in life what you put into it. He’d learned that lesson over the years. Which was why he was not going to squander his freedom this time. He was going to build an empire for his girls, and it was going to start here, this morning, with pancakes.
“Your mother’s said a lot about you hanging around Kane,” he smirked just then, eyeing Penny.
Her cheeks went crimson, but she held herself well, telling him in a straightforward way, “Daddy, Kane is the one.”
Oh, my fuck.
He chuckled, glancing briefly at the stove to turn the element on. “How are you so sure?”
“Because you just know.”
“You just know, hey? Just like that?”
She nodded, brown eyes shining. This girl was going to be stunning. “You do. Didn’t you know it with Mommy?”
After he poured some of the mix in, wincing briefly at how NOT round it was, he turned to look at Penny. She was so invested in the conversation, her hands were gripping the edge of the island and she was leaning forward, staring straight at him, expectantly awaiting his response.
“Did I know?” he responded, thoughtfully. “Yeah, baby, I knew. I saw her standing there, in a crowd of people, and she looked hard and pissed. Her beautiful eyes damned me on the spot. She hated me, did you know that?”
Penny’s mouth dropped. “No way.”
“Yes way.”
“She hated you?”
“She did.”
Now Penny looked terrified. “But why?”
“Because I was a punk. I was supposed to be a gentleman. She needed a gentleman.” He crossed his arms now, reflecting on that moment he saw her in that uniform he had mistook for a costume. He stifled a wince. It had been Halloween, it wasn’t his fault, but okay, it kind of was. Because then he greedily wanted her.
“How did you make her change her mind?” Penny asked just then, mesmerized.
“I didn’t,” he answered, feeling a shred of remorse now for how that night panned out. He whispered so quietly under his breath, “I stole her.”
Yeah, he did.
He tempted her. He used his charm to woo her, and he never regretted it. He still didn’t, and it should have alarmed him. But what person ever regretted capturing a butterfly? No one.
“I think…” he paused for a moment, searching for the right words. “I think your mother believed I had something good inside me. She’s the only person who’s ever believed in me. I still have so much to prove to her, Pen. Can you help me?”
She nodded, excitedly. “Yes, I can help you.”
“Always be honest with me, too. Always tell me if I’m doing something wrong.”
“But you’re an adult.”
“Adults make the most mistakes.”
When he grinned at her, her cheeks went another shade of pink. He saw the affection in her eyes, and he was disarmed by it. Stepping closer to her, he dropped his head and delivered a kiss on the top of her bed head. She needed to comb the shit out of her hair, and her pyjama top was inside-out, but she was perfect.
After he nearly destroyed the batch of pancakes, they wandered out into the backyard. The flowers Penny had spoke of were planted on the soil beside the patio. Thames smiled at the sight of them because the line was all zigzagged and sad looking.
“Your mother plant these?” he asked, though he knew.
She nodded, bending down to pluck a few pretty purple flowers out. “She tried, and then she got frustrated because it wasn’t straight enough. I swear, Daddy, she says I have an anger problem, but Mommy has a big one, too, she just keeps it in her chest. I don’t know how she can carry that weight around. It must feel bad. At least, that’s what Uncle Jem says.”
The way she talked, it was nothing like the way he talked when he was her age.
“You’re an eavesdropper, aren’t you?” he joked. “Those are his words.”
She giggled, pulling a few flowers out. “Yeah, but I pretend I don’t hear anything, but I hear everything. It isn’t my fault. Everyone’s so loud.”
Yeah, Thames nodded, they were.
Charlotte awoke to a tray of pancakes, syrup, jam, and four purple flowers. The smile on her face seared Thames. She sat up, digging in straightaway as Penny explained their surprise. As she ate, the strap of her nightgown slid off her shoulder, and Thames followed the movement, suppressing the ache in the pit of him.
Charlotte fed Penny until she was full and then Penny ran off to play a bit of Minecamp.