Page 155 of Fighting Chance

Turning, I find Kieran leaning against the doorway, pink paint smudged all over his clothes as he grins down at me. He shrugs. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” To Emmy, I whisper, “You, my little queen, have an amazing dad.”

Her lips move, no sound coming out, and yet I could have sworn she mumbles to herself, “The best.”

Something she said earlier comes back to me suddenly.

Cocking my head, I say to Kieran, “I didn’t know you like to build Legos.”

I haven’t seen a single Lego in the house, and trust me, when you build with Legos, those little bastards show up in places they never should.

Kieran’s lip twitches. “You haven’t given me a juicy enough confession for that secret.”

Quirking my brow in challenge, I lean over and whisper conspiratorially in Emmy’s ear, “Want to show me Daddy’s Legos?”

Her eyes widen as she smacks a hand over her mouth, giggling to herself. Gosh, she’s vocal today, her personality shining. I can’t help myself, tears begin to build, forcing me to blink them away furiously.

Emmy’s small giggles stop suddenly as she leans forward, her voice so low I have to turn my head to the side so she’s whispering right into my ear.

“Daddy made the dark go away.”

Frowning at her cryptic words, I pull back to find her little pointer finger lifted upwards. I follow her finger, peering up at the ceiling. Emmy tips her head back and sighs, a content little smile playing along her lips as her brown hair, in two pigtails, swish along her shoulder blades.

If I thought Kieran was a great dad before, if I thought he had a beautiful soft side to him, it’s nothing compared to now.

Kieran Ashford was born to be a dad.

Covering the ceiling, nearly every inch, are stars.

Glowing stars.

Kieran flicks the light switch off, plunging us into space.

He’s placed glow in the dark stars all along the ceiling and the sight is magnificent. “It’s like you’re in space, Queen Emmy!”

Kieran turns the lights back on, and the glowing stars fade away. “Makes you feel safe, doesn’t it, sweetheart?”

In my peripheral, I can see her little head bopping up and down, but I can’t take my eyes off her dad. The man that has spent his entire day building not only custom bookshelves for hisdaughter but sticking what must be a hundred stars to her ceiling.

“Dad-of-the-year award,” I say, surprised to hear my voice is husky.

Something heats in his gaze at the sound of my voice, his lips tipping up into a crooked grin. “You like that, sunshine?”

My tongue is moving before I can stop it. “Very much.”

Emmy breaks the tension thrumming between her dad and me as she points to the door, reminding me.

“Oh, yes! Show me where your dad hides the Legos, Queen Emmy.” Rising, I let her pull me over toward Kieran. “Looks like I don’t have to cough up a confession after all,” I tease.

“You already did.”

I can’t help but frown as he follows Emmy and me into the hallway.What is he talking about?

Emmy tugs on my arm but I can’t drop Kieran’s gaze, not even when she comes to a stop at the end of the hallway, past her dad’s room and in front of one I haven’t ventured into before. She stands on her tiptoes, trying to reach the handle but failing. Kieran keeps piercing me to the spot as he moves forward, his lips all but brushing mine as, with pink-splattered hands, he leans forward and pushes open the door as he whispers huskily, “Welcome to my secret.”

My breath hitches, my body wanting nothing more than to sway forward into his, but Kieran’s looking at me like he knows exactly what I want and like he will make me beg for it. So instead, I turn to find a room, smaller than Emmy’s and yet still twice the size of my bedroom at home.

For the second time today, Kieran steals my breath. Inside, clear floating shelves house dozens, if not hundreds, of Legos.