“We made dinner!” Teddy announced, grabbing Daniel’s hand and pulling him toward the kitchen. “Allyour favorites!”
His bear chuckled.That explains it.
“This looks incredible,” Daniel said as he peered inside the kitchen.
A steaming lasagna sat on the counter, its edges bubbling with golden cheese. Beside it, a chicken pot pie with a perfectly browned crust sent tendrils of steam into the air. A plate of snickerdoodles, slightly misshapen but dusted with cinnamon sugar, sat next to a bowl of mashed potatoes that had been decorated with carrot rounds and peas to form smiling faces.
“We couldn’t decide which was your favorite,” Maisie explained, suddenly shy. “So we made all of them.”
“I said lasagna,” Teddy piped up.
“And I said chicken pot pie,” Maisie added.
Holly stepped forward, her expression caught between pride and apology. “I hope you don’t mind the... eclectic menu. They were both so determined.”
Daniel looked from the chaotic spread to his children’s hopeful faces to Holly’s uncertain smile, and something in his chest expanded until he thought it might burst. This jumbled, imperfect feast was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“This,” he said, his voice rough with emotion, “is exactly what I needed today.”
The tension in Holly’s shoulders eased, and her smile widened. “Well then, let’s eat before it gets cold.”
Dinner was a joyful chaos of mixed flavors and overlapping conversation. Daniel found himself eating lasagna and pot pie on the same plate, the combination oddly satisfying. The mashed potato faces made him laugh every time he looked at them, and the snickerdoodle reminded him of his carefree childhood.
Throughout the meal, Daniel couldn’t stop watching Holly. She’d done all this. For him.
She gets us. She understands what we need,he told his bear.
It’s time,his bear replied.
It is,Daniel agreed.
As they finished dinner, Maisie suddenly jumped up. “We almost forgot the best part!” She ran from the room, returning moments later with a small, handmade booklet tied with a ribbon.
“We made you this,” she said, presenting it to Daniel with ceremonial gravity.
Daniel untied the ribbon carefully, aware of both children watching with bated breath. Inside were pages of colorful coupons, each one decorated with drawings and carefully printed text.
“One morning to sleep in,” he read aloud, flipping through the pages. “Unlimited hugs. One day, when you can say ‘no dishes’ and we’ll wash up.”
The simplicity of the gifts brought a lump to his throat. These weren’t store-bought presents but offerings of themselves, pieces of their hearts given freely.
By those to whom he’d already given the whole of his heart.
Chapter Eighteen – Holly
With the last of the plates stacked in the dishwasher, Holly closed the door and pressed the start button. The familiar hum filled the kitchen, blending with the children’s sleepy chatter behind her. She wiped her hands on a dishtowel, feeling a contentment so deep it seemed to have settled in her bones.
“Did you see when Dad opened the coupons and his eyes got all crinkly?” Teddy asked, his words punctuated by a yawn that nearly swallowed his face.
“I did.” Holly turned around, her attention drawn to Daniel as he gathered the last of the serving dishes. He looked tired. But happy, and that made her heart soar.
As if he could feel her gaze on him, he looked up, caught her watching, and smiled. She smiled back, with a shy, vulnerable smile. Because that’s how she felt right now.
Vulnerable. She was falling in love with this man, with this family, and she knew she was exposing herself to potential heartbreak, but there was nothing she could do to stop herself from falling deeper.
Holly turned away. Scared he might see the depth of her longing.
“This has been the best day ever,” Maisie announced as she entered the kitchen with her favorite unicorn plushy tucked under her arm.
