A sudden shock of tears pricks my waterline. I blink hard against the surprise waterworks. “You look stunning, my girl. A true princess. I have one more thing for you.”
Nellie doesn’t move as I hold out the tiara and cross the room.
“Is that a tiara?” she breathes as if saying the words out loud might make it disappear.
“A princess isn’t complete without her tiara. Do you want me to put it on you?”
She nods so hard a curl falls into her face.
Crossing the floor carefully in my heels, I kneel in front of her. From my peripheral, Sutton shifts. His body suddenly blocks the light flowing upstairs from the lower level.
Nellie doesn’t so much as breathe as I fix the piece atop her head, careful not to disturb her hairstyle. The tiara sits at the crown of her head as if it were there all along.
“And this.” I retrieve a tube of pink lipstick from my clutch. “Every girl needs a little lipstick on a night out. If it’s okay with Dad.” I cock an eyebrow in Sutton’s direction, daring him to say no.
The sound of him swallowing precedes his approval. “It’s a special night,” he says gruffly.
Seeing his daughter all dressed up is getting to the big, scary cop. The man chases criminals for a living, but the sight of his little girl all dressed up seems to be making him emotional.
The sentiment is honestly sweet, and I’d tell him so if he weren’t normally such a big jerk.
“Put your lips like this.” I demonstrate a pout.
Nellie immediately follows my directions. Her fingers toy with the lace on her dress as I swipe the tube across her lips.
“Perfect. Now rub them together like this.”
She mirrors my practiced movements.
“Done!” I rise to my full height and return the tube to my clutch.
Nellie finally moves away from the stairs to take my hand, giving Sutton room to join us.
It’s abundantly clear the moment I see him fully that something is wrong. His face is pinched. Spine rigid. He slips hisarms across his chest and tucks his hands in his elbows as if he’s holding himself together.
“Are you all right?” I say, doing my damnedest to keep the alarm from my tone.
His cheeks twitch as if he’s trying to smile. Then, they hollow, and he stares at his socks as he nods.
“Mm-hmm. Yeah. I, uh, you two look…” With precision, Sutton slowly drags that gaze to my hair, then back down. My lips, my neck, my dress, he doesn’t miss an inch, lighting my body on fire as he goes.
He stalls for a word, settling with, “beautiful.” As he says it, he pins those stunning blue eyes on mine.
The word is simple. I’ve used the adjective multiple times myself tonight. But coming from him it feels the opposite. Nothing about Sutton Stone is simple.
My tongue wets my lips, my mouth turning into a desert climate.
“We should go,” I whisper.
“Yeah,” he rasps.
“Don’t want to be late.”
“I’ll walk you two out.”
“You don’t have to.”
Sutton holds out the crook of his elbow. “If you break your neck in those shoes and miss the dance, Nellie might not ever forgive you.”