fuck. I didn’t use a condom.”
She had an initial surge of panic. They’d been so wild and frantic for one another that it hadn’t crossed her mind, either. But she assured herself that she was on the pill and, dear God, what were the chances of her birth control failing her twice?
“It’s okay,” she said, deciding that she wasn’t going to worry and obsess over something that hadn’t even happened yet.
He was still inside of her, and he wrapped his arms tight around her waist. “I don’t ever want you to not feel safe with me.”
She swallowed hard, because Connor was the first person she’d ever felt safe with. “I know. I’m on the pill. Everything should be fine.”
“Knock knock,” came Avery’s deliberately loud voice from the front room. “Anyone home? I’ve got a special delivery for you.”
Oh, shit, Val was home! A second round of panic sent a jolt of adrenaline though Katie’s veins, and she and Connor quickly jumped apart just as Katie heard Val say to Avery, “you don’t need to hold my hand. We’re in my house.”
Jesus, Avery probably knew something was going on and was stalling Val’s entrance. Katie yanked her panties back up and pushed her dress down while Connor fastened his jeans in record speed, then stepped over to the sink to wash his hands.
“Hey, we’re in the kitchen,” Katie called out, her voice still a little husky, and seconds later, Val ran into the room . . . and bypassed her mother to run to Connor, who turned just in time from drying his hands to catch her in his arms.
“Hey, princess,” he said affectionately, his new pet name for her, which the little girl loved.
Val placed her little hands on his cheeks, a big smile on her face. “Connor! I missed you!” she said, as if she didn’t see him every single day. “Push me on my swing?” she asked of the swing set he’d bought for her as part of her birthday present.
He tweaked her cute button nose before putting her back down. “Just a couple of times, then we need to eat dinner. We’re having pizza.”
“Best day ever!” Val ran out of the kitchen and to the backyard.
Connor gave both women an impish look, clearly aware of what a close call to getting caught that had been. “I’ll give you two a few minutes to talk,” he said knowingly.
He followed his daughter outside, and Katie glanced at Avery, already feeling her face getting warm. “How long were you out in the living room?”
“Oh, a good minute,” her friend said humorously. “I knocked, but when no one answered, I came in, because I saw Connor’s truck outside and figured you were home. But then I heard you know what, and I had to grab Val’s hand before she got an impromptu lesson on the birds and the bees.”
Katie winced. “Thank you.”
Avery’s grin never wavered. “Sounded kind of hot and heavy, and I know all about kid interruptions, so I was just giving you two the courtesy of finishing.”
“Would you stop?” Katie shook his head. “Connor came over right when Garrett was asking me out, and that didn’t go over well.”
“I’d certainly hope not,” she replied, laughing. “Did he go all caveman on you?”
Katie blushed more furiously, giving her friend the answer she sought. Desperate to change the subject, she glanced out the kitchen window to the wooden swing set that was now a presence in her backyard. “We’re telling Val tonight that Connor is her dad.”
Avery came up beside her to look out the window, too. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Val clearly adores him as much as he adores her.”
“I know. It’s just . . . I can’t help but worry that it’s going to change things. I don’t want to lose Val.” Even as she said the words, Katie knew that Connor would never take their little girl away from her. But for so long it had just been her and Val, and now that dynamic was shifting and changing to include a third person, so where would that leave her?
“You know what I think?” Avery looped her arm through Katie’s and didn’t wait for a reply. “I think you need to open your eyes a little wider and realize that Connor is the best thing that’s ever happened to you, that he’s not like all the other guys who came before him.”
Katie knew that Connor was different, but a lifetime of insecurities was a harder hurdle to overcome. She knew he’d always be there for Val, but what happened when the novelty of her wore off? Because inevitably, that was how all her relationships ended. Why would this one be any different?
* * *
Katie took her time cleaning up in the kitchen after dinner, knowing what awaited her out in the living room . . . the talk. But when she couldn’t stall any longer, she headed into the adjoining room, where Connor and Val were playing a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos that she’d received from one of the kids at her birthday party. Even at three years old, it was clear that Val already had a competitive streak, because she was determined to have her hippo eat most of the marbles and her tenacious expression reflected that.
When the play board was cleared and the game over, they each counted out their marbles, and Val came up with three extra over Connor. She jumped up from her kneeling position on the floor, hands raised triumphantly in the air.
“I win, I win!” she shouted happily and laughed at Connor. “That means you lose!”
He grinned at her. “Well, you know what the winner gets?”
Val’s eyes grew wide at the thought of getting a prize. “What?”
“Lots and lots of tickles!” Connor lunged for Val, tackling her gently onto the floor where he proceeded to wiggle his fingers against her sides and ribs until the little girl was in a fit of giggles and completely breathless. Only then did he stop.
Katie sat down on the couch as Val rolled to her stomach, propped her chin in her hand, and grinned at Connor. “Let’s play again!”
Connor’s gaze met Katie’s, and they exchanged “the look.” “How about in a little bit? Your mom and I want to talk to you first.” He got up from the floor and sat next to Katie, then lifted Val so she was sitting on the wooden coffee table in front of both of them.
She sat there, completely guileless, her little legs kicking back and forth. Katie and Connor had agreed that she’d tell Val the news, that it would probably be easier for her to hear, and understand, coming from her mom.
Katie exhaled a deep breath. She’d rehearsed this a dozen times, but that still didn’t make this moment any easier. “So, you know how Leah has a mommy and a daddy?”
Val nodded. “I just have a mommy.”
Before Katie had seen Connor in the magazine, Val had asked her why she didn’t have a daddy, and Katie had replied with “You do have a daddy. He’s just not here right now.” Which had then prompted Val to respond with, “When will I see him?” And because Katie never wanted Val to feel like she didn’t have a daddy, she’d ended the conversation with, “Maybe someday, but for right now, it’s just you and me.”
Clearly, the day had come.
Katie grabbed her hand, because her own heart was beating so fast and she wanted, needed that connection to her daughter in that moment. “Remember when I told you that you did have a daddy, and that someday you’d see him?”
A confused frown marred Val’s brows as she nodded again.
A lump of anxiety gathered in Katie’s throat, and she had to forcibly swallow it back. “Well . . . Connor is your daddy, sweetheart.”
Val’s little head immediately jerked to Connor, and she stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time. “You’re my daddy?”
The emotion in Connor’s blue eyes was unmistakable, the love for his little girl distinctly cemented in the bond they already shared. “Yeah, princess, I’m your daddy.” His voice was soft but undeniably gruff.
Val jumped down from the table and stepped over to Connor and between his widespread knees. She looked up at him with a heart-melting smile. “I like you being my daddy,” she said so sweetly it was hard for Katie to breathe. “You’re the best daddy ever.”
Connor touched his big hand to Val’s soft cheek, the moment between father and daughter incredibly tender and precious. “There’s something important I want you to know.”
“Okay,” Val said.
Connor smiled. “I love you, sweet girl.”
“I love you, too,” Val replied without hesitating, and even though Katie knew her daughter might not realize exactly what those words meant or the depth of emotion they encompassed, she was certain that the little girl would come to love this man as her father, wholly and completely.
Just like Katie was falling in love with Connor. The realization caused both pleasure and pain, because despite her feelings, it didn’t change the fact that her trust issues remained.
“On Sunday, I’m taking you and your mommy to dinner, to meet your grandma and grandpa, and your aunt and uncle, too,” Connor told her.
“I have a grandma and grandpa?” Val asked in awe, her tiny voice infused with excitement. “I’ve never had a grandma and grandpa before.”
To hear her daughter say that out loud, and knowing that Katie’s own parents had shunned this wonderful, beautiful girl who should have known a grandparent’s love on both sides, made Katie sad. Hopefully Connor’s parents would make up for that.
“Well, you do now,” Connor said, tapping her playfully on her nose. “And they can’t wait to meet you.”