Ace Huxley's Daughter

32

Paris. What a fucking beautiful city. We've been here 12 hours and I'm 100% certain this is one of my favourite places in the world purely based on her face the whole time. We had finally submitted a load of applications when we got to the hotel earlier. She's been working so damn hard on personal statements for a solid week. Writing them and choosing which courses look the most entertaining to her. She'd applied to a few all over the country. 3 of them were in London, where she wanted to be. Hopefully, she'd hear back from them soon.

"I'm a little tipsy." Olive giggled, arm around my back as we walked back to the hotel room. "Dad kept giving me more glasses of wine."

"You drunk them." Ace chuckled just ahead of us. A family meal to celebrate her applying had been brilliant. Spending time with her and her dad solidified a lot for me. One, the lawyer lifestyle was not one Pops would ever last long in. The stories of her life her dad was spilling across the table were not something a lawyer would ever want anyone to know about. With her head in her hands, she kept burying herself into me. Embarrassment was not something that was easy to do with Pops but it looked adorable on her. Ace knew how to push her buttons until she was 4 wines deep and protesting against the stories and she began to spill his. That's where things started getting out of hand. Hannah laughed and it was her turn then Hannah started telling things Ace had never heard, Zeb started with Hannah and it just turned into complete chaos. Hilarious, side aching chaos.

"It's okay babe. We'll get you to bed." We stopped at our door and I held back a laugh as Callie fumbled to find the room key I'd insisted she didn't need. I had mine. She didn't need one too. But she liked opening the door. So, open the door she will.

"Here Pops-"

"I've got it." She snapped her hand away from her dad who looked to me for support.

"I've learned the hard way not to touch the door. She will bite."

"You're not a chimp Olive."

"Call me Olive again dad and I'll put a flat on the bus and make you change it." The door beeped and she turned to him, sticking her tongue out. "Night."

"Night you two. Behave. No drunken pregnancies please." I'll never be over Ace telling me not to get his daughter pregnant. It's other worldly. She stumbled into the room, pulling my hand with her. I let go of her hand for a second, locking the door and taking off my suit jacket.

"I had fun tonight Pops."

"Me too." She was too tall. Her head still level with my shoulders but I wasn't used to seeing her in heels and it was off putting. "You're short."

"I am not. You're wearing heels." Callie looked down, pouting with a furrowed brow, and tapping her feet together.

"So, I am."

"Do they hurt still?"

"I think so? I don't know." She giggled and stood up straight. She looked at my shirt, placing a finger in the centre and gently tracing it down the middle of my chest. "Still a little numb after this afternoon."

"Hm. Sounds like my effects are waring off. Can't have that can we?" She smirked. "Let's get your shoes off." I got down to my knees, unbuckling the heels one at a time, making sure to take my time with her. There was no rush right now and honestly, I didn't feel like putting sex on the agenda was a great idea. She was drunk. I'll get her ready for bed and kiss her until she passes out. Nothing else.

I sat her down on the bathroom counter, carefully taking off her makeup like she'd shown me. Step by step going through her little routine as she giggled about how weird it felt and recapped stories of the night. Her constant moving was making it hard to get all of her makeup off but I was determined.

"Pops, hold still baby, I'm going to get it in your eye and it'll hurt."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, keep going. Hannah's face when you told her dad about jumping off the cliff in Italy. I'd pay to see that again."

"Blake said she wouldn't dare do it. So, she did-" She laughed again. "Triple backflip and landed with almost no splash. He stood there- with- just gaping at her and then he pouted and went to do the same but just- HE JUST BELLY FLOPPED." I chuckled, lifting her back up and carrying her to the bed. I tucked us both in, laying her on my arm and wrapping my legs around her. Slowly, she settled. Breathing slowing down, eyes growing heavy as I peppered her face with soft touches and gently brushes of my lips. Her skin hot under my touch, I savoured it with everything I had.

I never wanted to feel anything else. My heart burned in my chest, the entire core of me hotter than it ever had been and it was alight just for her.

"How are you feeling Pops?"

"About being drunk in bed with you and you're not fucking my brains out? A little pissed." I smiled, gently kissing her barely open eyelids.

"We're not having sex when you're drunk Callie." She pouted. "In the morning baby. That's not what I meant anyway. I meant about us." She shuffled and I tugged on her legs, bringing her hips against mine. "Are you happy?"

"Very." I nodded slowly. "Happiest I've been in a long, long time."

"Are you sure?"

"More than I've been about anything recently. Everything else in my mind is 50/50. But with you it's not." Her face disappeared from view, burying into my chest. "Best 5 and a half weeks of my life."

"Callie?"

"Hm."

"I love you."