Page 47 of Keeping Katie

I chuckle and roll my eyes, then follow the girls through the house. As I pass them, I press a kiss to the top of each of their heads.

“I love you both.”

“We love you too!” they sing happily as they start scooping up colorful pieces of whatever the fuck that stuff is.

My girl doesn’t listen very well.

I watch as she pulls her purse and a tiny backpack from her car. I guess she’ll be getting a lesson in obeying her Daddy tonight before bed because there definitely isn’t more than one change of clothes in there. Good thing I already went shopping and had a bunch of new stuff delivered this afternoon.

As soon as she sees me, her face splits into a grin. “Hi.”

Sliding my hands into my pockets, I lean against the doorframe. “Hi, baby girl.”

I wonder if Tom told her about me cornering him. I suspect she would have called me and told me off if he had. She’s protective of the older man.

“Where are the rest of your bags?” I ask with a raised brow.

She slows her steps, and her eyes go round. “This is all I brought.”

“Really? Didn’t I tell you to pack several outfits?”

My cock twitches as she pulls her plump bottom lip between her teeth. “I figured if I needed more clothes, I could run home and grab them whenever. It’s not that far.”

I take a step off the porch. She swallows and watches me like a hawk as I move toward her.

“When I tell you to do something, I expect you to obey. There’s no reason for you to go home and get clothes when you can stay here and have all your things here.”

She tips her head back to look up at me. I lower my face to hers and give her a gentle kiss, then cup her chin firmly in myhand. “Did you disobey me on purpose, princess? Are you trying to test the boundaries with me?”

“No,” she whispers, her blue eyes sparkling like rare sapphires under the outdoor light. “But I don’t live here.”

I smile down at her, rubbing my thumb over her jaw. “That’s where you’re wrong, Katie-baby. You can keep your apartment for as long as you need to feel comfortable in our relationship, but starting today, this is your home.”

Part of me wants her to argue with me so I can list all the reasons she should live with me and why we’re perfect for each other, but once again, she makes me fall even deeper in love with her.

“What if I want to paint it pink?” she asks, her expression serious.

“Let’s go to the paint store. What shade of pink do you want?”

Her mouth falls open. “I was kidding!”

“I wasn’t. I want you to make this your home. Make it comfortable. Make it what you’ve always imagined your house would look like. I don’t give a fuck about any of that shit. The only thing I care about is having you in my bed every night so I can wake up to you every morning.”

“Oh.” She blinks several times, and I worry I might be putting too much on her too soon.

“Come on, baby girl. Let’s go inside. I’ll give you a tour, then we can decide what we’re going to do tonight.”

16

KATIE

By the time I’d gotten back to my apartment, I’d told myself that Grady had only said all of those amazing things because he was in the moment. I should have known better. Grady doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean. Moving in, though? This soon? I want to talk to Chloe about it and ask her what she thinks. Will I regret it?

He did say I could keep my apartment for as long as I wanted. That’s considerate of him. I’ve never lived with a man other than my dad before. What if I’m bad at it?

“Baby.”

The single, gentle word relaxes me, almost like a soothing touch to my soul. “Yeah?”

---