LISA

Six months later

The smell of ginger and spices wafted through the air as I walked through the front door, a plastic bag of groceries hanging from my hand. The door swung shut behind me, and I entered the kitchen to find Jennie and Lily huddled around the table, laser-focused on constructing an epic gluten-free gingerbread house.

"How are my girls?" I asked, setting the bag of sweets on the table and leaning down to place a kiss on top of Lily's head.

"Did you remember to get the little red dots?" Lily asked, looking at me like her question was the most serious thing she'd ever asked me and that my life depended on the answer.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, stepping around the table to kiss Jennie hello. "I got a little something for you too," I added.

"Aw, thanks, babe," Jennie said, barely looking up from her task. She was squeezing a huge tube of white frosting, meticulously dispensing the sugary glue between two slabs of gingerbread.

Once she finished piping the frosting, she set the tube down on the table and gently pressed the two edges together. "Okay, Lily, now we just need to wait for this last wall to dry, and then it'll be time to really get our decorating on."

Lily nodded silently, her eyes trained on the newly laid frosting.

"How about some hot chocolate while we wait?" I offered, unpacking the candies from the bag.

"Yay!" Lily quickly clambered down from her chair at the table and scurried to the pantry to help me get the hot chocolate ingredients.

Once Lily was out of earshot, I placed a hand on Jennie's shoulder and asked, "How was she while I was gone? She's listening to you, right? No issues?"

Jennie chuckled and shook her head. "Just because I've moved in doesn't mean that things are going to change between Lily and me. She was perfect. You really don't need to worry about us."

I let out a sigh of relief. Jennie had moved in for good last week. I'd figured there might be an adjustment period for all three of us, but so far, things had gone smoothly. "I know you're right. I just worry sometimes, you know? This is still new territory for all of us."

"Well, I appreciate your concern, but trust me, everything's perfect." Jennie smiled, and I leaned down to kiss her again, this time a little longer than before.

"Dada!" Lily called out. "Come help me make hot chocolate!"

I broke away from the kiss, and Jennie let out a small giggle.

"I guess that's something we'll just have to get used to, won't we?"

"You'd think we'd be used to being interrupted by now," I said with a wink. We both laughed, and I walked over to the fridge and pulled out the milk.

"Hey, Dada?"

"Yeah, Lily?"

"Is Jennie gonna live with us forever?"

Shit. When Jennie and I decided she should move in, we'd had a talk with Lily about it, but she didn't have many questions at the time. Jennie had said she thought that was a good sign, but I'd been worried. And now that Lily was asking me questions like that? I wasn't sure what her reaction would be, no matter how I responded.

"That's the plan," I said, turning the heat to low and setting the wooden spoon on the counter. "Is that okay with you? I know we talked about it before and you said it was okay, but it's also okay if you're scared about it now."

Lily shook her head, looking down at her toes. "No, I'm not scared," she said, picking at a piece of frosting stuck to her shirt.

"Then what is it, sweetie?"

"I just really like it that she lives here now."

I smiled, crouching down and pulling Lily in for a hug. "Me too."

I gave the hot chocolate one final stir before taking three mugs out of the cabinet. As I poured the hot liquid into the mugs, Lily followed closely behind, dropping a handful of mini marshmallows into each one.

"Do you want a candy cane in yours?" I asked, ripping the bag open and pulling out one of the mini red-and-white candies.

Lily shook her head vigorously. "No, that's gross."

"Well, I want one." I hooked a candy cane over the lip of the mug. "Jennie, do you want a candy cane in your hot chocolate?" I called over to her.

"No, that's gross," she called back.

Lily and I both laughed.

"See? I told you." Lily raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips.

Maybe I wasn't as prepared for this whole two-against-one thing as I thought. It was hard enough with one girl in the house, let alone two. I was seriously outnumbered.

I carried Jennie and Lily's mugs over to the table while Lily climbed into the chair next to Jennie, sitting up on her knees to get a better view of the house.

"Is it ready?" Lily asked.

"Just about." Jennie smiled. "In the meantime, why don't we start opening these bags of candy."

"I'll get you some bowls," I said. As I walked across the kitchen toward the cabinet, Lily and Jennie continued chattering behind me, their giggles and laughter bringing a huge smile to my face.

Jennie and Lily got to work on decorating the house, Lily pointing out the places she wanted to put a gumdrop, and Jennie piping a small dot of frosting in the exact spot. They were a great team. Jennie was patient with Lily when she continually changed her mind at the last second, and Lily hung on Jennie's every word. It was sweet. I really couldn't have picked a better woman for my daughter to look up to. Jennie was strong, confident, and independent, all the things I wanted Lily to be.

By the time they were making their finishing touches about half an hour later, the gingerbread house looked perfect—and the two of them were completely covered in frosting and sugar.

"What do you think, Dada?" Lily asked when they were done, proudly outstretching her arms around their creation.

"You two did a great job."

She smiled, staring at the gingerbread house with pride. Suddenly, her gaze snapped over to Jennie.

"When do we get to eat it?"

• • •

A couple of hours later, we put Lily to bed and headed into our bedroom. I made sure to close our door, but I didn't need to lock it anymore. Lily knew to knock if she needed anything.

While I changed, Jennie stood in the bathroom, washing the final bits of frosting off her hands.

"I don't know if I'll ever get this sugar out from underneath my fingernails," she said, pulling a nailbrush out of the drawer and scrubbing at her fingertips.

"That just means you'll be even sweeter than you already are," I replied, tossing my jeans into the hamper and pulling my T-shirt off over my head.

Jennie snorted. "That's super corny, babe."

"Dad jokes come with the territory." I shrugged. "Having second thoughts about moving in?"

She smiled, her gaze wandering lazily over my bare chest. She walked over to me and ran her hands over my biceps before wrapping her arms around my neck. "Not even a little."

I pulled her close, tipping her chin up to meet mine, and took her lips in a sweet kiss. My cock gave an eager twitch in my boxers. And judging by the look on Jennie's face, she felt it too.

She arched an eyebrow, pressing her body a little harder into mine. "How you doing there, big guy?"

I let my hands wander down her back to her perfect ass, taking a handful of her cheeks in each hand and squeezing, causing her to arch her back, rubbing her body against mine.

"I think you know how I'm doing." I growled, bringing my lips to her neck, grazing the tender spot below her ear.

She sighed, leaning her head back and running her fingers through my hair.

"Why don't you show me?" she said breathlessly, trailing her fingernails over my back, sending desire shooting straight up my spine.

I growled again into her neck, my cock now straining against my boxers and pressing into her belly.

Releasing her ass, I pulled her top over her head, quickly undoing the clasp on her bra to reveal her full, supple breasts. Taking one of her nipples in my mouth, I sucked on it gently and Jennie moaned, running her fingers through my hair again.

As I continued kissing and sucking on her breast, I moved my hands to the waist of her jeans, unbuttoning them and pulling the zipper down.

Leading her to our bed, I pulled Jennie on top of me, her legs straddling my hips. Taking my cock in her delicate hands, she guided me as she lowered herself, taking me inch by inch, both of us moaning as she did. Once I was fully inside her, Jennie leaned down, bringing her lips to mine, and for a moment neither one of us moved, relishing how amazing it felt to be one.

When our lips parted, I placed my hand on her cheek, my eyes searching hers.

"There's something I want to tell you," I whispered, running my thumb over her skin.

"What is it?" she whispered back, turning her face to place a small kiss on my palm.

I paused, taking in her beauty for what felt like the first time all over again. Her hair, her eyes, her full, pouty lips . . . she was everything. I never thought I would find someone who could handle Lily and me as a package deal, and somehow, I tricked the universe into giving Jennie to me. I couldn't believe how lucky I was, and I couldn't keep my feelings to myself anymore.

"I love you," I said, staring deeply into her eyes. "And I want to keep you forever."

Her eyes widened for a moment, then glistened with unshed tears. She was silent for a few seconds more before letting out a soft chuckle.

"I love you too," she replied, smiling and wiping the corner of her eye. "But forever's a long time. Are you sure?"

"Forever won't be nearly long enough." I pulled her in for another kiss, the energy between us suddenly electric. Our mouths moved quickly and urgently against each other as our bodies found a pleasurable rhythm.

Jennie rocked her hips over me, sending immediate waves of pleasure through my whole body.

"Yes, that's it. Like that." I groaned, placing one hand on her ass to guide her movements, and brought the other between her legs to rub her clit.

Her moans grew louder as mine grew deeper, and our breathing became ragged. As Jennie came closer to orgasm, her eyes never left mine. God, I could have watched her all night like this, the pleasure on her face all my doing.

Forever definitely wouldn't be nearly long enough.