Family Bonds- Ava and Seth (Amore Island Book 5), Natalie Ann [world of reading TXT] 📗

“Especially since I know real estate is hard to come by here. It’s plenty big enough and up to date too.”

“I told Daddy if we were going to live on an island we should be on a beach,” Adele said.

“I think that’s a good plan, but not even everyone in my family has houses on the water,” she said. “Just my parents right now. It’s probably mixed between those that live on the island, depending on what side they hail from.”

He would have expected most to have beachfront homes, but then realized that her generation might not all be in a position to buy one at this point in their life. Even with the loan she was looking to take out for a home, unless she planned on putting down a massive down payment she wouldn’t have been getting a property on the water either.

“This is a very big house,” he said looking around.

“It is,” she said. “There are three bedrooms and a full bath upstairs that I won’t even use. The dining room to the left is my office.”

He looked over and saw the desk and an end table with a few plants on it and was glad he decided to do that.

“Nice,” he said, pushing the gift toward her.

She took the plant off the top. “This is going in my living room,” she said, moving to the right. She had a few more plants on tables there and she shifted some around and put his down.

“Let me bring you to the kitchen.”

He followed behind her and saw the eat-in kitchen. It was nice and modern with some older charm like his. Dark brown molding rather than the white of newer homes. “I’m assuming you’ve got a bedroom on this floor?”

“I do. That door off the kitchen is to the master suite. This floor is more space than I had in my condo so it works for me.”

“Do you have any beds upstairs?” Adele asked.

“I do. Just one that was left here. It’s for a guest.”

“So I could spend the night and have somewhere to stay?” his daughter asked, shocking him more than he could imagine. She’d never spent the night at anyone’s house other than his mother’s. She never asked and yet here she was asking the woman he wanted to get to know better.

He looked up to see how Ava would react, let alone respond. She was watching him and he could see she wanted him to take the lead. “I think Ava needs some time to get used to her new house before she has any overnight guests.”

“Just a little bit,” she said, grinning at him.

He wasn’t sure what to make of that statement. If she was agreeing with him for Adele’s sake or it’d be a while before he was here. It’s not like he could ask her that either with his daughter in the room.

“Can you show me how to braid now?” Adele asked, pulling her backpack off and putting it down. “I brought three dolls. Daddy said I couldn’t bring more, but I wanted to.”

“Three is a good number,” she said.

Adele started to laugh. “Daddy said that too.”

“Great minds.”

“Great minds, what?” Adele asked.

“Great minds think alike,” he said. “But sometimes people just say great minds and the rest is assumed.”

“Okay,” Adele said. She was such an accepting child and he should be thankful for that.

“Can I get either of you something to drink?” Ava asked. “And does that cake need to be refrigerated?”

“Probably,” he said, handing it over. “It’s got a mousse filling.”

“Chocolate cake and mousse. Does it have chocolate frosting too?”

“Yes,” Adele said, looking up from her dolls. “I told Daddy, all chocolate.”

“I think I might need a glass of milk when I have a piece of that.”

“I drink milk with my chocolate too,” Adele said. “Did you hear that, Daddy? I’m just like Ava.”

“I did hear that,” he said, grateful that everything was going so well. “I’m good,” he said to the offer of a drink.

“I just want to learn to braid. Can you show me now?”

“I sure can,” Ava said. “Why don’t we go to the living room and get comfortable. Then we can talk about our dinner choices while we work on your dolls and give them a makeover.”

“I love makeovers,” Adele said, jumping up and running to the front of the house before them.

“She is wound today. I’m sorry.”

Ava reached her hand out and laid it on his and the contact was enough for him to lean down and give her a quick kiss on the lips. She rewarded him with a massive smile and a squeeze of his hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you could sneak that in with her not knowing.”

“It’s best right now if she thinks we are still only friends,” he said quietly.

“I understand,” she said. “Now let’s go give those dolls their makeovers.”

Thirty minutes later, Adele seemed to be getting the hang of it. “I like that I can look at the one already done and then do it myself the same time as you.”

“That is why three was a good number,” Ava said, winking at Seth.

“Is that why you wanted to only have three, Daddy?”

She looked over at Seth to see his reaction while Adele still had her head down working. “Yeah, sure.”

“Good response,” she said to him. “So, let’s talk dinner choices. I’ve got a few things and thought I’d let you choose as the guests. I’ve got ground beef to make burgers or...tacos.”

Adele’s head snapped up fast. “I love tacos.”

“I thought you might. But I also have chicken breasts I can grill or...cube up for chicken tacos too.”

“I’ve never had chicken tacos,” Adele said. “Daddy, why don’t you make chicken tacos?”

Oh boy, not what she wanted to happen. “I’ve never thought of it,” he said. “And you always tell me what you want. Why haven’t you asked?”

“Because I didn’t know there was such a thing,” Adele said. “Can we have them, please?”

“We sure can. I’ve