Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 126602 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126602 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
“Jesus, here.” I handed Caroline the phone and then grabbed Fiona, scooting over with her to make room. Then I planted her next to Caroline on the couch.
After pulling the leg of my jeans down, since Fiona was clearly finished drawing on me, I threw my arm behind the girls and leaned over, watching Caroline work that app like she messed around with it every day. She gave me the run-down on how to work the filters—something I did not give one fuck about—then she took pictures of herself and Fiona while the two of them giggled.
“Daddy, my toes,” Fiona said, wiggling her bare feet while she made faces at the phone.
I snatched up the pink polish she’d showed me before, then I knelt in front of her and carefully painted the color on her tiny nails. While she dried, I moved on to Caroline after she requested I paint hers next.
An hour later, the girls were in bed after a bath where I was forbidden to get water anywhere near their heads.
Apparently, that pink color Shayla had put in washed out, and Caroline looked close to tears just thinking about losing it.
I got them as clean as I could.
Once the girls were asleep, I snuck out of their room, grabbed my phone, which I had to charge since they drained the battery messing around on that app, and called up Shayla.
“Hey, I just pulled onto your street. I’ll be there in a sec,” she answered.
“Thought you’d be here already,” I said, yanking the front door open and stepping out onto the porch.
The April air was warm with a slight breeze.
“So did I. We got caught up kicking ass at trivia night.”
I saw headlights approaching. “Yeah? You win?”
“Second.”
“First-place loser.”
“Oh!” She giggled. “Look at you cracking jokes. I forgot how funny you can be.”
Shayla slowed in front of the house and turned into the driveway.
“I see you,” she purred, waving through the windshield.
I smiled and disconnected the call, tucking my phone into my pocket as an energy moved beneath my skin.
My hands shook. I itched to touch her.
“Are the little princesses still awake?” Shayla asked, stepping up onto the porch and stopping in front of me.
She was grinning, excited to see my girls and just happy being here, because she always was.
And fuck if I didn’t feel the exact same way.
“They’re out cold.” I grabbed Shayla’s tiny hips and pulled her body into mine, bending to kiss her.
Her lips were soft, so fucking soft, just like the rest of her. She was little and smooth everywhere. I wanted to keep her and keep doing this for hours.
And it felt fucking good not fighting that anymore.
“I bet they had so much fun with you,” Shayla said, staring up at me with nothing but truth in her eyes, like she knew that information for a fact, like there was no way my girls wouldn’t enjoy being here.
“Yeah.” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and just fucking held her, my nose in her hair so I could breathe her in.
“Aw.” She burrowed closer. “You missed me.”
I didn’t say anything, but when Shayla tried leaning back I squeezed her tighter so she couldn’t pull away.
She giggled into my chest, then her body seemed to melt into mine, and she sighed and held me back with all the strength she had.
“I got some good news tonight.”
I leaned away then to peer down at her, brows lifting. “Yeah?”
Shayla nodded. “My dad started this new medicine, and it seems to really be helping him.”
“Fuck. That’s awesome.”
“It is.” She grinned. “Lately, everything is.”
Knowing she was including me in that everything, I bent and kissed her once more, lingering there, my tongue pushing inside her mouth and stroking against hers.
Eventually, and only because I knew I’d be kissing her again inside the house, I released her and we made it inside.
“Wow.” Hands on her hips, Shayla glanced around the living room while I locked the door. “It’s like a princess party bomb went off in here.” She looked over at me and smiled. “What all did you guys do?”
“What the fuck didn’t we do?” I returned. “They brought every toy they own. Didn’t need to, though. Once the girls got into those stupid fuckin’ filters, that was it.”
Shayla cocked her head. “Filters? You mean like, on Snapchat?”
Oh, fuck.
I gripped the back of my neck and looked at the floor.
“Oh, my God.” She giggled. “Sean, do you have Snapchat?” Shayla stepped closer, getting right in front of me, and tilted her head so she could see my face.
Might as well confess, dumbass. You brought this on yourself.
I dropped my arm. “It’s fuckin’ dumb, but yeah, I have it,” I said.
Her eyes brightened. “Really? What’s your username?”
“Username.”
Shayla giggled. “What?”
“I don’t fuckin’ know,” I grumbled. “I just picked one. I didn’t care. I just wanted to see you.”