Page 12 of Rush

At the last second, Allie grabs the drink carrier, and my hands are now free to grab the little ball of energy currently yelling, “DADDY!!” at me.

I scoop her up easily, enjoying the feel of her weight in my arms and the shining light in her eyes that are the exact shade of mine. Her little hands grab my face, and she smacks a kiss loudly on my chin. “Missed you!” her little voice says, and my heart squeezes in my chest.

“I missed you, little Pretty Girl.”

“Sorry, she isn’t completely ready yet.” Sam steps into the hallway, and this time, my heart starts racing in my chest. 64 hours. I waited 64 hours for this sight in front of me again. My little girl and the love of my life.

“I’m a little early,” I manage to rasp out, my eyes still devouring the woman in front of me. Everything from her painted red toes, the flare of her jeans and the tight white t-shirt she wears tucked into them. Her long blonde hair is only half curled and a clip is holding different sections in place. Even slightly disheveled, she’s still easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

“Dyl, let me finish your pony then you can leave with Daddy, okay?” She smiles at our little girl, and my fucking heart melts over them both.

“Yeah, little pretty, we have a lot to get done today before we can have Gramps’ mac and cheese for dinner,” I tell her, and she rewards me with another smile just like Sam’s.

“O’tay,” Dylan agrees with what her mommy wants and I set her back down on her feet. She follows Sam back to where the bathroom is while I take the opportunity to move farther into the apartment.

“She was home early,” Allie says low enough for only me to hear, and I smirk at her, taking out an extra twenty-dollar bill from my wallet.

“The guy from the gym, right?” I ask, feeling my molars grind in the back of my jaw.

Allie snorts and rolls her eyes. “He’s saved on her phone as ‘gym bro.’ He isn’t anywhere near your level.”

I can’t help the smug expression that probably takes over my face and I reach out my hand, ruffling her hair. “You’re the best sis-in-law.”

This time she shakes her head at me and gives me the up and down attitude that most teens perfect. “You aren’t my brother-in-law yet, Kane. You have work to do.”

“Don’t I know it,” I mumble under my breath, and this time she gives me a sympathetic pat on my shoulder.

Allie walks away and I hear her tell Sam she’s leaving. The bus is out front and she needs to catch it in order to get home. I hear the sisters hug and fawn all over each other and Dylan calls goodbye to her aunty. Allie leaves the apartment a minute after that and then I’m alone with my girls. My girls. I have to take a few deep breaths in and out to help push down the storm that has been brewing inside of me since last Friday. I hate it every time Sam and I meet to exchange Dylan for our days. I don’t like missing time from Dylan’s life and I really don’t like when Sam walks away from me each time. I know deep down it's my fault, which is why I keep my mouth shut. Except for last week. After two years, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Sam’s eyes grew wide when I told her I owned the new garage in her college town. Then the color drained from her face when I told her I also lived in the apartment above the garage just so I could be closer to her and Dylan. I got to watch as every emotion, surprise, confusion, anger, and finally understanding moved over her face and eventually all the color came rushing back, creating a beautiful pink blush on her cheeks. Her eyes sparked when I said the word bedroom and I knew right then she wasn’t mad. No, Sam was curious and that made her uneasy. She couldn’t get out of there fast enough after that.

“I done!” Dylan comes running back into the room; this time, her feet are covered in a pair of fuzzy pink socks and her hair is pulled into two doughnuts on the sides of her head.

She jumps willingly into my arms and I hold her with her back to my chest while I help her slip on her pink shoes. Everything about this little girl is pink, glitter and hockey. She’s absolutely perfect.

“Do you have everything at your new place for her?” Sam asks, her voice hesitant, but her lips are trying to smile, to lighten the tension still lingering between us.

“Yup. Her room was the first I set up,” I tell her, hoping to put her at ease. “Do you have practice today?”

She nods and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Every day this week. I may be a little late actually picking her up Wednesday.”

I hate how she frowns, knowing just how much it hurts not spending every waking moment with our baby. “No worries. I’ll get her ready for bed so when you pick her up you can have all the cuddle time you want at home.”

There's a spark again in her eyes and a flash that is dangerously close to something I dare not name. My body wants to react to it, to see if I can pull more of those emotions forward and finally have her in my arms again. In the end, I know she isn’t ready. She doesn’t understand half of what’s happened or the plans that I’ve set in motion.

“Well, I guess we’ll head out so you can get to class,” I finally manage to say, the words feeling tight in my throat.

“Sounds good. See you Wednesday,” Sam says, her smile small until she leans forward and places one more kiss on Dylan’s little cheek. She squeals for her mommy, holding out her hands and demanding another kiss. We both laugh, and Sam kisses her again on her little button nose.

“Okay, little Pretty Girl. Mommy has class. Let’s head to the park.” I look down at her and see her bobbing her head excitedly. Sam opens the door for us. Right as I cross the threshold into the hallway, I turn to her.

“Oh, don’t forget to drink the latte I got you. Vanilla Cinnamon.”

Sam’s lips pop open as she glances at the cup on the counter then back to me. I can see her confusion and the slight flare of panic in her eyes. I’ve never forgotten anything about her. Even with all the shit between us, there hasn’t been a day where she hasn’t been on my mind. I turn my back, leaving her, and hating that I have to walk away. I can feel her watching us, her eyes on my back, and it sends shivers over my skin. For once, I stop, glancing over my shoulder. Her body jerks in surprise, and a slight blush covers her cheeks. My mouth forms a smile, loving that I caught her off guard, that I did something she didn’t expect.

“Bye, Sammy.”

sam