I immediately looked up and met his amused eyes in the mirror.
“You’re hardly playing fair,” I admitted.
He winked. “All is fair in love and war.”
“And what is this? Love or war?” I asked, hating that he managed to look this hot even with shaving cream on his face. How fair was that?
He cocked his head to the side. “A bit of both, I suppose. I’m in a war to win your love.”
Timmy called me again and I turned toward him, happy with the distraction. He was secured in his seat on the counter.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked, walking toward Timmy and leaning down to kiss his little feet, which always made him laugh like crazy.
“Well, Timmy is one today and it’s my job to show him how to be a man.” He grinned, grabbing his razor from the counter and gently shaving the top of his cheek. He stopped at his usual beard line. “Today I'm showing him how to shave.”
I chuckled, brushing my forefinger across Timmy’s sweet, soft, chubby cheek. “I think you have a few years with this one.”
“It’s never too early to learn. We Beaumont men are all male.”
“Oh, I know!” I exclaimed before blushing furiously at the implication of my words.
He turned toward me, his eyes trailing up my bare legs. “I know you do, but I want to make new memories.”
I knew he regretted what had happened between us. He felt guilty, but in the grand scheme of things, I didn't think there was a reason for him to. I’d pretended to be my sister. I’d seen firsthand what my sister had been through and I knew that the kind of degradation Dean had put me through would not even have been a blip on my sister’s radar. I raised my hand to comfort him but thought better of it given his state of nakedness.
He grabbed my hand and ran his thumb across the inside of my wrist, touching the house charm he had given me the day I’d moved back in. ‘A charm for each milestone,’ he had said.
He rested my hand on his chest, over his rapidly beating heart, and then placed his hand on top of mine. We stayed like that for the next few seconds, staring into each other's eyes. The heat of his skin warmed me from the inside out.
Timmy babbled again, bringing me back to reality. Dean reluctantly removed his hand from mine. Sighing, I lifted my hand off his chest, but not before running my fingers down his abs. I was only human, after all.
“I need to get the birthday boy ready for his big fiesta.” I booped Timmy’s nose with my index finger. “We can’t have the guest of honor in his ducky onesie, can we?”
“It gives him some style, I think. A kiss before you go?” he asked me teasingly.
He’s been asking me for a kiss every day since I’d moved back in. I’ve told him ‘no’ for fourteen days in a row…I didn't feel like saying ‘no’ today.
“I don’t remember today being your birthday.”
“No, you’re correct, but you’ll definitely make me feel like it is.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Uh-huh.”
He smiled his predatory smile, the one that promised the kind of pain I actually liked.
He pulled me toward him, close enough for me to feel the growing erection in his pants.
“What can I say?” He brushed his nose against mine. “You’ve got this effect on me, no matter what you do or what you wear.”
Cupping my cheeks, he leaned down and kissed me gently, tenderly. Not something I was used to. I’d never been cherished; I'd never been cared for.
I let out a tearless sob.
He moved his head a little. “Did the kiss upset you?” he asked, brushing my cheekbone with his thumb.
“No actually, quite the contrary. It was the best kiss; it made me feel loved.”
“That’s because you are loved.”
My stomach flipped. How was I even supposed to protect myself from him? I’ve never stood a chance.
Sighing, I took a step back. “I’ll go get us ready. I’ll see you later.”
“Just a minute.” He walked into the bedroom and retrieved a little square box. I opened it to find a pair of lips.
“This is a charm for our first real kiss, the first one that matters.”
I gave him a small smile, extending my wrist to him. “Help me?”
He took off my bracelet and kissed my wrist before putting the charm on.
“How many of them did you get?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out, Ms. Collins.”
I shook my head with a small smile. “Fine, keep your secret. I will see you in a bit.”
“I can’t wait,” he replied with a cheeky grin that looked amazing on him.
After setting Timmy down in his playpen, I took a quick shower. Once dry, I let my hair flow down my back and got dressed in the white dress covered with cherries that I knew Dean loved.
Then I got Timmy ready for the day, dressing him in the cutest little birthday outfit, a three-piece navy short set with braces and a bow. I tried styling his hair like Dean.
It was strange how he looked just like Dean like this; they could be father and son.
My heart squeezed at the memory of them in the bathroom this morning, as well as all the other times I’ve seen them together. Dean obviously loved Timmy immensely and, despite only being one, it was clear that Timmy already adored Dean too.
We’d planned a brunch in the sunroom today with close friends and family. Dean hadn’t been overly happy when I’d wanted to invite Jeremy. I wouldn’t ever tell him, but I found his jealousy endearing. It showed me how worried he was about losing me, and that made me feel cherished.
“How about we go see if your birthday party is ready? What do you say, sweet boy?”
“Gah!”
I pulled him up from his playpen and settled him on my hip. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
The sunroom was beautiful with a sea and duck decor. A wooden high chair had been set at the head of the table with a one-shaped balloon attached to its back.
“Isn’t that beautiful?” I asked, swirling around looking. I stopped, my attention caught by the gift table, which was already piled with gifts.
“What’s all this?”
Mrs. James laughed. “Presents from the staff. We’re just so happy to have you and Timothy here. You are breathing a new life into this house, the two of you.”
I looked down at Timmy and kissed his nose. “He’s one of a kind.”
“And so are you, Miss Collins, so are you,” she added as she arranged the little plastic ducks on the table.
I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to keep on feeding Timmy’s obsession with ducks. But when I’d voiced this concern to Dean, he had waved his hand.
‘Of course, we should! It makes him happy and who knows, our boy might end up as the world’s most famous avian vet. Then he’ll have us to thank,’ he’d replied with a scoff.
Our boy. If only he knew how much I loved it when he called Timmy that.
“Miss? Your guests are coming,” the butler announced.
“Perfect. I will go meet them in the hall. Could you please inform Mr. Beaumont?”
He bowed and left the room.
I turned toward Mrs. James.
“You go, Miss,” she said. “Everything is ready and I’ll tell the chef guests are starting to arrive.”