Soraya: I’m back.

Graham: On my way.

Delia’s brother’s condo was on the sixth floor, unit 6G. I pushed the button for the elevator and waited impatiently. The light above the doors slowly illuminated each number as it climbed the floors. The damn thing was crawling and still needed to make its way back down. I couldn’t wait that long. Finding the door to the stairs, I started up the first of six flights. By the third set, I should have been starting to slow down, but instead, I began to take them two at a time. My heart was beating out of my chest, yet I wasn’t even slightly winded. I needed to get to her. At the start of the sixth flight, I full-on ran the rest of the way up. When I reached her floor, I flung open the hall door and continued to sprint down the hall. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins when I arrived in front of unit 6G.

I tried to take a deep, calming breath, but it was impossible to relax. My chest heaved up and down. I need to see her so badly.

I knocked and waited.

When it finally opened, I froze for a moment.

Soraya.

God, she was fucking incredible.

She was standing at the door wearing only a hot pink bra and panties, and her tips were dyed hot pink to match. Never in my life had I seen such beauty. I stood there for a full minute, just taking her in. Then, I finally spoke. “What does hot pink mean?”

She looked me in the eyes. “Love. It means I’m in love.”

My eyes closed. For a second, I thought I might pussy out right there at the threshold and cry. I was so fucking happy, my emotions needed an outlet.

“I’m afraid to come in.”

“Why?” Her face momentarily dropped.

“Because there’s so much I want to do to you, so much I feel right now, I’m afraid I won’t be gentle.”

Her cheeks flushed a bit. “I don’t want you to be gentle. I want you to be you. A bossy, stuck-up ass with an unexpectedly sweet side. A dad that is going to love his daughter unconditionally no matter what, and never leave her behind. And a dominant partner in bed who sometimes needs it a little rough. I want all of you, Graham.”

I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. “Oh, you’re going to get it all, alright. My mouth, my hand, my fingers, my body, my cock.” Taking her into my arms, I kissed her with everything I had.

Between kisses, she apologized over and over again. “I’m sorry for what I did. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“I know you did. Just promise me you’ll never push me away again, baby.”

“I promise.”

I surprised her by lifting her off her feet and cradling her in my arms. “Since you answered the door in that outfit, I’m guessing Delia isn’t here.”

“She has family in Hermosa Beach. She’s staying at a cousin’s for the night.”

“Remind me to send her a thank you gift. Perhaps a car.”

I began walking down a hallway looking for a bedroom. When I set her down on the edge of the mattress, I realized that her foot was bandaged. “What happened here?”

“I fixed my tattoo.”

“The feather one?” She changed the one I had replicated on my chest?

“Yes.” She leaned down to the dressing and slowly peeled part of it back. I held my breath until I realized she hadn’t changed the tattoo, she had added to it. Just as I had done, there was a name scripted above the feather. Graham.

Having no words, I leaned in and kissed her. When we came up for air, she pointed her eyes back down at her foot for me to follow. “Don’t you want to see the rest of the changes I made?”

I squinted my eyes. “More ink?”

“Go ahead, take it off.” She bit her bottom lip and lifted her shapely leg up.

If there was any doubt in my mind that she was the perfect woman for me, seeing what she had done would have erased every last shred of it. I stared down, emotions choking me up. “I don’t know what to say. It’s beautiful.” Written in the same script as my name above the feather was Chloe, beneath it.

“I love you, Graham. And your daughter, too. I know it’s early, and we need to go slow, but I want to be part of her life. I want to be involved. You were right. Just because of how things worked out with my own father, doesn’t mean it can’t work. I want to pick her up from dance classes and burn cookies with her on weekends. I want to watch her grow up and learn from her incredible father. I don’t just love you, Graham…” I caught a tear as it fell down her check. “I love Chloe, too.”

Hearing those words, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. She loves me and my daughter. It was the first time since I was a child that I felt like I had a real family again.