Page 86 of Always Be Mine
Get through the summer.
Craig pulled his car into the parking lot at the lake, next to Lucy’s car.
He hadn’t been sure when he’d be able to sneak away from the shop, so Lucy had insisted on bringing all of the picnic supplies herself for their first summer picnic together.
A smattering of other small groups were scattered around the grassy area just above the beach, but Craig found his girls right away. He watched for a moment and took in the scene of Lucy and his daughter working together to pile the sand in one big heap. His heart swelled and a smile took over his face.
“Daddy! You’re here!” Meri abandoned the sand pile and ran full speed toward him.
He caught her sandy body and lifted her into a quick spin before holding her against him and walking through the sand toward Lucy. She’d stood up, but was also still covered in sand. She wore a white tank top over a bright-pink bikini top. The matching bottoms showed off her long, lean legs.
“Hey. You made it.”
More than anything, Craig wanted to pull her into his arms, sand and all, and give her the greeting she deserved.
“I’m glad you’re here, Daddy.” Meri twisted around in his arms. “You can help us with our sand tower.”
“I’m glad I’m here, too.” He kissed her on the top of her head. “It’s officially summer once we get to the beach.”
“Silly, Daddy. It’s been summer for weeks.” Meri giggled. “Come build the sand tower.” She wiggled until Craig put her down. Without waiting for a response, she took off across the beach and back to work on the tower.
Lucy laughed and turned to follow her. “She’s pretty?—”
Craig grabbed her hand to stop her, but as soon as she turned around, he realized his mistake. The problem with touching her was once he started, he didn’t want to stop.
Lucy smiled as if she knew exactly what he was thinking and squeezed his hand. “Come on. I have your bag with your swim shorts. You better get changed and start helping out with this sand tower.”
The combination of the fresh air and sun on her face was making Lucy very sleepy. Meri had been going nonstop since getting to the beach earlier that afternoon after a half day of school.
It was impressive how much energy a six-year-old had. It was going to be a very busy summer. But for the first time in years, Lucy was looking forward to the long days in the sun. Instead of juggling schedules and shifts for all her summer student employees who all wanted to avoid working on the busy patio in the heat, she’d be playing outside in the sun with the sweetest little girl she’d ever met.
And then, of course, there was Craig.
She pulled her sunglasses down over her nose and gazed out over the beach from where she lounged under the umbrella to watch him in the lake with Meri.
Of course Lucy had seen him without a shirt on before, but the sexy sight of him bursting out of the water, droplets glistening off his hard chest as the afternoon sun hit him, sent all kinds of sensations between her legs.
Damn.Aquaman had nothing on her man.
Her man.
It sounded nice to her.Verynice.
The only part of it all that wasn’t nice was the fact that they were still keeping their relationship under wraps. She’d secretly hoped that after their absolutely perfect night together, they’d both be ready to go public with things, but Craig insisted they wait until the fall before telling Meri and the family about them.
Lucy had never dated a man with a child before, and not having one of her own, she had absolutely no experience with things like this. It only made sense to defer to Craig on issues that directly affected his daughter. If he wanted to wait, she trusted him to know what was best.
She watched as Craig scooped Meri up and tossed her in a gentle arch, through the air and into the water. She squealed and instantly clamored for more. Soon, Craig was surrounded by other children, all wanting to be tossed in the air. Dutifully, he gave them each a turn until finally he begged off, needing a break.
A moment later, Craig hovered over her, dripping cold droplets of water on her sun-baked skin. “Come for a swim.”
“It’s freezing!”
“I’ll keep you warm.” The look in his eyes promised all kinds of heat she knew he couldn’t deliver on, given the circumstances.
When she didn’t answer right away, he leaned closer. Her entire body lit up with a need to touch him. She reached up to wipe water from his chest, when Meri burst between them.
“Savi wants to know if I can go in her boat! Can I?”
