by Claire Adams
She grinned and then kissed my cheek. “Night, Daddy.” She burrowed into the bed and rested her head against my chest.
I had to come down from my adrenaline rush with her coming into my room when I wasn’t expecting. I played with her hair, softly raking my hands through the fine strands. Within a few minutes, she gently snored next to me.
I kissed her head. “I’m excited too,” I said into her hair.
That was the truth. But it helped that we had a beautiful woman to accompany us there too.
Chapter Sixteen
Jess
“Stop thinking too much into it,” Sierra said over the phone. We rarely shared a phone conversation; our primary source of communication outside of face-to-face was to text. I needed to talk about Noah and texting wouldn’t have been fast enough for me. She had attended a show last night, so I couldn’t get a hold of her until the morning.
“It’s hard,” I said. I couldn’t explain how it felt to be around Noah. It was as if my body needed him. When he touched my leg yesterday, I nearly imploded. It was a friendly gesture, but he didn’t understand what he did to me. “All I can think about is that night.”
“Then go for round two,” Sierra said. I heard a smirk in her voice.
“Maybe,” I said. Thinking about it made me shudder. What if we weren’t as good the second time around? Maybe it had been a fluke between us. That might be the final tipping point of our relationship. Then we could either move on with our lives or it might be too uncomfortable and he’d have to fire me.
“You two need to talk,” Sierra said. And for once, she was right. Once we got it all out on the table, then I’d be able to move on. Today at the amusement park wouldn’t be the place to talk, but I had to keep it in the back of my mind for the next time we were alone.
“All right, I should get going,” I said. It was almost ten, and Noah wanted me at his house around ten-thirty. The park opened around eleven and he wanted to be there when the doors unlocked. He was even a stickler for time when it didn’t have to do with his work.
“Good luck, sweetie,” Sierra said. “And I’ll have my phone with me all day at work today.”
After we had hung up, I checked myself in the mirror one more time. While I didn’t usually dress up for work, today I went a little more casual than what Noah was used to. Light ripped jeans and a tank top with a cardigan. The weather report called for unseasonably high temperatures.
At Noah’s, I heard Gina’s voice all the way outside as I walked up the drive. It sounded like she was crying. I picked up my pace and entered the house without knocking.
Gina flew by me, screaming her head off.
I smiled. She wasn’t crying. She twirled around the kitchen like a top. I took a breath and sighed with relief. In the short time I worked for the Stone’s, I hadn’t seen Gina have a meltdown yet. She was unique in that sense. As much as I loved Ricky to death, his tantrums were to be reckoned with.
“Good morning!” I called into the room.
Gina whirled around and her mouth opened in a wide O. “Jess! Are you excited? I’m excited.”
“I can see that,” I said, and she attacked me with one of her tight embraces.
“Jump with me,” she said.
And I did. It was hard not to do everything she said, especially when she was in this mood.
I picked her up, and we danced around the room. Gina’s laughter filled the air and also filled my heart.
Noah walked into the room, and I smiled at him. I bit my tongue to hold myself back from reacting to his new look. I recalled his impressive body when he was naked and on top of me, but I liked him in this look. He’d gone for casual today. I hadn’t seen that side of him before. He chose straight legged jeans with a form-fitted navy polo. He looked like any dad on the street, not a wealthy executive. Either way, he was drool-worthy.
“Good morning,” he said, coming into the kitchen.
We continued to dance. “Morning,” I said.
Noah appraised us and shook his head, grinning. My knees turned to jelly, and my stomach fluttered. Him looking at me like that wouldn’t be good for keeping away from him.
“You ready?” he asked Gina.
He didn’t need to ask. Gina jumped up and down chanting, “Yes! Yes!”
The park was a little over a half hour away. For once, it was nice that I wasn’t the one driving Gina around. For the first time in a long time, I could relax. Sharing tasks like driving was something I missed about being in a real relationship. Not that I thought Noah and I were in a relationship, but having Gina in the back seat allowed me to imagine what I wanted in a future partner. Kids were a must, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t happen for some time. At least not when I had a serious crush on my boss.
There were a few people in line when we arrived, but as we passed through the doors, the other spread around the grounds, giving us freedom of the place with no lines.
Since Gina was still a toddler, we went to the kid’s area of the park, a designated place for the younger group with less scary rides. That was all right with me. I was never the thrill-seeker when I came to places like this. I preferred the slower and more predictable rides.
“The trains!” she called when she saw the little train-shaped roller coaster. Gina was on the taller side for her age, so she reached the minimum height for her to ride alone. The attendant let her through the small gate.
Noah and I stood off to the side. Of course, she went for the conductor car. There was a little wheel there, and she pretended to steer the coaster, even though it hadn’t started moving yet.
“All aboard!” she called out.
“Choo choo!” Noah and I said in unison.
We looked at each other and laughed.
After two other tots had gotten onto the ride, the attendant went to each of the cars to make sure the kids were strapped in before he started up the train.
Gina screamed with glee when the coaster moved. My hands tightened on the metal fence. Even though it wasn’t far off the ground, I kept a close eye on her to make sure she didn’t fall out.
“Which types of rides do you like?” he asked.
“I’m not a ride person,” I said.
“Seriously?”
“I’m more of a games person. I like to keep my feet planted on the ground. How about you?”
“Anything with loops.”
“Of course.”
He chuckled. “Why do you say that?”
“You seem like the adventurous type.”
“I thought you were too,” he said.
I glanced at him to see if there was another deeper meaning to his comment, but it didn’t appear so. “Not when it comes to the loopy rides. These rides break all the time.”
“Don’t you love the risk though?” he asked.
I licked my lips as they were suddenly dry. “Not when it comes to my life.”
He nodded. “Good to know.”
“If you want to go on those rides, I can watch Gina,” I said.
“No, I’d rather spend time with the both of you. I’ll get my thrills elsewhere.”
I had no idea what to say to that. But I had a strong feeling about what he meant.
The coaster went around the track three times before it slowed to its original position. The attendant helped Gina with her belt and she hopped off.
“That was so fun!” she said when she came around to us.
I played with her hair. “What do you want to do next?”
Gina rode pretend rocket ships, space buggies, and several other rides for the rest of the morning.
Noah managed to get me on a swing ride and while Gina and Noah whooped and hollered while flying through the air. I held onto the ropes as tight as I could, wishing the ride would end. Though, when it was over, a trembling sensation flitted through my body, and I felt good. Maybe these rides weren’t as bad as I feared.
Noah lifted Gina off the ground as we headed out of the ride. She giggled as he tickle
d her tummy.
“Are your hands okay?” Noah asked me.
I looked at them. There was nothing out of the ordinary. “Yeah, why?”
“You held that rope pretty tight,” he said with a silly grin.
I swatted at him. “Ha ha, you’re so funny.”
“How about we take a break for lunch?” he asked us.
Even though my stomach was still flying high from the swings, I agreed. At least after eating, I could have an excuse not to go on any more rides.
The three of us sat under one of the pavilions and chowed down on chicken tenders and greasy fries. The park charged ridiculous prices for the food, but Noah didn’t care. He never did. Money was no object for him. I supposed that came with having a lot of it.
“These are so good,” I said, polishing off my third chicken tender.
“I’m going to have to work out for a week to burn these off,” he said, grabbing another with no intention of stopping.
“Oh, stop,” I said. “You can indulge once in a while.”
“Yeah, Daddy,” Gina said with a mouth full of fries.
His mouth slackened. “Is it pick on Daddy day?” he asked Gina and then ruffled her hair.
She giggled.
“I thought better of you, Jess,” he said with a smirk.
“I’m not as good as you think,” I teased.
“I had a feeling.” His gaze lingered on mine. .
I quickly glanced at Gina, and she was happily sipping her soda. “So, what are we doing next?” I asked, steering the conversation away from topics that had a deeper meaning to the two of us.
“Well,” he said. “I can’t do any more rides for at least an hour after eating.”
“That’s swimming, Daddy,” Gina said.
“It applies to rides too,” he said.
“How about some games?” I suggested. If I could, I’d avoid the rides for the rest of the day, but I knew Gina wouldn’t go for that. If I could steer her toward the ones that adults weren’t allowed on, then I would feel much better about continuing with that part of the park.
“Let’s do the water gun one,” Gina suggested.
“The water gun one it is then,” Noah said, tilting his cup to me.
I leaned over the table. “I have to warn you. I’m pretty good at that game.”
“I hate to burst your bubble,” Noah said, “but I never lose.”
An hour later, the three of us walked out of the games area of the park. I held two large stuffed animals in my arms and Gina held the smaller one. I’d won all of them.
“You were saying?” I asked when Gina hopped onto another ride. I placed the stuffed animals on a nearby bench. I made a show of how much my arms hurt from carrying the animals.
Noah raked his hands through his hair. He lifted his sunglasses to wipe the glass on his shirt. His eyes twinkled with mischief. “I let you win.”
“Oh, come on!” I said. “You were trying hard. I saw your scrunched up face when you were concentrating.”
“I don’t scrunch up my face,” he said.
I gasped. “Yes, you do!”
He closed one eye and shook his head in disbelief.
“Would it make you feel better if I gave you one?” I asked. I lifted the big purple gorilla and handed it over.
He reached out and touched my wrist. With him feeling the sensitive inner part of my wrist, my mind went blank. I couldn’t think of anything at that moment.
“Let’s have a rematch on another day,” he said.
“Deal,” I breathed.
His fingers moved to my hand, and he guided me to putting the gorilla back onto the bench. He slid them down to my palm.
My breath hitched in my throat. For a moment, I thought he was going to squeeze or hold my hand. But he didn’t. Instead, he turned to watch Gina on the ride. I stood there for a moment, staring at him.
It took Gina’s gleeful laugh to snap me back to reality. What had just happened between us?
I was no closer to getting an answer by the time we reached Noah’s house. With Gina in the car, it wasn’t an appropriate time to talk about us. It seemed like there never would be an appropriate time.
It was past her nap time, so when we arrived, she hopped out of the car, ready to lie down. She really was the perfect kid. I knew plenty of other kids who fought with me about their nap times.
Noah gave Gina the key to the house. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Bye, Jess,” she said and hugged me.
I kissed her cheek. “Sleep well.”
She yawned and nodded, trudging up the walkway to the side entrance.
“Thanks for having me today,” I said. “I’ll see you M—”
“Join us for dinner tomorrow,” Noah said quickly.
“Tomorrow?”
His shoulders lifted. “I’m taking Gina downtown to Eclisse. She likes to dress up for the fancier places.”
“Are you sure you want me to come?” I asked.
His eyebrows knitted together. “Of course.”
“I’d love to,” I said.
“Great,” he said then leaned over and kissed my cheek. “See you then.”
I nodded, unable to speak. I floated over to my car, unable to feel my feet touching the ground. I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from smiling. I had to play it cool, at least until I was alone. After spending an incredible day with Noah and Gina, our weekend together would continue, and I couldn’t be happier.
Chapter Seventeen
Noah
All day, I couldn’t stop thinking of Jess and the fantastic time we had the day before at Playland. Offering to take her to dinner was the second part of my plan. I wanted to show Jess that she would and always be a part of our family, even though she’d only been with us for a short amount of time. There was something special about her, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. I wanted to get to know every detail about her life and share every detail of mine with her. It would take time, but it would be worth it.
Jess was to arrive around five-thirty for our six o’clock reservation. I made sure I was ready before I started with Gina. She had a tendency to mess up her clean outfits before we even left the house, so getting her ready was last on the list before going anywhere nice.
“Which dress are you wearing?” I asked when I came into her room. I looked around and couldn’t believe what I saw. The room appeared as if her closet had exploded. There were clothes strewn on almost every surface. I pinched the bridge of my nose, attempting to push away my frustration. There wasn’t enough time to clean all of this up before leaving.
“This one,” Gina said, holding up a red velvet dress.
“That’s your Christmas dress,” I said.
“But I want to wear it!” she exclaimed.
“Fine,” I said, not wanting to argue. I picked up a few of the strewn outfits and placed them on the bed. I could at least get everything in one area before we left and then hang them up later on.
I went into her closet and picked through a basket overflowing with her shoes. Even though I installed built-in shelving units, Gina could never keep her closet clean, so I gave her a basket to store her accessories. At the very least, there was one place to find matching pairs.
I picked out a pair of black patent leather shoes. “Put these on.”
“No,” she said. “Those pinch my toes.”
“Okay” I said, tossing those in the back of the closet. I made a mental note to speak to Jess about helping sort out clothes and shoes that were too small for Gina. It wasn’t a task I had time for anytime soon.
There was another pair of black shoes a size larger. “How about these?”
“Yes,” she said, running into the closet and taking them from me. She sat on the floor and started putting them on. I walked around her room, picking up her clothes. By the time I finished laying them on the bed, it was already close to five-thirty.
Gina stood up and shoved her messy brown mane out of her
face.
“We’ll need to put your hair up,” I said.
Gina cringed.
“Come on,” I said, shooing her out of the room. “We have only a little time before Jess gets here.”
While I worked through her tangled hair with a comb, I heard the door open downstairs.
“We’re up here,” I called into the hallway.
“Ow, Daddy!” Gina said.
“Sorry, honey,” I said, trying to untangle one particular stubborn knot.
“How’s everyone doing?” Jess asked from the doorway.
I turned, taking Gina with me. I dropped the comb from my hand, and it hung from Gina’s head. “Not so great.”
Jess tossed her hair behind her shoulder. “Let me have at that.”
With her focus on Gina, I took a moment to inspect her outfit. She wore pleated black pants and a white shirt with a low cut. Unlike Kimberly’s low-cut outfit, Jess’s was classy. Though when she bent over to help Gina, the thin fabric moved away from her body and revealed the top of one of her breasts.
Feeling like a voyeur, I said, “I’ll give you two some space,” then left the room. I took several calming breaths before heading downstairs. I trusted Jess to handle Gina’s hair, and I needed to cool down for a moment. That mere glance at her had sent my head into a tailspin. How much longer could I keep this up before I started something between us again?
I paced the kitchen a few times before I heard them coming down the stairs.
They entered the room, and Gina’s hair was pulled back in a loose French braid.
“You two look great,” I said.
“Thanks!” Gina said and twirled around.
My gaze shifted to Jess, and she offered a small smile.
“We should get going,” I said.
I’d reserved a window seat on the second floor of the restaurant for us. It was private enough to have a decent conversation with each other while not bothering others with Gina’s rambling. I loved her to death, rambling and all, but Eclisse was an expensive place, and I didn’t want to disturb anyone’s dinner with her curiosities.
