Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“We’ll see.”
“Do you want to hear the news?”
“F...” He glanced down at Lily in his lap. “Fudge yeah. Hit me.”
Lily whacked him on the arm and laughed.
Dawg pulled the phone away from his ear. “Didn’t mean you, lady bug.”
Lily shrugged and gave him a big smile.
Putting the phone back to his ear, he said, “Go.”
“Visitation was approved!” she shouted into the phone.
“What?” he asked in shock.
“Yes! Approved! And better yet, not supervised.”
“What?”
“Yes!” Kiki yelled into the phone as if she couldn’t believe it, either.
“So what does that mean?”
“It means you get to visit with your daughter. You’ll get to know her. She’ll get to know you. For a couple hours at first. Then, eventually, if everything goes well, she’ll be able to stay overnight with you and Em. That’s if Caitlin wants to. She’s old enough to decide that for herself. And the judge wants her to be comfortable.”
“What?”
“Dawg!”
“What?”
“Stop saying ‘what!’”
“Holy... fudge.”
“I know! This is freaking exciting!”
His hand went automatically to his heart. It was beating a mile a minute. “When?”
“A schedule will be made up. I’m getting together with a mediator and their attorney to sit down and work something out. Are you okay with that?”
“Hell yeah. Soon, though, right?”
“Yes. Very soon. Like within the week.”
“So... she knows ‘bout me now?”
“Yes.”
“Was...” He hesitated. “Was she okay with it?”
Kiki got silent on the other end of the phone. A pain shot through Dawg’s chest. His daughter didn’t want to see him. Didn’t want to meet her real father.
They fucking did all of this for nothing.
There was no way he’d force her to get to know him. He didn’t want her to be miserable and hate him for the rest of her life.
No fucking way.
He never should’ve let Kiki start the process. It had been a big mistake.
“Dawg...”
“Yeah?”
“She does want to meet you. I think she’s confused, maybe even a bit scared, which is only to be expected. But she’s almost fifteen. She’s old enough to process it. Lily took to you like a fish in water because that’s how easy you are to love. Caitlin will be the same way. She’ll meet you and love you, just like Lily. Like Emma.”
Dawg pressed a hand to his eyes and dropped his head back, fighting back the burn in his eyes. “She ain’t the only one scared,” he murmured.
“It might be rough in the beginning. But, Dawg, it’s going to be worth it. I’m not sure what they told her about why you were never in her life from the beginning. I’m not sure you should talk about that right away. Maybe down the road. You don’t want to turn her against her mother, even though Regan was in the wrong.”
Dawg nodded even though Kiki couldn’t see it. As he processed what she was saying, he finally grunted, “Yeah. Got you.”
“Good. Hanging up now so you can tell Emma the good news.”
Dawg’s gaze met his wife’s across the kitchen. “Think she figured it out.”
“Good. Give her my love.”
“Take care of that kid. See you soon.” The phone went dead in his hand and he placed it on the table.
“Am I going to meet my sister?” Lily asked, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.
“Yeah, lady bug. Eventually. Maybe not at first, ‘kay?”
“But I want to play dolls with her.”
Emma rushed over to them. “Lily, why don’t you go take Oscar out back and throw the ball for him?”
Lily hopped off Dawg’s lap and screamed for the dog that was only five feet away, asleep on the floor.
Emma frowned. “No need to scream. He’s right there, Lily.”
“I know but he was sleeping!”
“Well, he’s not now,” Emma answered with exasperation.
“That was the point,” Lily told her mother with a huff.
Emma sighed as she watched Lily take the American Bulldog that they had adopted from the shelter a few weeks ago out the back door to the fenced yard.
Then she climbed into Dawg’s lap, taking Lily’s former spot. Dawg wrapped his arms around his ol’ lady and she did the same, looping her arms around his neck.
“Good news,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Yeah.”
“I know you’re worried,” she said, running soothing fingers through his beard.
“Yeah.”
“Baby, it’s going to be all right.”
“Yeah.”
Emma frowned. “Take it slow. Let her set the pace.”
“Right.”
“Dawson,” Emma whispered.
He dropped his gaze to hers. “Yeah?”
“She’s going to love you.”
“Ain’t nothin’ like her mom and stepdad.”
“Exactly. That’s why she’ll love you. You’re one hundred percent genuine. She’ll see that and appreciate it.”
“Sure?”
“Fudge yeah,” Emma answered with a smile.
“Love you, baby girl.”
“Love you, too, Dawg.”
He shook his head. “Just for that, need to give you one of D’s ‘lessons.’”
“Can’t wait.” She pressed her mouth to his ear. “Tonight after Lily goes to bed.”
Dawg reached between them to adjust his now hard dick. “How soon’s that?”
Emma laughed. “Since it’s only breakfast time, hours from now.”