Tears sting my eyes just watching the two. Gage kisses my cheek and whispers. “See, I knew she wanted this. Thank you for being okay with it. Emma doesn’t have a grandma that she really knows.”
I face him and peck him on the mouth. “Gage, I’m planning on staying with you. Emma and my mom both need this. I can’t have children. Remember?”
“We will, someday.”
What?!
“What? You do realize that I might be a woman but I don’t have all the equipment?”
Shaking his amused head, he laughs at me. Pulls me into a hug and kisses my forehead, repeatedly.
“Yes, Lex. I’m aware what you have and if you say another word about it, I’m going to have to take you with me when I leave. I’ve been keeping a semi down since I walked in. Now all this talk about what is between your legs has me getting harder by the second. If you don’t want me to end up fucking the shit out of you in the back of my truck, then I suggest we stop this right now. I do want children with you someday. Surrogates, they work wonders.”
Oh my God. He’s turned on and now I’m right there with him. How in the hell does he do this to me? Smelling his cologne is enough to set me into a frenzied state of high arousal. Now, talking to me about it has made lady hard, rock-hard. Damn him and his perfect sexiness. Then he goes off and talking about having kids together? I’m not sure which emotion to tackle first.
“You’ve thought about this haven’t you?” I ask, my head pressed to his chest, his fingers back to stroking my hair.
“Yes, a lot. I’ve had a lot more years to dream about it than you have.”
Tilting my head up, I kiss his stubbly chin. “Yes you have. We will discuss this at some point. I never thought about being a mom. Emma is enough for me. I hope you know that. Eventually if we decide to have more, we will. Right now, though, you’ve turned me on and if you don’t leave. I’ve going to take you up on that enticing offer. Now go.”
We kiss once more, longer this time, closed mouth, goosing me as we break our embrace, he waves goodbye to the group and leaves to work out. Hopefully, he’ll cool down that overactive libido of his. God knows I need a cold shower. I wonder if his raw sexual magnetism will always have this effect on me? Part of me hopes so. The other part, prays that’s not the case. I don’t think I could handle walking around with a lady boner every day when I’m around him. It makes it hard to get anything done.
“Nighty night, Emma.” I kiss her head and tuck her into bed, leaving Gage to say his goodnight.
Walking to the open door, I rest my shoulder in the frame and watch the most loving father on the planet, kiss his daughter goodnight. “I love you, baby girl. Sleep well. Daddy and Lex will see you in the morning. Hope you had fun at grandma Faith’s today.”
“Night daddy, I love you too. You sleep well too.” Emma sleepily whispers, throwing her tiny arms around Gage’s neck, as he looms over her, his lips pressed to her forehead.
Gage finishes tucking her into bed, snug as a bug in a rug. We both exit Emma’s new bedroom, leaving the door open just a crack. Tonight after Gage went to work out, Emma, my mom and I, made some floral arrangements. Once he came back to the shop he was freshly dressed in a white button down dress shirt, rolled up his forearms and faded designer jeans. Said he was taking all of his girls out to dinner, which included my mom. So we went to Vino’s for dinner. It felt like we’d been doing this for years. Emma talked about girl stuff; Gage interacted with her, acting like he knew all about whatever it is she was gabbing about at the time. It felt like a family outing, which to be honest, made me feel lucky. I never knew life could be this way. Never really dreamed it could be possible. If I had dreamed about it, and it hadn’t come to fruition, I would have lived my life incomplete. I’ve never been one to dream bigger than I see logical. Now that I’ve experienced this kind of surreal happiness, I can never let it go.
We dropped my mom back at her store after dinner and came to my house, where I helped give Emma a bath, while Gage went home to grab her a change of clothes and her backpack for school tomorrow. About an hour ago, we started to watch The Little Mermaid on the couch in the living room. Emma’s head was on my lap, her feet on Gage’s as we watched and I stroked her hair. When Emma was almost asleep, Gage carried her upstairs to her bed.
I walk into my bedroom and he follows behind, shutting the door in his wake. Stripping off my blue dress, I toss it into the hamper. I need a bath and some sleep. I’ve got a long week of work starting tomorrow.
“I have an idea.” Gage says, in a naughty tone. A tone I’m very familiar with.