Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Mi niña,” I whispered, smoothing her hair back. “I love you so much. So, so much.”
Aleesa tightened her arms around my neck, holding on for a few seconds before releasing me and leaning back so she could see my face.
She was smiling again. She ran a hand over my cheek, rubbing a tear away. “No be sad, Daddy.”
I smiled back, then kissed her cheek.
I faced Octavia next, hating that she was seeing me like this. So weak, pathetic, and broken. She stood a few steps away, wringing her fingers in front of her.
“Sorry if we interrupted,” she apologized.
“It is okay. I was about to leave anyway.” I cleared my throat. “How did you know I was here?”
“Catalina called, said it might calm you down and cheer you up if you saw Leesa. She sent me this address and said she was sure you’d be here.”
I huffed a humorless laugh. “My sister knows me too damn well.”
Octavia closed the gap between us, placing a hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“Anything I can do to help?”
I thought about that for a moment, looking from her eyes to Aleesa’s green irises. “I think we need to get away for a few days.”
Octavia gave me a funny look. “Like a vacation?”
“Yes. I do not want to think about what the judge’s decision will be. And if I am forced to share visitation with Aleesa, I want to spend all the time I can with her while I have her.”
A smile swept across Octavia’s lips. “Then we’ll do that. Where do you want to go?”
“I think we should go to a place Aleesa is slightly obsessed with.”
“Uh-oh.” Octavia laughed, knuckling Aleesa’s cheek to make her giggle. “Let’s hope we survive it.”
Forty-Five
Octavia
Of course, the place Javier was referring to was Disney World.
But you know what, I’d never been before, and I was a huge Disney girl. The Princess and the Frog would always be my favorite, with The Lion King as a close second.
We caught so many rides and ate so much food. Between the ice cream, the candy, and even the churros, Aleesa was in heaven.
We spent two days at the amusement park, having the time of our lives, wearing Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears and eating way too many carbs.
Seeing Javier carry Aleesa on his shoulders, witnessing the fireworks in her eyes as they burst at night, I saw the proof of how much he loved her. He was the perfect father. I hoped the judge would realize that not a single thing was missing from Aleesa’s life and that she was fine where she was.
It hurt my heart to think he would miss out on more time with her. It was enough losing time to travel for his games. He complained about that a lot and wished things were different or that Aleesa could simply travel with him, but it wasn’t realistic.
Regardless, Javier did seem to forget about the custody battle for a while.
After those days at Disney, he booked a rental and drove us to the Florida Keys, where he’d reserved a high-end hotel. We spent that day teaching Aleesa how to play Putt-Putt, walking the beach, and then eating deliciously greasy pizza for dinner.
Aleesa was beyond exhausted by the time we returned to the hotel. I gave her a bath, put her little bonnet on, and let her rest in a room with bunk beds.
When she was asleep, I blew a sigh of relief and left the room.
I had expected Javier to be in the living room, but he wasn’t. Instead, he was standing on the balcony, with his arms folded, peering out at the dark ocean ahead.
I slid the door open and shut it behind me before standing next to him. “She passed right out.”
He smiled. “Good. She seemed to have a really great time.”
“She definitely did.”
Javier draped an arm over my shoulder, bringing me closer to his body. A balmy breeze caressed my skin, and I laid my head on him, so content with this moment.
This feeling.
This safeness.
When I was in his arms, I wanted to be nowhere else.
“So, I do not want to scare you, but you realize you are no longer my nanny anymore, right?”
I tipped my chin to look at him. “Oh really? Are you firing me?”
“Yes. You are one hundred percent fired as my nanny,” he answered with a playful tone. “I do have another position you can fill, though, if you are interested.”
“Oh yeah?” I looped my arms around his waist. “What’s that?”
His warm brown eyes connected with mine. “I want you to be the one I wake up to in the mornings. The one I hold when I need comfort, and the one you look to for the same thing. I want you to be the one I continue feeling this happy with.”