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CHAPTER 34
Cash
Cheyenne had been quiet most of the ride back from Charleston. We’d spent the day with Oscar, the two of them had taken a walk on the beach while I puppy-sat Mona Lisa. I could still smell her puppy breath, probably because she’d coated my face with puppy kisses several times over.
I’d always wanted a dog, but I felt bad having one because I worked such long hours. My plan had always been to get one after I settled down and was in a relationship, but that just never happened.
There’d never been someone in my life that I’d wanted to do that with. Until now.
“Do you think he’s my father?” Cheyenne asked as she stared out the window.
Yes. I did, but I didn’t want to give her any false hope. She’d already been through so much in this journey. Oscar had been more than happy to take the paternity test that we had with us and Isabella had said that she’d rush the results, so hopefully, we’d find out in a day or two.
“I think there’s a really good chance that he is.”
“I hope he is.”
It broke my heart hearing her say that. I knew that all she’d ever wanted was a family. We’d talked about how lonely she’d been growing up with her grandparents. They may have provided the essentials like food, shelter, and given her an education, but there was no substitute for love.
My childhood may not have been perfect, but I never doubted that my mom loved me. I’d never felt alone or like I had no one to talk to.
“Did you want to come back to my place?” I asked as we pulled up to the stop sign where I’d need to take a left to go to her house or right to go to mine.
“Yes.”
I was relieved that she didn’t want to be alone. Not that I would blame her if she did. She’d been strapped to an emotional roller coaster this past week and I’d totally understand if she just wanted some time alone to process and recover.
“Can we order pizza?” Her eyes looked at me with hope as we pulled into my driveway. “And watch a movie?”
“We can definitely order pizza and watch a movie.”
The smile that spread across her face made my heart swell that she would get so excited over a pizza and a movie. That really was all it took to make her happy after a long day. I’d been with women that didn’t appreciate the little things in life and life just wasn’t as much fun. I found it extremely sexy and endearing that Cheyenne was excited to spend an evening vegging out in front of the television.
She really was the perfect woman. Or at least she was my perfect woman. The only question was, did she feel the same about me?
Today was not the day to have the talk with her. And it probably wouldn’t be tomorrow either. I’d talk to her after she got the paternity results back.
We walked inside and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of rightness at coming home with her. Seeing her set her purse on the console table and slide off her shoes, making herself at home gave me a glimpse of what our future together could be. And I loved what I was seeing.
I pulled up the app on my phone for Slice of Heaven. The last time I’d ordered pizza was a night at the bar that Cheyenne had kept me company until closing. “Pepperoni, mushroom, thick crust?” I double-checked that she wanted the same order.
She nodded. “Yes, please.”
I sent the order and got a notification. “It will be here in fifteen.”
“Is it okay if I take a shower?” She wiggled her toes. “I feel like I have sand everywhere.”
“Of course. Do you want me to grab you some sweats?”
“Yes, please!” She smiled before heading upstairs.
It wasn’t the first time that Cheyenne had taken a shower at my home or changed into my sweats. She’d done it on several occasions during movie nights. But this was the first time that she’d taken a shower since our relationship had entered the intimate zone.
I grabbed her a pair of sweats and a T-shirt and set them on the dresser. I was just about to see if she needed any help in the shower when there was a knock at the door.
I checked the time. Five minutes had passed since I put in the order. That was a record. They must’ve already had the pizza made.
I opened the door expecting to see Linc, the delivery kid, but instead it was Marissa. It took a second for my brain to catch up with who I was seeing.
