𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 | 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬.

Chapter twenty four.

Hardin

I was going fucking insane. Sighing, I shut the books I was looking through and leaned back in my chair.

Fuck. I couldn't get her out of my mind. Last night I thought for sure I was going to rip her goddamn panties off and fuck her in my truck. The need to be inside her was growing by the minute. I wanted to respect her wish to take things slow. To date her, slowly bringing her into Chloe's and my world, but this was insane.

The last few weeks had been amazing though, if you didn't take into account my constantly hard dick and the never-ending times I had to jack off in the shower. Tessa and I spent an equal amount of time with each other as we did with Chloe. Tessa's fear was that Chloe would grow to resent her for taking my time away, but the opposite had happened. Grinning, I thought back to this morning with Chloe.

"Good morning, pumpkin," I whispered as I kissed her cheek.

Chloe opened her eyes and grinned. "Is today the day you're going to marry Tessa?"

Laughing, I gazed into her beautiful blue eyes. "Not today."

She frowned. "Well, will you make me pancakes then?"

"Yes! That I can do."

Jumping up, Chloe raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. Pulling the chair at the island out, she tried climbing up but couldn't so, I grabbed her and sat her, while I gathered everything needed for pancakes.

"Daddy, why is Tessa so different from my old mommy?"

My heart seized up. "Well, your mother doesn't have love in her heart. Tessa does."

"Why doesn't she have love in her heart?"

"I don't know, pumpkin. Some people only think of themselves and not others."

She stared out the window as I poured the batter onto the pan.

"Daddy, do I have to call her my mommy anymore?"

Lifting my hand to the side of her face, I tried not to let her see how I was dying inside. I hated that Mia was Chloe's mother. "No, Chloe. You don't have to call her mommy if you don't want to. She's never going to be in our lives again."

"She doesn't want to be my mommy, does she?"

Fuck. Did I tell her the truth? What would that do to her emotionally?

"Pumpkin, she doesn't deserve to be your mommy."

Her little eyes seemed lost in thought, before a huge smile covered her face. "Tessa's going to be my new mommy soon. You really need to hurry, Daddy."

Laughing, I kissed her on the tip of her nose. "You're bossy. Just like Tessa."

Her eyes lit up, and I didn't think I'd ever seen my daughter look so happy.

"I want to be like her! Just like her! I wonder if Tessa wants a pet goat too. Billy needs a friend."

Stopping what I was doing, I shook my head and winked. "You little stinker. Are you trying to figure out how to get yourself another goat?"