Chapter 7 Practice

Anushka's P.O.V.

I wake Dakota and pull her into my arms as Jordan prepares to leave the bedroom. My heart drops when I hear the main door get kicked in. Why is someone breaking into our rooms? I look at Jordan in fear. He runs over and wraps his arms around us while pushing us toward the sliding glass doors. Being as quiet as he can, he opens them, and the three of us run outside and around the corner of the hotel.

"Could you see who it was?" I ask him softly.

"It was a man who I've never seen before. You and I just met today. Who would come to both of our rooms?" Jordan asks as he peeks around the corner. He turns and holds his finger to his lips, so we'll be quiet. I nod while Dakota looks at us in confusion. I hold her tight as my heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest until Jordan comes back over to us.

"He went in the other direction, talking on the phone. Let's sneak back in and get our things. We can't stay here." He leads us back to the room and stops to look at me. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to make decisions without asking you. Are you okay leaving here and going somewhere else with me?"

"Yes, of course. Whatever is going on, we're in this together." I smile as I kiss Dakota's head.

"So Daddy is going to stay with us in a new hotel?" She asks softly. The way Jordan's eyes light up when she calls him daddy makes me melt. I don't have time to focus on all of this right now, but we need to finish having our conversation.

"Yes, sweetheart. Is that okay with you?" I ask her as we walk through the sliding glass doors and back into the bedroom. Nothing is out of place, and the door to the room is shut. I sit Dakota on the bed and quickly pack our things.

"Does that mean we really are a family?" She stands on the bed and jumps into Jordan's arms. He catches her as though he does this every day. I don't know how to answer her. What if I get her hopes up only for things not to work out? If I open my heart to Jordan and he crushes it, Dakota will be hurt, too.

"How about we call it practice?" Jordan answers her while looking at me. I pull the suitcases to the door. What can I say to that? He wants to practice being a family with me and my daughter.

"I like practice. Like when I practice dancing so I can get it right. Is that what we're doing? Are we practicing to be a family so we can get it right?" Dakota looks at me excitedly as we walk across the hall to Jordan's room.

"You could say that." She claps her hands as Jordan puts her on the floor. I help her put her sandals on while he packs. When we get to the front desk to tell them we're checking out, they ask why.

"Someone broke into our rooms. We no longer feel safe here." Jordan tells the woman quietly. She looks at us in shock.

"Let me get the manager." She walks away, and I look toward the door. I just want to get out of here. A man with a large, round belly walks out from the back.

"Hello, folks. I understand you're checking out because someone broke into your rooms." He says, looking at me in a way that makes me uncomfortable. Jordan moves closer and puts his arm over my shoulders. We haven't agreed to be together, but I'm not shoving him off either. It's nice to know he has my back, even if it's a little possessive.

"We're sure it was an isolated incident, so we won't give any bad reviews. We just want to leave. Please call us a cab," Jordan tells him firmly as we put our keycards on the desk. The manager sighs in relief.

"Sure, I'll call now. Thank you. Due to this unfortunate incident, we'll give you a full refund," he says.  Jordan leads us outside. I look around to see if anyone is paying attention to us, but no one seems suspicious.

"I think this time we'll go to a hotel that doesn't allow direct access to the beach and has more than one floor. Are you two okay with that?" Jordan asks.

"I don't care where we go," Dakota replies as a cab pulls up. We load our things into the trunk. The three of us sit in the backseat, with Dakota in the middle. Her smile is so big, I'm sure her face is going to crack. Jordan tells the driver which hotel to take us to, and a few minutes later, we pull up to the tallest one on the island.

"Are you sure they'll have a room?" I ask as we unload our suitcases. He smiles and winks as we walk through the large doors. Jordan walks up to the desk with a smile. The woman flutters her eyes at him until he lifts Dakota and puts her on his shoulders.

"Can you tell me what suites you have available?" He asks. She looks at the computer and then shakes her head.

"The only one available is the penthouse. Sorry, you can check down the street. They may have something." As she begins to turn away, Jordan stops her.

"We'll take the penthouse." He pulls out his ID and a credit card. The woman puts her hands on her hips.

"It's more expensive because of the holiday. Are you sure that's something you can afford?" She asks with a smirk.

"My Mommy and Daddy have lots of money. They're bosses." Dakota says. Jordan looks up at her and smiles.

"You heard the little lady. Money isn't an issue." The woman groans as she takes his credit card and ID. Once we're all checked in, a porter comes to get our bags. When we reach the penthouse, I'm blown away. I've stayed in nice places, but nothing like this. Dakota doesn't move when Jordan puts her down. Everything is white with blue accents, giving it a beach feel.

"Mommy, I'll be real careful not to get anything dirty," Dakota says while sliding her sandals off. Jordan lifts her and throws her onto the oversized white chaise. She squeals with laughter.

I don't know what to do. I've never stayed in a hotel room with a man, and it's making me nervous. Even though we're not sleeping together, I can't deny how intimate this feels. Dakota pulls me to the chaise to sit with her and Jordan. She snuggles between us. Jordan smiles as he looks into my eyes. I know we need to figure out who broke into our rooms and why, but I just want to enjoy this feeling right now. Be still, my heart, before you shatter into a thousand pieces.