I grin as my eyes move back to her bright pink cheeks. “You’re kidding me.”
Her face darkens.
“Please tell me this is what I think it is.”
Serena’s face goes dark as she rolls her eyes. She shoots a quick look down the hallway before she swallows and peels open the neck of the coat, giving me just the quickest flash of sheer black lace bra.
Fuck.
I’m hard. Instantly.
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” she whispers quickly. “Yes seriously. And I seriously need to go.”
I reach out and stop her with a hand on her arm as I chuckle. She turns, her eyes glinting as she looks up at me.
“I’ve got an idea.”
“Would you like another cookie, Serena?”
“I think that’s enough cookies for one night, kiddo.”
Emily gives me one of those practiced, honed pouts that only especially cute eight-year-olds can pull off. “But Dad, I don’t think Serena got enough!”
It’s scary how good my kid is at bullshit at this age.
“You don’t think Serena got enough, or you don’t think you got enough.”
Emily turns and grins conspiratorially at Serena.
“You ask,” she whispers in a complete non-whisper.
Serena looks up at me, wagging her brows and shrugging. “I mean, I could go for one more?”
Emily grins triumphantly as she whirls back. “See?”
Serena and I lock eyes over her head. “Nice,” I mutter, grinning at her. “Real nice.” She shrugs, grinning back at me as she pulls the plate of cookies towards her and Emily’s corner of the kitchen table.
Her coat’s off now, as are the heels and the stockings, sadly. They’ve been replaced by an old Rattlesnakes t-shirt and a pair of sweats of mine.
And she looks fucking fantastic.
“Are you sleeping over?”
Serena jerks her eyes away from me at Emily’s sudden question.
“Oh, no,” she shakes her head and smiles at my daughter. “No, I’m not, Emily.
“But you’re wearing pajamas!”
“Emily-”
“We rented a movie, you know.”
Serena grins at her, her brows rising. “Oh yeah?”
“Mhmm,” Emily nods before whirling eagerly to me. “Dad, can she stay and watch it?”
“I think Serena has to go home,” I say quietly.
Emily’s face falls. “Just the movie? Please?” She turns a hopeful look to Serena, who looks up at me and smiles.
“I could watch a movie.”
“Yay!”
Chapter Sixteen
Serena
“Wow, you’ve got an awesome room!”
“Thanks, I know,” Emily says matter-of-factly.
The movie’s finished, and she’s insisted on showing me her room while Landon cleans up the cookie making debris downstairs. I turn my head, taking in the pink walls, the shelves of books and dolls, and the posters of various Disney characters. But the big-ticket item is clearly the kid’s bed that’s built to look like it’s part of a castle, complete with painted-on stonework, parapets at the corners, and flags with “Princess Emily” stenciled across them.
“My dad made it,” Emily says, bounding across the room and quickly scaling the three-step ladder up to the raised bed.
“Wow, really? That’s pretty awesome!” I say, genuinely impressed. "My bed isn’t nearly this cool.”
She beams at me from her castle-bed before making the pout face I saw earlier. “Are you sure you can’t sleep over?”
I freeze, my eyes darting back to her. “Oh, no. I wish I could, Emily, but I don’t think I can.”
“It’s okay if you do, my mom isn’t here.”
My brow furrows. The thought of Emily’s other parent has obviously crossed my mind over the course of the evening. But Landon didn’t offer any explanation beyond mention that he’s not married, and it’s certainly least of all my place to ask about his divorce.
“Oh she’s not?”
“Yeah, she died.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the stomach, and my mouth falls open as I gasp for words.
“That’s enough, Emily.”
Landon’s voice comes from behind me. Steady, even.
“Why don’t you go brush your teeth, honey,” he says quietly.
“Fiiiiine.” Emily jumps out of bed and slips past me.
I turn, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Landon I-”
“Don’t,” he shakes his head.
“I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t,” he says quietly. He shakes his head and looks away. “Look, it’s fine. It was a while ago.”
I’m stepping forward before I know it, my hand rising to rest on his arm. And it’s not sexual, or flirty, or anything remotely like that. It’s just there as a comfort, because this is a story I know.