Lucien: Single Dads of Gaynor Beach by Alice La Roux

Author:Alice La Roux
Language: eng
Format: epub

CHAPTER 17

LUC

I’m just going to put this out there—but playdates are not my thing.

Five children, lots of sugar and even more screaming. And everything was sticky. Why was it sticky? I spent most of the time with Tom’s mother, Libby, as she kept gushing about what a wonderful, hands-on father I am. It was hard fighting back a laugh the fifth time she’d said it. If only she knew what it had taken to get me to this point—and this still wasn’t enough.

I was hoping to have a serious talk with Daphne when she was back from Costa Rica about custody. We technically had joint custody, but I’d never used it properly—I was trying to make a name for myself at Astor, Windsor and Carrington and then, when my hypertension had caused waves, my focus had been on building Westlake & Co. It had suited Daphne just fine because she’d come back here to Gaynor Beach, back to her parents and picked back up with her life as if our marriage had only been a blip.

But now I want more. I want to see the children as much as our schedules would allow. I wanted to be there for bedtimes, homework and potty training. I want to have breakfast with Ollie while he tells me about some video games I don’t understand. Or have Evelyn roll her eyes when I give the twins their snacks the wrong way around (Tilly will always pick bananas over apples, while Gus is the opposite). I never should have missed out on these things to begin with, and now I don’t want to give them up.

We pull up alongside the sidewalk to pick up Evelyn, and as she climbs into the front seat, her short dark hair makes me do a double take.

She freezes, blinking slowly at me as she chews on her bottom lip. “What? Don’t you like it?”

I knew she was getting it cut. They’d rung me twice about it and yet seeing it, seeing her look so adult, so much like Daphne sucks all the air out of my lungs.

“I think it looks really nice, Eve,” Ollie says, leaning forward from his seat, filling the awkward silence I’ve left.

“Pwetty!” a small voice calls with a gleeful clap, and I think it’s Gus from his car seat because when I last checked in my mirrors, Tilly was out cold.

“Thanks.” She tucks a strand behind her ear. “Dad?”

As I grin, she finally settles in and reaches for her seatbelt. “You look grown-up. I love it, but it also makes me sad at the same time.”

I fake cry a little, earning me little laughs from the boys in the backseats.

“You’ll always be my baby girl, you know that, right?” I sniff loudly and pretend to wipe my eyes. My tone is joking, but the words are true. I only hope I haven’t left it too late to have a relationship with her before she really is a grown-up, and going off to college, living her life.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.