Delia read a book while they waited for Astrid to arrive. Clay kept looking out the window, anxiously waiting. When her little silver convertible pulled into the driveway, he opened the door. “Thank you so much,” he called as he thundered down the front stairs.
“Of course. I would never leave Delia in the lurch.” Astrid climbed out of her car, looking amazing in a simple white blouse and curve-hugging blue jeans.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly, but kept it quick. He wasn’t ready for Delia to see that. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“So am I.” She smiled wide. “Now let’s fix Delia’s hair.”
Clay led her upstairs, through his master bedroom and into his bath, where Delia was still perched on a barstool, patiently waiting. “Astrid’s here,” he said.
Delia’s eyes immediately lit up. “Thank you thank you thank you.” It came out so fast, it was nearly a single word.
“I heard Daddy was having a hard time.” Astrid set down her handbag on the marble counter and took one of Delia’s hands.
“He was trying his hardest.”
“I’m sure he was.”
Astrid grinned. Then her gaze connected with Clay’s. It felt like a lightning bolt straight through his heart. Witnessing this sweet exchange between her and Delia was making the effect even more powerful.
Clay stood and observed while Astrid went to work, sectioning Delia’s hair and braiding thin strands, and picking up more hair as she went. He’d watched a few tutorial videos, but she made it look so effortless. By the time she had two of the six done, Clay felt like he could breathe again. It was going to look beautiful and Delia would be happy.
“How did you ever practice this?” he asked. “I thought you only had brothers.”
Astrid wound a rubber band on the end of another braid. “I had a neighbor who watched me after school. She let me practice on her hair. My brothers were always busy with sports and both of my parents worked.”
“I wish I had a brother,” Delia said. “Or a sister. It’s just me and Daddy and it gets very boring sometimes.”
Astrid cleared her throat and shot Clay a look. “Well, brothers can be a big pain in the butt, too. So they’re both good and bad.” She juggled the strands of hair between her fingers. “You must have lots of friends at school to play with. Friends can be even better than siblings.”
“I guess,” Delia said.
Astrid finished the last braid. “I’ll coil the ends and pin them, then lock them down with hairspray.” She slid Clay a questioning look. “You do have hairspray, don’t you?”
“I didn’t realize it was that important.”
Astrid dug through her purse. “Don’t worry. I don’t go anywhere without it.” She returned to Delia’s hair, making quick work of the final steps. “Well? Good?”
Delia picked up the DVD case and consulted it, then admired herself in the mirror. “It looks just like the picture.” She hopped off the barstool and flung her arms around Astrid’s waist. “Thank you so much.”
This was a sight Clay hadn’t been fully prepared for. Seeing Delia and Astrid forge a bond made his chest swell with pride and happiness.
“Can I put my costume on now?” Delia asked him.
“Yes. Do you need help?”
Delia shook her head. “I can do it.”
“Just yell if you change your mind.” Delia left and Clay turned his sights to Astrid, who was leaning against the bathroom counter. Dammit, he wanted to kiss her more than almost anything. “You really bailed me out. It kills me when she’s not happy.”
“Of course it does. You’re a great dad.” She straightened and looked around the room, then walked off through the bathroom door and into his room. “So this is your bedroom. It’s beautiful. Not overly masculine. Just the right amount.”
Clay swallowed hard as he watched her walk over to the bed and swish her hand across the comforter. “Miranda designed it for me.”
“Did you and your wife live here?”
“No. I was worried it would traumatize Delia to stay. I lucked out with this house, actually. I designed it for a client, but the whole time I was working on it, I was falling in love with it. The client ended up taking a job in Dubai and sold it to me.”
“You did luck out.”
“And we’re so much closer to Miranda here. I knew I was going to need her help as much as possible.”
“But you didn’t call her about the braids?”
That was when it hit him—his first thought had been to seek Astrid’s help. He was so conditioned to go to Miranda. Apparently that had changed. “You offered. And I figured I needed an expert.”
Astrid nodded in agreement, but something in the look on her face said that she was on to him. If she hadn’t known that he was falling for her, perhaps she knew it now. “I do know my Nordic hairstyles.”
“I’d better make sure she doesn’t need help with her costume.”
“Yes. Go. I’ll wait downstairs. Or maybe I should go. I know you two have a big night ahead of you.”
“No. Please stay.” He hoped she understood that he meant for her to stay over.
“Overnight?”
“Yes.”
“But Delia. I appreciate you asking for my help. I do. But this is the first time I’ve seen your bedroom, and we’ve had a whole bunch of sex over the last two weeks. It’s clear that you’re still not sure about folding me into this part of your life and I understand. I was the one who said we should take it slow. I don’t want to intrude.”
“You aren’t intruding. I want you here. This is long overdue and I’m sorry for that.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly, hoping he could convey just how much he meant that.
“It’s okay, Clay. You don’t need to apologize. We’re both figuring this out as we go.”
He wanted her to stay. He was letting down the wall.
She reached for his arm and rubbed it gently. The
