Chapter 18

Jake’s POV

“Daddy,” Noah asked, staring up at me as I applied some aftershave in the bathroom. “Where are you going?”

I paused for a moment, wondering what I should tell him. I decided the safest bet would be to blame it on work. It was the reason he was most accustomed to hearing, and I wasn’t even sure if Noah would be aware of the practice of dating. I knew I certainly didn’t want to have to explain it to him.

“I have a work dinner, buddy,” I replied, ruffling his hair with my hand.

“You look different than when you’re going to work,” he said observantly.

He was right about that. Usually, I wore suits, blazers, or collared, long-sleeved dress shirts with dark pants. Today, I was wearing dark jeans with a laid-back, dressed-down shirt that made me feel more like myself. Or more specifically, it made me feel like the man I had been in the early days of my military career, around the time I had met and fallen in love with Daphne.

“You’re right,” I