Page 73 of Their Forever Daddy

The alarm bells in his mind rang even louder. “Yes. What’s your point?”

“My point is, if we’re going to make this work as a trio or a throuple or whatever you want to call it, you and Edie need to get to know each other as well as I know both of you. So for my reward, I want you guys to go on a date. Alone.”

It certainly wasn’t what he’d expected when she’d mentioned a reward. And a quick glance at the frown on Edie’s face told him it wasn’t exactly what she’d been expecting, either.

Which, perversely, made him all the more eager to grant his babygirl’s desire. Keeping a woman like Edie McDowell on her toes was a challenge, and he did love a good challenge. “I think that’s an excellent idea, little outlaw.”

“Perfect!” With a quick kiss to his cheek, Jesse bounced off the bed and made a beeline for the bedroom door. “I’ll help Edie get ready and I’ll see you two again in the morning.”

“Hold up,” Edie said, her expression turning even more suspicious than it had been at the beginning. “What do you mean, see us in the morning?”

“Cuz you’re gonna stay at a hotel so you can get it on in private, duh.”

“Nobody said anything about ‘getting it on’, little girl.”

Planting her hands on her hips in a move he recognized all too well, Jesse matched Edie glare for glare. “That’s part of getting to know each other!”

Because he could sense a storm brewing between his girls, Grant rose from the bed and moved to stand between them, pinning Jesse with a warning look. “If and when Edie and I decide to explore a sexual relationship between just the two of us is between just the two of us. If you try to push us into anything we haven’t explicitly stated we’re ready for, I will ensure you do not get to enjoy the pleasure of either of our company until we are ready. Am I making myself perfectly clear, little girl?”

Jesse’s eyes went wider than he’d ever seen them. “Yes, Daddy. Crystal clear. It’s just?—”

“No. You’ve made your argument, and I do agree it’s important for Edie and I to build a relationship apart from you. But the pace of that relationship, both physically and emotionally, is entirely up to us, and you will not interfere.” He put as much steel as he could muster into his tone in hopes of getting across to her how important it was for her to obey him. “I’m serious about this, Jesse Lynne, and I promise you will not like the consequences if you try to get around me.”

“I’m just trying to help,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

“I know, baby. And I appreciate that. I’m sure Edie does as well.” He glanced over at Edie, who hesitated a moment before nodding. “Thank you for thinking of us, but now you need to trust us to take it from here. Okay?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Sniffling dramatically, her bottom lip trembled as she looked up at him with what he thought of as her puppy dog eyes. “Are you still mad at me?”

“Nobody’s mad at you, baby. I just needed you to understand this isn’t a game. There are real feelings involved and that’s not something to take lightly.”

He held his arms open, scooping her up when she rushed into his embrace. Turning toward the door, he juggled Jesse so he could extend an arm to Edie, inviting her to join them. Which, to his relief, she did.

God, he could get addicted to this. As different as they were, he enjoyed having them both in his arms. He was starting to worry Edie might actually rip his heart out, at the end of all this, if she rejected them.

Pushing aside those niggling doubts, he lowered Jesse to the floor and gave them both a nudge toward the hall. “You girls go get ready and I’ll meet you downstairs in an hour.”

“Make it two, just in case!” Jesse called over her shoulder as she dragged a suddenly terrified-looking Edie from the room.

“Two it is,” he agreed with a laugh. Two would give him plenty of time to get ready himself and plan an evening of romance his little pixie would never forget.

Edie

* * *

She hadn’t actually expected it to take a full two hours to get her ready for a date with a man who had already seen her naked on more than one occasion. But Jesse, apparently, had different ideas.

First had come a lengthy shower during which she’d been instructed to shave everything and then been handed what felt like thirty different products to scrub her skin within an inch of its life. Then she’d been given a cream that smelled like a field of wildflowers on a summer day to massage into her tortured skin.

She couldn’t really argue with the results, though. Her skin was so soft and smooth, she could barely keep herself from running her hands over her arms and legs as Jesse flitted around her like a hummingbird. At one point, Jesse had attacked her eyebrows with a pair of tweezers, all the while rolling her eyes at Edie’s protests and reminding her she should be grateful it wasn’t the nineties, whatever that meant.

After the plucking and more creams, Jesse had slathered what felt like a pound of makeup onto her face. Edie had drawn the line at the giant fake eyelashes, though, which had Jesse sulking for a solid fifteen minutes.

Which was about fourteen minutes less than it took Jesse to scan the contents of Edie’s closet and decree that nothing she had on hand would work for tonight. Before Edie could argue, Jesse darted across the hall to the guest bedroom and returned with an armful of options.

The short, dark red dress they agreed on was a compromise, considering Jesse’s first choice had been a black dress that left all of Edie’s back and half of her front completely bare. But seeing the glint in her babygirl’s eyes as she wiggled into the red number, Edie couldn’t help but wonder if this had been Jesse’s endgame all along.

All thoughts of scheming Little girls flew out the window when Jesse finally allowed her to actually see her reflection. The last date they’d been on, she’d simply felt like a prettier version of herself.

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