Page 49 of Bossy Trouble

Apart from the fact that it might cause him to catch on, I didn’t want Avery to get too attached to him. At best, this would only be a brief thing that would fizzle out once he gave me back my company. At worst, I would have to betray him, and he would hate me forever. Either way, I didn’t want my daughter caught up in the middle of all that.

So I made a mental note to have Avery go somewhere else whenever Donovan was coming over—not that he ever gave me a warning. Although he might not yet realize her true identity, the less contact the two had, the better.

But now, watching them together on the sofa, a trickle of doubt seeped into me for the first time in years.

I didn’t expect Donovan to say yes to Avery’s request to watch Toy Story. I knew he came here for one reason and one reason only, and he wasn’t the domestic type.

But then he plopped right onto the couch and spent the next fifty-six minutes watching the movie and listening to Avery’s running commentary on what she would do if she had her very own Woody. Donovan would sometimes respond and tell her which idea was more feasible, and my daughter would sit still, considering the idea before either accepting or rejecting his assertion.

Now I saw where Avery got her penchant for arguments from. Her sneakiness too.

It was from her father.

I never once doubted my decision to keep the two apart, but seeing them together now made me wonder.

I started a little when I saw Donovan’s hand move, but he only brought it down to rest on Avery’s head, patting it lightly. This time, the feeling in my chest magnified, becoming almost an ache.

I didn’t think this was how it was going to go.

I always imagined that when Donovan finally met his daughter, he would do one of two things: immediately reject her and accuse me of trying to trap him.Or rip her weeping form out of my arms with the knowledge that I would never see her again. This would be done as a punishment for keeping her a secret from him.

In all that time, I never imagined that he would be anything even close to affectionate.

But now, seeing him touch her hair like that and look at her with that look in his eyes…

Now, I wasn’t so sure.

He turned to me at that time, and with a quiet voice, he said, “She’s snoring.”

“Yup.” I cleared my throat to get rid of the sudden lump and grabbed the bowl of popcorn I’d been preparing. “She always loses the battle around this point.”

“I guess that means no popcorn for her.” Donovan reached into the bowl, pulling out some of the popcorn and throwing a few in his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise.

“You added—”

“Caramel,” I said with a smile. “Yes, I remember.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You just had that lying around, or you got it on the off chance I came here?”

Actually, I got it because Avery had a predilection for caramel too, but I didn’t want to say that. Instead, I just shrugged.

He shook his head at me. “I knew there were reasons why I liked you so much.”

“You mean there’s more than one?” I teased back.

His eyes darkened like a switch, and suddenly, the atmosphere changed. “Oh yeah. There’s definitely more than one.”

And then I knew it was time. Time to face up to the real reason he was here, which was now out there, the sultry ambiance humming between us. I felt my pussy clench slightly as the memory of everything that happened this afternoon set a tiny heartbeat within.

I shouldn’t do this again.

I shouldn’t, but I will.

“I’m going to take her up to her room,” I announced, reaching down and sweeping Avery up to my chest. Her arm naturally curled around my neck as I carried her, but her breath continued to come out evenly. She didn’t stir.

I sent thanks upward as I walked up the stairs, careful not to wake her. She clung to my neck for a second when I put her down before her limbs went limp again. It made me smile. Even asleep, Avery never wanted to let go. I made sure she was tucked in and kissed her on the forehead before I made my way back downstairs.

I paused at the bottom of the stairs.

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