Page 108 of Chasing Shelter

“More for us,” Keely cheered.

“But first, braiding lessons,” Ellie said. She moved closer to me, her thigh pressing against me. “Pay attention, Chief. You’re already on thin ice. I don’t think your record can handle one more demerit.”

“I’ll show you a demerit,” I growled.

Ellie’s gaze dropped to my mouth.Hell.The urge to lean in and kiss her was almost too much to take.

“I’m ready,” Keely singsonged, breaking into my lusty thoughts.

Right.My kid was sitting in front of me.

“Okay,” Ellie began as she gathered up Keely’s hair. “For an inside-out French braid—or a Dutch braid—instead of weaving each piece over the top, we weave the outside piecesunderthe center section.”

Watching as Ellie’s fingers deftly moved through my daughter’s hair, all I could think about was having those fingers onme. It was official. I was going to hell.

“Are you paying attention to anything I’m saying?” Ellie asked.

“No, I think you’re gonna have to start again,” I admitted.

“Daddy,” Keely chastised.

“Sorry, Keels.”

Ellie shook her head. “Another demerit, Chief. How will you ever pay up?”

My gaze heated as I turned to her. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

“Stop making me want to kiss you,” Ellie whisper-hissed, just quietly enough that Keely couldn’t hear.

“You started it,” I shot back.

“Do I need to separate you two?” Keely asked, like she was our teacher.

“Probably,” I admitted.

“Focus,” Ellie ordered.

I did my best, but it was a struggle. With an hour or so of tutelage, I was starting to get the hang of it. Keely’s braids looked less like lumpy, haphazard rope and more like what they were supposed to.

“I also got something I think will be perfect for her finished look,” Ellie said, bending to grab something out of her purse.

Keely whirled around, bouncing up and down on the backs of her heels. “What is it?”

“Keely,” I warned.

“I was just asking,” she defended.

Ellie laughed as she pulled out a package of something, covering it with both hands. “I like the excitement. I found these on one of my favorite boutique’s websites and knew they just had to be yours.”

Something happened then. A shifting sensation deep inside my chest. Ellie had been thinking of my girl. She’d gone out of her way to get something for Keely that would make my daughter happy. If I’d wanted to kiss her before, that sensation had nothing on what I was feeling right now.

Ellie uncovered the package. It was a gauzy, somewhat see-through bag, and inside was a set of barrettes with bejeweled butterflies on them. Keely gasped, her hands flying to her face in a move beyond her years. “They’re beautiful,” she whispered reverently.

“They are.” My voice was deeper, carrying a rasp that hadn’t been there before.

Ellie’s gaze lifted to mine, and I saw somethingmorein her eyes. I realized it then. She was giving my girl what she’d never had. There was something so beautiful about that. Something soEllie. She didn’t let her lack harden her. It did the opposite. It made her give morefreely. To any animal that crossed her path. To friends. To strangers. To my kid. To me.

And we were all better for having her in our lives.

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