Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I see Macey and Morgan before they see me. The mom-and-daughter combo are holding hands and Morgan’s eyes are looking around widely. I wish I had the sense to capture this on camera, but I don’t. I keep my phone tucked in my pocket and try to commit Morgan’s expression to memory.
As soon as Morgan sees me, her face morphs into a huge smile. She starts to run, dragging Macey behind her until she finally lets go. I don’t know what to do, but I’ve seen enough television shows and movies to remember that I should kneel down. When she reaches me, she doesn’t stop or slow down; it’s a full-on barrel tackle and I’m barely able to keep myself upright when my arms wrap around her.
We don’t speak, she hugs me and I hold on for dear life. When Macey reaches us I can see in her eyes that she’s torn between happiness and longing. I pull her into our embrace and she comes willingly.
“How was your flight?” I ask, letting Macey go and putting Morgan down.
“It was the coolest thing ever. We got to go on the plane first while everyone else had to wait and we got to sit up front. The lady in the blue dress kept asking me if I wanted anything and she kept bringing me snacks.”
“That’s the luxury of being in first class,” I tell Morgan, who looks completely wiped after a two-hour flight.
Morgan continues to jabber while we walk to their luggage terminal. “Everything good?” I ask Macey, who shrugs. I can already sense it’s going to be a long weekend and I’ll probably send her to the spa to get a massage or something, anything I can do to help ease her stress.
With the car loaded and everyone situated, we’re heading back to the hotel. Morgan is oohing and aahing at everything she sees, while Macey is quiet. I was hoping that she’d put on a game face for Morgan, but apparently not. She’s letting me know loud and clear that being here is an inconvenience for her.
I make sure to use the valet when we arrive back at the hotel. I want Morgan to see it all, the grandeur of the hotel, when she enters. With her hand in mine and my other hand on the small of Macey’s back, we enter, much to the shocked delight of my daughter.
“Whoa, you own this?”
“Well, we do,” I say, crouching down next to her. She’s the perfect combination of Macey and me with her dark hair and blue eyes. I can see a little bit of me when I was a kid in her, but all her beauty comes from her mother.
“What does that mean?”
“Well, since I’m your dad and I own this, it means that you do too. You’re too young to work here, though, or boss anyone around.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and juts her lower lip out before her mood turns to laughter. “Someday, I’ll be the boss.”
“Yep, someday.”
Macey still hasn’t said anything by the time we reach my apartment, but after giving Morgan a tour and showing her what is now her room, decorated in princess motifs because that is what Lamar said ten-year-olds like, Macey finally speaks up, asking, “Where am I sleeping?”
I look at her and frown, telling Morgan to play with the toys I bought and that we’ll be right back before escorting Macey downstairs and into my bedroom.
“Why wouldn’t you sleep in here with me?”
“I don’t want to send the wrong message to Morgan,” she says, stepping away from me and moving toward the window.
“What message is that exactly?”
“That you sleep in a man’s bed when you have a sleepover.”
“Except I’m her father and unless you’ve started seeing someone, I don’t understand what the problem is.”
She doesn’t answer me, instead focuses all her attention on the action outside the window.
“Macey? Is there someone in your life?”
She shakes her head. “No, Finn. I haven’t been with anyone else but you for the past month.”
I go to her, resting my chin on her shoulder. Her body sags into me, but I still feel like she’s distant.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” I tell her. The last thing I want to do is make her upset, even if it’s at my own expense. I fully intended to be with her while they were here, but apparently that isn’t what she wants.
“I can sleep with Morgan.”
“Don’t be silly, it’s a twin bed.”
“We’ve slept in worse,” she mutters, making me feel about ten inches tall. It’s because of my mother and the secret she took to her grave that Macey and Morgan have struggled.
“That will never happen again,” I promise her.
“Can I ask you a question?” She steps away from me, leaving me at the window. She wanders around my bed and goes to the other window.