Now... Well, now she had the opportunity to experience everything she’d ever dreamed of. As long as Kane didn’t go all perfect gentleman on her.

Chapter Eight

Kane was so proud of his girls. Yes, that’s what he had been considering them for the past twelve hours during the flights and the layover in L.A. Both Haley and Lucie had done tremendously well for such a long trip, but now as they entered the posh condominium facing the beach, he was grateful they would have five full days of relaxation.

Or he hoped they would.

Apparently, Haley got her second wind somewhere between the airport and the condo, and keeping up with her was becoming increasingly more difficult. She was also getting a little cranky, but Kane couldn’t necessarily blame her.

“Let’s order room service and watch a movie,” Kane offered and watched his daughter’s eyes light up.

“Can we, Mommy?” she asked, turning to face Lucie.

Lucie glanced over at Kane and smiled.

“Of course we can.”

“Can I pick out what we’re going to eat, Daddy?”

Kane had been walking across the room, and he stopped mid stride, his legs no longer working the way they were supposed to. Turning to face the most beautiful little girl in the entire world, he didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. Did she just call him Daddy? He still wondered whether his ears were betraying him.

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He had dreamed of the day she would start calling him Daddy, but he knew he would never force her to. Hearing her call him Kane had been harder on him than he thought it would be, but now, his heart was doing somersaults in his chest and he was literally scared he actually might cry.

He looked up, met Lucie’s eyes and saw that she was crying. One single tear rolled silently down her cheek, and she smiled so sweetly at him.

“Of course you can, honey,” he answered Haley as he turned back toward the dresser he had been taking his clothes to. He needed a minute.

Or maybe twenty.

He admitted to feeling an overwhelming resentment when Lucie had finally informed him that he was Haley’s father. Despite the fact that he insisted on a paternity test, he had believed her. Aside from the anger, he’d felt something else too. Paralyzing joy. No matter what, he would never get the time back that he had missed with Haley, but Kane had never thought he’d have children, so finding out the incredibly beautiful little girl was his had shifted something deep down inside of him.

“Are you ok?” Lucie’s voice was soft, her hand warm on his back as she came to stand beside him.

“I will be.” He would be better than ok, that was for damn sure. He just needed some time to catch his breath.

“She loves you,” Lucie stated, sounding as though she were trying to make him feel better. What she didn’t know, there was no way he would ever feel better than he did right at that moment. For Haley to accept him as her father, even if she didn’t quite know what that meant, made everything better.

Pushing the drawer in, Kane took a deep breath and then turned to face his daughter. Walking quickly over to her, he scooped her up in his arms, turned her over his shoulder before flipping her back onto her feet while she belted out that sweet little girl giggle.

“All right, kiddo. What’re we gonna have for dinner?”

~~*~~

Lucie sat cross legged on the bed beside Haley, Kane on the opposite side of the bed leaning back against the headboard with a plate balanced on his flat stomach. They had rented a movie, one of Haley’s favorites and the two of them were waiting patiently for her to fall asleep. She was fighting it, every step of the way.

After Kane ordered food, they finished unpacking, and set up Haley’s things in the second bedroom. Lucie still wasn’t sure how the sleeping arrangements were going to work because sleeping in the same bed with Kane was what she wanted more than anything, but she didn’t want Haley to get any mixed messages either.

They weren’t a couple. In fact, Lucie wasn’t even sure what they were. They were on vacation, and yes, if she had anything to say about it, she and Kane would enjoy a little horizontal time together, but she knew once they were back in the real world, nothing would have changed. She wasn’t sure she honestly wanted it to either.

Kane and Haley were obviously making progress with their relationship, and she had to give credit to Kane. He had asked her permission to seek counseling for him and Haley in order to try and work through some of the changes that were inevitable in the little girl’s life. Apparently, Haley was adapting better than any of them had expected her to.

She’d called Kane daddy and Lucie’s heart had undoubtedly missed a beat, or maybe two. Watching while Kane absorbed the words had been one of the most heart wrenching things she had ever seen. At first, she thought he might cry, but the big tough guy had managed to get through the moment without even a hint of a tear. He was stronger than she was.




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