Jon snagged Trinity’s hand as she walked back to make them plates. “Thanks.”
“She’s all cleaned up. We don’t want her getting dirty again.”
Emmy didn’t make a sound as she shoveled noodles into her mouth, sauce getting all over her lips. The little girl ate like she hadn’t had a meal in days.
Jon watched with concern on his face and in his eyes.
She set his plate in front of him and hers at the table. She grabbed her wine from beside the stove and sat down with them. For a second, she took in the two sitting at her table, sharing a meal, and thought, This is really nice.
“I’m glad you guys came.” She forked up some pasta but didn’t get it into her mouth because she found herself lost in Jon’s blue eyes and the intense way he looked at her.
“You have no idea what this means to me, or how grateful I am to have met you.”
She let her hand drop down beside her plate. “I have no idea what to do with that.”
“Accept it. Say yes to another date.”
She said, “Thank you,” for the overwhelming sentiment, and “Yes,” to another date.
The last of the tension went out of Jon. He relaxed into his chair and dug into the meal with as much enthusiasm as Emmy, who’d already devoured half her plate.
“Do you have a kitty?”
Trinity shook her head. “No, sweetheart, I don’t.”
“I have three.” She held up one finger. “Puff.” A second finger went up. “Dot.” And a third finger. “And Razzle. She’s orange and white.”
“I love her name.”
“I like kitties. Well, Razzle. She’s nice. Puff and Dot are grumpy. But I want a puppy. Mama says I can’t have one. But Dad said maybe, which means I’ll probably get one.”
Trinity put her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand, and stared at Jon. “Is that what maybe means?”
Jon’s gaze bounced from her to Emmy and back. He didn’t answer, just lifted his wide shoulders and let them fall. “We’ll see.”
“Peez,” Emmy said, noodles hanging out of her mouth, her eyes big and round and too sweet to not give in.
But Jon didn’t commit. “I said, we’ll see.” He met Trinity’s gaze, and there was a definite yes in his eyes.
She smiled and thought it sweet he wanted to maybe surprise Emmy with a pet when the time was right. It had been a hell of a few days for Jon with his father being sick and Steph dropping the ball while taking care of Emmy.
“I’m full.” Emmy still had a big bite in her mouth, but she chewed very slowly, all the energy going out of her.
“Finish off that bite and you can be done.”
Emmy did, then leaned back in the chair, her eyes drooping.
“She’s had a long day.” Trinity finished off the last few bites on her plate, then picked up Emmy’s and hers and took them to the sink.
Jon followed with his plate once he’d finished. “That was really good. I can’t believe you made that in such a short time.”
“Pasta is easy. And I thought she’d like something simple and good. Everyone seems to like spaghetti.”
“I like you more and more the longer we spend time together.”
She loved how open and honest he was about how he felt. “I like you, too. You’re a really good dad. She’s a great little girl.”
“She’s everything to me.” Which was his way of telling her he was a package deal.
She didn’t mind. With Adria and Liz pregnant and the next generation of McGraths on the way, she’d been thinking about how nice it would be to have what her brothers found with their partners and to have a family of her own.
“I haven’t been the parent I want to be. I spent a lot of time working and away from her. That’s why I wanted to come back here to the ranch. She deserves the best I can give her, and I wasn’t doing that back in California.”
“So you changed your whole life for her.” Amazing. Most men thought work was the most important thing and that’s how they provided for and took care of their children. Not Jon. He understood the time he shared with Emmy counted most.
“What you saw tonight, that’s just a small glimpse into how bad things were getting with Steph taking care of Emmy and me doing the weekend father thing. It wasn’t working for any of us. Steph couldn’t handle it mostly on her own. If I wasn’t putting a fire out at work, I was with her and Emmy every week. It got to be too much. So I made a deal with Steph. We’d move here and split the time with Emmy equally. Nothing in Steph’s life is ever what she wants it to be unless someone is spoiling her rotten and doing everything for her. But she’d asked her dad one too many times to bail her out. I was on her case about taking better care of Emmy. And Steph decided she wanted to start over in a new place and prove to her dad and family she could take care of herself and Emmy if she had a less demanding job and a simpler life. So I got her a job managing the grocery store, rented her an apartment, and promised to actually co-parent Emmy and that we’d do more together as a family.”
“So she wants to be independent but you take care of both of them.”
“Like everything with Steph, it’s complicated. I pay for Steph’s apartment because that’s where my kid lives and I want Emmy to have a nice place that is clean and safe and feels like home to her. Steph works, but sometimes she overspends and her family, or I, end up having to bail her out because my kid needs to eat.” The resentment and anger came across loud and clear.
“I see.” The picture he painted didn’t shine a nice light on Steph. It couldn’t be easy to have a parental partner who didn’t hold up their end.
“I’m trying to uncomplicate my life.” He cupped her face in his warm hands. “So thank you for being the easiest, most wonderful thing in my life right now. You helped me with my dad and now my daughter without complaint or even a sign of disappointment that our dinner out turned into dinner in.”
“I really don’t mind, Jon. She’s—” Trinity notched her chin toward the bed in the corner of the large open room. “Asleep.”
Jon’s gaze shifted and he laughed under his breath. “She just made herself right at home.”
Emmy had pulled the blanket at the end of the bed over her, curled up under it with her head on the sky blue chenille throw pillow, and fallen right to sleep.
Jon’s hands fell away from her. “You cooked. I’ll do the dishes, then take her home so she can get a good night’s sleep.” The frown confused her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wish I had her room set up, but I sold most of my furniture and her baby set before the move. I bought her a new set for Steph’s place, but I thought there’d be something she could use at the ranch, but I guess I abused my old furniture as a kid and teen and it’s junk now. Plus, she deserves something that’s hers.”
“I can help with that.” She went to her desk and picked up her tablet. She pulled up the site she and Adria had been looking at recently for the new babies’ room. For twins, Adria wanted something that would last.
She held the tablet up for Jon to see. “What do you think about this set?” All dark wood, the set included a dresser, nightstand, and crib. She scrolled down the page. “Instead of the crib, you can get a twin or full-size headboard instead.”