“Sounds delish,” I said around a dazzling smile before focusing my attention on Camilla. Both her hands strangled the defenseless water bottle with a white-knuckled grip. The longer I stared, the deeper her cheeks tinged a rosy hue that enhanced her bronzed skin tone. Combined with the way her big brown eyes caught mine and her tongue poked out to moisten those plump lips, a desire I hadn’t felt in ages began to overshadow my need to appear unaffected.
There was no way to know what she was thinking. What had been obvious, though, was how the tension between our tethered gazes practically crackled and hissed in that small living room.
Debbie looked at her watch before exchanging a silent conversation with Camilla. On Camilla’s nod, she said, “Well… I gotta go.” When she stood with her coffee in hand, I did the same. Thankfully, the interruption provided the opportunity to douse an electrical fire before it began. “I’ll have Camilla confirm the time once I speak to my husband.” Surprising me, she stepped into my personal space and hugged me with one arm. “I look forward to getting to know you, Trey.”
Not feeling the same, I lied and said, “Same here.”
That was until logic metaphorically smacked me on the back of the head, my inner voice reminding me that spending time with the “BFFs” seemed a small price to pay to get to know my daughter. And besides, I could be a charming fucker when I chose to be.
While Camilla showed her friend out, and their whispered voices traveled up the stairwell into her small apartment, I tried to plot out a game plan that would soften Camilla’s heart. I could already tell I’d win Debbie over, and having her as an accomplice would help tremendously.
The front door slammed shut, but the silence gave no indication if Camilla was still in the apartment or not. Assuming she’d stepped outside to continue her chat with Debbie, I stubbornly waited her out. Grabbing the bottle of water Camilla never handed over, I took a swig and resumed my place on her couch.
After ten minutes had passed, I finally heard her trudging up the stairs. Her face appeared above the short wall separating the stairwell from her apartment.
She again had her hair pulled up high into a ponytail, showcasing the slim line of her neck. The jeans she wore molded over her sexy curves, even as the bland beige T-shirt tried to offer an antidote in an unflattering baggy way. It was her bare feet, toenails painted a scarlet red, that balanced her out sensually.
When she noticed I had made myself comfortable, the frown she sported deepened. “Look, Trey. You can’t keep dropping by without notice.”
I nodded solemnly. “I understand.” Just as her scowl softened a bit, I added, “Consider this notice.”
Instantly, fury flashed in her eyes. “It doesn’t work that way. Alivia is very impressionable right now. She questions everything and is smart enough to know you appearing out of the blue means something.”
“It does mean something,” I argued stubbornly, needing to set her straight once and for all. Standing, I strode closer to where she stood and towered over her. “I missed the first six years of our daughter’s life.” When her mouth flapped open, I raised a hand. “Let me finish. I understand why I did, and maybe knowing she was my kid years ago wouldn’t have moved me the way it does today. But the fucking truth of it is—it moves me now. I want her in my life any way I can have her. You’re going to have to get used to that and live with it.”
Expecting a fight, a shove, or even a few choice expletives, I couldn’t contain my shock when she quietly said, “I know.” Those mesmerizing deep-brown eyes searched my face as a small sigh escaped her lips.
“Then why are you so difficult every time I see you?”
“Because I feel like I’m losing control. Up until now I was all she had,” she responded through clenched teeth, her ire returning. “Every second of her precious life was on me. I was her world. But every day I gazed into her gorgeous blue eyes, the nagging truth of who her father was pecked at my subconscious. A constant reminder of you whenever I looked at my daughter—her father the rock star.”
“Our daughter.”
She didn’t bother to acknowledge my interruption. “You can’t blame me for being skeptical that you’ll step up and be able to slip into the role without challenge.”
I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to convince her I could absolutely step up, mainly because I wasn’t entirely sure I could convince myself. But that didn’t give her the right to stop me from trying. As I stared down at her, and as she stared up at me, that crackle I’d felt earlier resumed with each silent second that ticked by.
Having no idea what it was, I could only assume it was a mutual animosity neither one of us were willing to let go of.
The sound of a key jiggling in the lock downstairs grabbed our attention. “Who’s that?”
“Livi’s home. Debbie actually left to pick her up for me so I could talk some sense into you,” she said with a wry smirk.
“Mommy?”
“Up here, sweetie.” A series of thunderous stomps sounded that didn’t match the little pixie I knew Alivia to be.
“Guess what?” she barked when both her pink Chucks landed on the living room floor with a final thump. Seeing her wearing a matching pink plaid dress and hair bows caused an automatic smile to spread on my face.
The first thing she saw was the humongous Hello Kitty doll, which was still sitting where I’d planted it after I arrived. Her book bag landed with a thud as she pointed to the present. “What’s that?” Alivia’s pigtailed head swung toward us, revealing the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. “Is that for me?” Before we could answer, she sprang at me and hugged my legs. “Thank you, Trait. Thank you! I wanted her my whole life.”
I chuckled at the theatrics, ignoring Camilla’s eye roll. “You’re welcome, Squirt. But my name is Trey.” Squatting until I was eye level, I tweaked her nose. “You can remember it this way—it rhymes with play. Because every time I see you, I’m going to bring you something to play—”
“O… kay… Livi, go wash your hands, and you can have a snack.” Camilla took her hand and gently swung her body toward the hall.
“Can Trey have a snack with me?”
“Trey has to—”
“I sure can,” I said, cutting Camilla off with a grin. “I can stay as long as you want me to.”
“Yay!”
When she bolted away, Camilla grabbed my arm. “Just because I conceded on you seeing her doesn’t mean we won’t have ground rules,” she whispered while jabbing my chest with a rigid finger.
“What did I say that has your panties all twisted up?”
“First…” She raised her pointer. “No more unannounced visits. I keep her on a schedule on weeknights, and I can already tell having you here riles her up, and that would make it harder to get her to bed on time. Then I’d have to deal with the consequences when she won’t wake up in the morning.”
“Isn’t she in summer camp now?” When Camilla narrowed her eyes, I amended. “Gotcha… call first. Next?”
“Secondly…” Her middle finger slid up. “You’re not bringing her a gift every time you visit.”