Page 78 of Sins of the Father

“Hey, sweet girl. Good morning.” I pick her up and kiss her then rub her back to calm her. I check her diaper, but she’s dry, so I take her out to the other room so Steven can see her before leaving.

He has half the lasagna gone and is drinking water when I come out. His face lights up whenever he sees Hope.

Come to think of it, he looks at me most of the time that way, too.

He reaches for her, and I hand her to him. “Hi, sweetheart. Did you sleep good?”

She giggles and squeezes his nose.

“Ouch. Thought I told you yesterday to lay off my nose?” he teases.

She grabs it again.

He puts her on his knee and bounces her then shoves a forkful of lasagna in his mouth. I stand behind him, slide my hands under his suit coat, and dig my thumb into a few knots in his shoulders.

He tips his head back. “Have I told you how awesome you are?”

“Nope, but I’m listening.” I dip down and kiss him.

He finishes his breakfast, and I glance at the clock.

“Okay, time for you to go.” I take Hope from him and put her on my hip. “Have a good day. I’ll see you tonight.”

He rises, and his tall frame overshadows me. “I won’t be late tonight. Promise.”

“Okay.”

“What are you doing today?”

I shrug. “Not sure yet, but I was considering taking Hope to the aquarium. I thought she might like to see the fish.”

“I haven’t been there, but everyone at work was raving about it. My work has free tickets. If you stop by, I can give them to you.”

“Why don’t I wait, and we can take Hope on Saturday together?”

He smiles. “Sure.”

“Okay. Kiss me goodbye and get your booty out the door.”

His grin widens, and he bends down and gives me a toe-curling kiss on my lips, then kisses my nose and forehead before leaning over and kissing Hope on the cheek. “Thanks for breakfast. And being you.”

“I am pretty awesome.” I bat my eyelashes.

He chuckles. “That you are. A total keeper.” He squeezes my ass and leaves.

I feed Hope then take her into her room. “Okay, sweet girl. Let’s get you ready for our big day out.”

I bathe her then choose pink leggings and a matching top with flowers on it and a sweater in case it’s chilly out. After I dress her, I put her in the playpen and shower. When I get out and change, I bring her into the bedroom, along with a few toys, and let her crawl around while I finish getting ready.

I’m about to leave when my phone rings.

“Vivian, is everything okay?” She never calls me this early in the morning.

Her voice is low. “Anna is here.”

My pulse increases. “I thought she left.”

“She did. But Chase flew into New York yesterday.”

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