Page 24 of Knotted their Beauty

Shaking myself of the odd emotions I’m feeling, I turn to face them both.

“I could eat,” I admit. “Are we still going to the beach?”

Mr. March’s steely gaze lands heavily on me before he nods. “That’s the plan. We have to tire Calista out somehow.”

Cali gasps dramatically, making me chuckle, and I listen as she tells her father all about how rude he is. I fucking adore this little girl.

Her dad isn’t so bad either.

Chapter

Seven

VES

“Oh, it’s like that, huh?” I playfully scowl as Cali splashes me, my girl giggling and squealing as I start to chase her. “You better be ready for the consequences then, kiddo.”

She screeches and laughs as I get closer, rushing to hide behind Arlo, and I can’t help but chuckle in return.

“You think he’s going to be able to save you?”

“Help me, Arlo! The big daddy sea monster is after me!”

Her nanny grins as he puffs out his bare chest, the little drops of water glistening in the moonlight as he widens his arms and tries to create a barrier between us. “I’ll protect you, Princess Calista!”

I’m sure he doesn’t think I’m going to do anything now that my daughter has dragged him into her game, but he’s wrong. I keep moving forward, picking up my pace as my feet dig into the sand, pushing against the thigh high water until Arlo is within range and as soon as he is, I snatch him up by the waist and hoist him over my shoulder.

I grin at his surprised gasp as I start backing up, Cali’s eyes widen before she starts running toward us. “I’ll save you, Arlo!”

“Never!” I shout. I don’t have to move very fast to outrun her in the water, and my daughter is a great swimmer, but I quickly get to where the waves hit just under my pecs and just as she starts treading water, I raise my free hand in the air and proclaim, “I’ll defeat your army once and for all!” before falling backward and taking Arlo into the warm water with me.

We both pop up a few seconds later, Cali giggling like crazy as she swims toward us, Arlo laughing a little freer as he watches her but it softens and he blushes like crazy as soon as he looks at me.

If this was any other scenario, and I was any other man, I could easily mistake this entire interaction as familial.

Something about Arlo has had my defenses slipping, and I have a feeling that each weekend he brings Cali out to me, it’ll get a little harder to keep them firmly in place.

Being around him is easy.

Easy and natural.

It was for Cali from the very beginning. She’s been comfortable with Arlo from day one and I’ve seen her affection and adoration for him grow tenfold since then. Watching their relationship evolve from nanny and client to what I could almost call parent and child has done things to me I wasn’t expecting. Or prepared for.

He’s still young, so young at times, but Arlo is what my mother calls an old soul and that comes through more often than not, and I think it’s why he’s fallen in step with my daughter so easily. I think that’s why it’s safe to say Cali loves him, even if she dances around the words when we talk one on one, and I know that’s why I’ve softened to him the way I have.

Seeing someone genuinely care for my little girl, really care for her the way he does, reminds me of the only void in our life, and how I secretly would love to see it filled.

I won’t even admit it to myself most of the time, but having a partner like him, someone as sweet and thoughtful, as beautiful and caring as Arlo, helping me raise my daughter, and who could love me the way I desperately need and long to reciprocate is something I crave.

But it’s something I know won’t happen, either.

I’ve been down that road before and while it brought me Calista, it almost destroyed both of us, and I won’t ever let something like that happen again.

Moments like these allow room for doubt, though.

Which is why I break Arlo’s stare and start heading back toward the beach.

“Fifteen more minutes,” I grunt as I push my hair out of my face. “Then we head back to the hotel for dinner and bed.”