Page 35 of At First Flight (Coral Bell Cove #1)

And it’s not just the women confiding to various sources that they had snagged me, or my cheating ex, claimed we’re still together.

Yeah, right . It’s the fact that people are starting to dig into my past. And if they go deep enough, the news about my real father and what really happened with the death of my sister will break.

I can’t have either of those things come to light.

By the time I pull into the tree-lined driveway, the town is already starting to feel more confined—in a good way. More like a tight embrace that makes you feel like you’re home.

I spot Lila’s SUV in the garage bay, and I release a heavy breath as I pull my own vehicle inside.

The side door opens just as I step out of my car, and Lila emerges from the shadows of the mudroom.

She’s there in denim shorts and a soft green T-shirt, hair pulled back from her face, elongating her neck, and she’s looking at me like she’s been holding her breath since the moment I left. Like maybe she can finally exhale.

I don’t say anything as I approach. No need to. My eyes say it all as I take her in from the tips of her pink-painted toenails to the wispy hairs on the top of her head.

Lila steps forward, down one stair, then the other, until we meet halfway.

“You’re here early.”

“I am.”

“Did you leave in the middle of the night?” she asks, her voice low but steady.

“Something like that.”

She smiles, that half smile she graces me with when she thinks I’m not looking.

Without thinking, I reach for her hand, desperately needing some physical connection to her.

Christ, her skin is soft and warm, so smooth against my callused palms. Years of doing anything I can to get my hands dirty and out of an office will do that.

I’m ready to loosen my grip on the off chance that she pulls away. But she doesn’t. She glances down and then intertwines our fingers like they belong there. I take a small step forward until our feet are almost touching. Lila smells like clean linen and citrus—sunshine and science.

Neither of us pulls away, and my chest tightens with anticipation as her pink tongue reaches out to touch her lips.

“How is everyone? The baby is adorable.”

“They’re good. Happy. Shit, it’s the most I’ve seen Talon smile since their wedding. And Rory? She was made to be a mom. I’ve never seen her look so…at peace.”

“That’s good to hear. The kids missed you.”

“I missed them. And you. I kept thinking about you.”

Lila’s expression shifts, softening. “I thought about you, too.”

Her words were quiet but no less impactful.

I want to kiss her. Pull her into my arms and destroy whatever barriers she’s erected.

But I don’t.

Not yet.

“About the party… there is a present in the back of the SUV, and both kids are excited for cupcakes.”

“Thanks for getting that together. I’m not sure what to expect.”

Her giggles reach my ears like a private symphony. “You and a crowd of sugar-rushed preschoolers. I kind of wish I was going now.”

I kind of wish she was going, too. While I’m good with my niece and nephew, other kids can be a bit daunting.

“Plans?” I ask now that she has the rest of the day off.

“I’m meeting with Ashvi, but I’m not sure what we’re doing tonight. Gossiping, I hope. I may stay at her place if that’s okay?”

I quickly imagine her wearing those cutoff denim shorts and a cropped shirt exposing her abdomen and shoulder. Cowboy boots on her feet. I’d rather see them wrapped around my neck.

Coughing, I try to draw attention away from my growing erection.

“You can stay wherever you like.”

“Okay.” She takes a step back, pulling our hands apart. I miss her touch instantly. “Go find the rascals. They’re waiting for you. I’ll be here until you leave.”

The kids are waiting, just like Lila had been, and I hold them close to me when they bound into my waiting arms.

Oliver rattles on about the party while Evelyn is more than content to rest her body against mine while in my arms. She’s so much like me in that way. Genevieve was always the outspoken one. The one who never met a stranger.

I thought I knew the extent of chaos. I’d been to multiple celebrity events where a catfight broke out and concerts where the mosh pits engulfed the entire standing area. But nothing could have prepared me for Liam’s (the playground friend) birthday party.

The Coral Bell Cove park is filled to the brim—kids running around adults, making their way in and out of the pavilion with frosting smeared on their faces.

Plates litter the ground like polka dots.

Balloons meet their demise on the concrete pad, a graveyard of their own making.

Finally, someone cut off the stereo because I couldn’t listen to Kidz Bop and Baby Shark again without losing all my brain cells.

I lean back against the fence surrounding the park, nursing a cup of red fruit juice that’s starting to get warm.

The sun is high, the sound of children’s laughter drifting over the grass as they run and play, and I can’t help but wish I had something stronger than juice in my hand.

A splash of something a little more… adult.

Oliver is off with another little boy, pretending to sword fight with two Styrofoam pool noodles, their faces scrunched in concentration and the occasional battle cry that makes me smile.

I watch them for a moment before turning my attention to Evelyn, who’s sitting on a bench by herself, watching everyone but not quite joining in.

Her little fingers are smeared with the icing from her cupcake, and she’s methodically licking them clean, looking so deep in thought that I almost want to interrupt her.

But I don’t. I love watching her like this, observing the world through her quiet, patient eyes. She’s like Lila in so many ways, soft and still, yet always absorbing, always understanding more than she lets on.

And then the peace is shattered. I feel the shift before I see her. Ashley.

She’s sauntering over, her designer sandals flapping against her feet as she moves with the kind of confidence that makes the air around her feel too warm.

She’s got that look on her face, the one that means she’s about to stir up trouble.

Her gaze locks on me for a moment, and I’m half expecting a smile, but it’s more of a predatory smirk.

She’s up to something. I’m not sure what it is, but when she stops a few feet away, I can already tell it’s going to be bad.

“Dean,” she says in that low, teasing tone of hers, tilting her head slightly, the movement so practiced it’s almost sickening. “Did you forget about me already?”

I don’t answer right away, keeping my eyes on Oliver, still oblivious to the drama brewing around him.

Evelyn glances over at Ashley for a moment, her cupcake held suspended mid-air as if she’s already sensing the energy shift.

But I’m not worried about the kids right now.

I’m worried about Lila and how Ashley has made it her mission to get under her skin ever since she got here.

Ashley steps closer, her gaze lingering on my lips before flicking back to my eyes. She places her hand on the fence, leaning in, and I can almost feel her trying to fill the space between us with her presence.

“I don’t see why you’re wasting your time with Lila,” she says, the words dripping with condescension. “You could have anyone, Dean. You don’t need to settle for a nanny, do you?”

I freeze, feeling the familiar anger clawing its way up my throat. But I don’t let it show.

Ashley continues, unaware of the effect her words are having. “I thought maybe you could use a break. Maybe… we could go for a drink? You know, blow off some steam?”

Her fingers lightly brush against my arm, and I feel a surge of irritation flood my chest. I’m not a saint, and a part of me has always been attracted to attention. But not like this. Not from someone like her. Not when I’ve already given my heart to someone else.

I straighten up, setting my cup aside, and lock eyes with her. “If you ever try that again,” I say, my voice low, the warning clear, “I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Ashley’s eyes flicker with surprise, but she quickly recovers, her smile stretching wider as if she’s unsure whether she’s actually intimidated. “What’s the matter, Dean? You’ve never had someone who likes a challenge?”

I reply, voice firm, “If you can’t see the difference between my interest in you and in Lila, maybe it’s time you look a little harder. You won’t like what you find.”

She scoffs, clearly thrown off, but I don’t let her get a word in. My gaze drifts around the park. I don’t need to explain to Ashley that I’m already spoken for. She’s smart enough to pick up on it.

Ashley stands there for a beat, her confidence wavering just enough before she turns and walks off, muttering something under her breath. She’s not used to being put in her place.

Intruder gone, I watch as Evelyn continues to meticulously nip at her cupcake, her eyes always roaming. I need to ask Lila if there is a way I can nurture her watchfulness, instead of demeaning it like everyone had of mine.

As if she can feel my eyes on her, Evelyn sits up and returns my gaze.

“Uncle Dean,” she calls out, holding up the de-iced cupcake. “Do you want the cake part? I don’t have to eat it, do I?”

“You can skip it, Ev. But maybe don’t let the birthday boy see you,” I say, nodding my head in his direction where he’s joined Oliver in the sword fight. “We may have a mutiny on our hands.”

She nods as if she understands what the word mutiny means and goes back to licking away whatever icing on her cupcake she can find.

I’m smiling as I lift my phone from my back pocket. My background is now a picture of Lila and the kids that I snapped as she was helping them get ready for the party.

I haven’t texted her since we left, but God, I miss her.

My feelings are ridiculous, considering I saw her just a couple of hours ago, but my mind hums in a way that hasn’t quieted.

Dean:

Kid chaos in full effect. You’ve fed me to the wolves. I’m not sure I’ll recover.

Lila:

I’m sure you’ll survive.

Dean:

Rescuing me might be the only option at this point.

Lila:

Soldier on, my friend. It’s only for another hour.

Dean:

I’ll be buried with the balloons by that time.

Lila:

Be careful! They’re likely to turn you into a pinata in that case.

Dean:

Have fun today, but not too much fun tonight.

I can hear her rolling her eyes from here.

Lila:

Yes, Dad.

I’m not sure she realized the effect her text would cause, my pants tightening from my cock stiffening. I wonder if she liked dirty talk in bed.

I’m still gripping my phone, barely registering the half-completed text on the screen as I hear the pitter-patter of little feet racing toward me.

My mind is still wrapped up in the conversation from earlier, but the moment I look up and see Oliver barreling toward me, breathless and wild, something inside me shifts.

“Dad!” he yells, his eyes wide with excitement. “There is a pirate ship we get to hit with a bat.”

My heart stutters in my chest. For a second, I can’t breathe. The word "Dad" hangs in the air between us, louder than any noise coming from the party, reverberating deep in my soul. It feels like a punch, but in the most beautiful, gut-wrenching way.

I blink, trying to ground myself, but everything shifts.

What just happened? Did he just…?

His innocent face beams up at me, so filled with joy and excitement over some ridiculous childhood game, but I can’t seem to shake the weight of what he just said. “Dad.”

I don’t even know how to explain what it does to me.

It’s like the entire world shifted at that moment.

All the shit I’ve been running from, all the reasons I convinced myself I couldn’t be a father, all the fear of screwing up—it suddenly doesn’t matter.

Because this kid just called me Dad , and it feels like it’s been waiting to spill out for a lot longer than just today.

I force myself to focus, clearing my throat as I try to speak. But a part of me is still spinning because I never thought this would happen. Not like this. Not with someone like Oliver, someone who’s not mine but who’s been slowly crawling into my heart in ways I can’t even put into words.

“Jesus, kid. Who in their right mind gives a bat to a bunch of four- and five-year-olds?” I say, my voice coming out rougher than I intended, a little strained, but the words fall flat compared to the riot of emotions tumbling through me.

Oliver doesn’t seem to notice the shift. He’s too wrapped up in his excitement, his voice a constant stream of energy. But I can feel it. That one word. Dad. It’s like a promise, like it’s just a matter of time before I settle into this role for good.

I just… never expected it to happen like this. Never expected to feel this way. It’s like everything I’ve been building up in my life, the walls, the walls I put up so carefully, are starting to crack.

And I think I might finally be ready to let them fall.

Oliver cackles in my ear as I scoop him up and make my way toward Evelyn. She grabs my hand, and we head toward the pavilion in a trail of disasters waiting to happen.

Yet somehow in the middle of the birthday battlefield, I feel… fulfilled. Like maybe I don’t have two lives anymore, just a single messy one.

And later, when the sun dips down, and the house grows quiet as the kids fall asleep, I think about Lila. Where my thoughts can take us to places she’s scared of. If only she realized how safe she’d be with me.

How I’d never let anyone take advantage of her again. How I could love her. If only she’d let me.