some kind of patterned overall dress. Her hair was done up in a crown of braids, and her eyes were lit with the kind of excitement that only Halloween could bring.
“Look how beautiful you are!” I said, scooping her up into my arms. “What a pretty dress.”
“It’s a dirndl! Bailey made it for me!”
“Well, it’s almost as pretty as you are,” I promised.
“You’re late,” she said, her eyes deeply stern.
“I know, Greta,” I said just as solemnly.
“I’m Gretl!” She corrected, her nose crinkling in laughter.
“You’re late!” Bailey called from down the hall.
“Uh-oh,” I whispered in conspiracy. “I’d better go before Bailey gets mad.”
“You’d better! We have to go soon!” Her little hands were on her hips, and she gave me the same exact look Bailey did when she was feeling stubborn. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay, okay.” I kissed her nose and walked down the hall.
“Here,” Bailey said, thrusting a garment bag at me. “And hurry up!”
“Wait,” I said, seeing her full-length black dress with the striped apron that Maria had worn in The Sound of Music. “What about the other dresses she wears? The flowy sexy ones?”
She arched an eyebrow at me. Yup, that’s exactly where Lettie had gotten it from. “This is iconic. Now go!”
I raced upstairs and threw on the costume as quickly as possible as the doorbell rang. Shit. Trick-or-treaters were already out, which meant Lettie was about five minutes away from barging in and demanding her turn. This was the first year she was really old enough to understand the insanity of Halloween, and she was all about it. I couldn't wait to see how fun Christmas was going to be with her this year—decorating the tree, building gingerbread houses, baking with Bailey—
I stopped myself mid-button on the green, emblazoned blazer that looked like an exact match for Captain Von Trapp. I wasn’t just picturing tonight with Bailey, or tomorrow, or this weekend. I was picturing Christmas. Seeing major life events playing out with her and Lettie.
It wasn’t a coincidence that I now smiled as I drove home from work, knowing that both my girls were here waiting. Shit. I should be terrified, should be doubting, should be questioning everything I was leading us towards.
Instead, I was simply grateful for the ease at which everything seemed to fall into place. Yes, I wanted Bailey. But it wasn’t just the need to fuck her—which was my normal drive for thinking about any woman. I wanted her with me when Lettie was fevered, wanted her in the stands when I scored, wanted to sit and watch her paint with my daughter. I wanted everything that I’d forced out of my head as even an option when Helen walked out.
I wanted it all—the sex was just the bonus.
It was going to be a ridiculously hot bonus, I had no doubt. Hell, we were on fire the minute we touched, like two live wires that simply waited to spark, but it wasn’t just the attraction I had to her—no matter how incredibly sexy she was—it was also the friendship we shared, the mutual respect that made me pause before I made any rash decisions when it came to us. Fuck, it felt like teamwork, and family, and...perfection.
Shit. I was already with her in everything but name—and sex. Bailey was the one I came home to. The one I told about my day. The one I tucked my daughter in with, laughed with and kissed the hell out of. It wasn’t like I was seeing anyone else—if I could even get it up for anyone else. Right now everything I wanted was centered in that petite brunette who drove me wild with a single smile. We might not have put a label on what we were, but that didn’t change that we were already in a relationship...as complicated as it might turn out to be.
So now all I could do was my best not to fuck it up.
Or at least wait as long as possible for the inevitability of me screwing this up.
“Hey, you need any help?” Bailey asked, opening my bedroom door
“Look how beautiful you are!” I said, scooping her up into my arms. “What a pretty dress.”
“It’s a dirndl! Bailey made it for me!”
“Well, it’s almost as pretty as you are,” I promised.
“You’re late,” she said, her eyes deeply stern.
“I know, Greta,” I said just as solemnly.
“I’m Gretl!” She corrected, her nose crinkling in laughter.
“You’re late!” Bailey called from down the hall.
“Uh-oh,” I whispered in conspiracy. “I’d better go before Bailey gets mad.”
“You’d better! We have to go soon!” Her little hands were on her hips, and she gave me the same exact look Bailey did when she was feeling stubborn. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay, okay.” I kissed her nose and walked down the hall.
“Here,” Bailey said, thrusting a garment bag at me. “And hurry up!”
“Wait,” I said, seeing her full-length black dress with the striped apron that Maria had worn in The Sound of Music. “What about the other dresses she wears? The flowy sexy ones?”
She arched an eyebrow at me. Yup, that’s exactly where Lettie had gotten it from. “This is iconic. Now go!”
I raced upstairs and threw on the costume as quickly as possible as the doorbell rang. Shit. Trick-or-treaters were already out, which meant Lettie was about five minutes away from barging in and demanding her turn. This was the first year she was really old enough to understand the insanity of Halloween, and she was all about it. I couldn't wait to see how fun Christmas was going to be with her this year—decorating the tree, building gingerbread houses, baking with Bailey—
I stopped myself mid-button on the green, emblazoned blazer that looked like an exact match for Captain Von Trapp. I wasn’t just picturing tonight with Bailey, or tomorrow, or this weekend. I was picturing Christmas. Seeing major life events playing out with her and Lettie.
It wasn’t a coincidence that I now smiled as I drove home from work, knowing that both my girls were here waiting. Shit. I should be terrified, should be doubting, should be questioning everything I was leading us towards.
Instead, I was simply grateful for the ease at which everything seemed to fall into place. Yes, I wanted Bailey. But it wasn’t just the need to fuck her—which was my normal drive for thinking about any woman. I wanted her with me when Lettie was fevered, wanted her in the stands when I scored, wanted to sit and watch her paint with my daughter. I wanted everything that I’d forced out of my head as even an option when Helen walked out.
I wanted it all—the sex was just the bonus.
It was going to be a ridiculously hot bonus, I had no doubt. Hell, we were on fire the minute we touched, like two live wires that simply waited to spark, but it wasn’t just the attraction I had to her—no matter how incredibly sexy she was—it was also the friendship we shared, the mutual respect that made me pause before I made any rash decisions when it came to us. Fuck, it felt like teamwork, and family, and...perfection.
Shit. I was already with her in everything but name—and sex. Bailey was the one I came home to. The one I told about my day. The one I tucked my daughter in with, laughed with and kissed the hell out of. It wasn’t like I was seeing anyone else—if I could even get it up for anyone else. Right now everything I wanted was centered in that petite brunette who drove me wild with a single smile. We might not have put a label on what we were, but that didn’t change that we were already in a relationship...as complicated as it might turn out to be.
So now all I could do was my best not to fuck it up.
Or at least wait as long as possible for the inevitability of me screwing this up.
“Hey, you need any help?” Bailey asked, opening my bedroom door
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