“Maybe he’ll see sense after a while. He’s just being protective, especially because she’s pregnant,” Jenny says. “It’ll turn out fine. Besides, you need to learn to share.”
“I don’t want to share her. She’s mine,” I growl. Jenny just laughs.
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Quit being so annoying and take your girl some breakfast.”
She’s right. She deserves a relaxing day today. She’s got exams coming up, but I’m insisting that she puts her feet up today. She works too hard for a woman who’s five months pregnant. The tray I’m taking her breakfast on wobbles a little and I spill some tea, but by the time I make it to our bedroom, her breakfast is miraculously still unruined.
She’s sitting up in bed when I arrive. She blushes with a smile when she sees me.
“Aw baby, you didn’t have to make me breakfast!”
“Of course I did. I want to treat you,” I say. “Happy birthday, baby.”
She accepts the breakfast eagerly and bites into some toast. She makes appreciative sounds. “Mm, eating for two is fun. I feel like the baby is hungry today. Thanks for this.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ve got a present for you too.”
I’m pleased with what I’ve got for her. She’s going to love it. I reach in my bedside table.
“You know how we decided to name the baby Sally if she’s a girl and Samson if it’s a boy.”
Elena nods. “Of course.”
“Well, this gift works for both.”
She opens the little box that I hand to her. When she sees the charm bracelet inside, made of silver, she gasps. On it, there are already three little pendants. One with the letter E for Elena, one with the letter L for Landon, and S for our first baby. She seems to understand right away.
“Landon it’s beautiful.”
“I’m going to add to it as our family grows,” I explain. “It’s a way to always have your family with you, even when we’re apart, even for a moment.”
She has tears in her eyes as she looks at me. “Landon this is the sweetest gift. Thank you so much.”
I kiss her gently. My cock rises in my pants. She looks amazing in the mornings in her sexy nightgown and without any makeup. She always looks beautiful, but there’s something about her in the mornings that really turns me on. But we have a party to prep for, so no tumble in the sheets this morning. I have to hold back until tonight.
“You’re welcome, baby. Now let’s get up and get ready.”
She’s wearing the bracelet proudly when the guests arrive. She keeps showing it off to people when they enter the house and I feel a rush of love for her. Knowing how much she loves the bracelet reminds me of how much she loves me and the family we’re building. She’s still buzzing about it when her father arrives.
“Look, Dad,” she says, thrusting the bracelet in his face. “The present that Landon got me for my birthday.”
He studies the bracelet and there’s a sadness in his eyes. Maybe it’s because his own initials aren’t on the bracelet. Still, to his credit, he pretends to be interested.
“That’s lovely, darling. Landon, can I borrow you for a minute?”
I nod, wondering what the hell he could want to talk about just the two of us. He heads upstairs without an invitation and I try not to be irritated as I follow him.
He stands in mine and Elena’s bedroom, glancing at all of her things dotted around the room. He sighs.
“It’s strange to me, seeing her things somewhere that isn’t our home,” he says. I’d never considered that. It’s a sign of her moving on, I suppose. She never fully moved back in with her parents after he kicked her out. I suppose he never expected her to move on so quickly from the whole thing. Maybe he thought his little girl would come home for a while longer. But she chose to stay with me. Maybe that’s why he has a hard time warming to me.
“She’s twenty-two today. I can’t believe how fast the years have gone,” he says. He looks directly at me. “Look, I just wanted to say that I’m going to give you more space from now on. I guess I’ve just been clinging on to the fact that she’s my little girl for too long. And I know I need to give you both space.”
I shrug. “I understand. It’s just we don’t really get much time alone.”
“I know. I think I’ve been trying to protect her. I’ve had my guard up still, but she doesn’t need that from me anymore. She’s in very capable hands with you,” he says. He reaches out to pat my shoulder. “I had doubts about you. I didn’t think it would last. But you’ve been so good to her. I know it might seem sometimes like I’m getting in your way, but I just miss her. I thought she’d be back in my house in no time. But now I see that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to her. If I ever come across as cold, I’m sorry. I promise. I’ll give you the space you need now.”
I feel bad for the guy. Elena is the best thing in his life as well as mine. He raised her and now she’s leaving her need for him behind. I put my hand on his shoulder too.
“You’re family now. You’re always welcome here,” I say truthfully. He manages a smile.
“I don’t deserve this, after the way I treated you.”
“Families fight. We get over it,” I say gruffly. “Come on, let’s go and watch Elena celebrate her day.”
It wasn’t a long conversation, but it was an important one. I feel like we’ve cleared the air. Now, we can both focus on the
