Hailey frowns. “And what?”
“Are you sorry for scaring anyone else?”
“Oh, yeah!” She turns around and hugs Iris. “I’m sorry I scared you, Miss Iris. And I’m sorry I made you cry.”
Iris hugs Hailey back and kisses her forehead. “Thank you, Hailey.”
Hailey turns back over so fast her braids smack Iris in the face. Iris sputters, and my lips tug into a grin.
“Daddy, I’m hungry.”
I check my watch and discover that it’s well past lunchtime. I hadn’t planned on fixing anything here at the house—I fully thought we’d still be at the zoo right now—so I guess sandwiches it is. “Okay, kiddo. Daddy will make you some food.” I look at Iris. “Would you like some lunch as well?”
“Sure. I can even help if you’d like.”
Her offer of help is adorable. Iris is a hot mess in the kitchen. “That’s okay. I’ve got it. Why don’t you guys go put on one of Hailey’s shows in the meantime?”
The rest of the afternoon is spent with cartoons and, to my surprise, flashcards. Iris talks Hailey into turning off the TV after we finish lunch, and they spend a couple of hours with index cards and crayons, creating a series of cards based on the animals we saw at the zoo. Iris lets Hailey draw the pictures, and she writes the name of the animal on the back. For every spelling she gets right as they go through the flash cards, Hailey is rewarded with a smile and a hug.
It’s genius, really. I would have given her pieces of candy or promised extra TV time in exchange for correct answers, but Iris’s affection seems to be enough for Hailey.
After dinner, while Iris volunteers to help Hailey with her bath, I go through the flash cards and marvel at Hailey’s creativity. My kid’s actually a pretty good artist. I can identify almost all the animals without cheating and looking at the back side of the cards.
When I get to the monkey card I stop, and my eyes well up with tears. Hailey has drawn not just one, not two, but three monkeys on the index card. A big monkey with black scribbles on its arms, a smaller monkey with a pink bow, and an even tinier monkey between them.
She drew the three of us: me, Iris, and herself. A family.
“Micah? You okay?”
I wipe my eyes and look up at Iris. Her tank top is damp from Hailey’s bath—that girl’s a splasher—and her hair’s a little mussed and out of place. It’s such a mundane view, but something about it tugs at my heartstrings.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
Iris points at the hallway behind her. “Hailey’s in bed, but she’s requesting a ‘Daddy story.’ I’m guessing it’s something I’m not versed in.”
I chuckle at the phrase “Daddy story” as I get up off the couch. “Yeah, sometimes I kind of bullshit a fairy tale for her. She likes those better than the book stories sometimes. I’ll go take care of it.”
“Okay. I’ll clean up here and pour some wine for us if you’d like.”
That sounds like she intends on staying. “Sure.”
Hailey dozes off while I’m in the middle of making up a tale about a beautiful princess who saves the lonely prince from his broken heart. She falls asleep holding a stuffed monkey in each arm, and I briefly wonder where her primate obsession came from.
True to her word, Iris has wine waiting for me when I get back downstairs. I sit next to her on the couch and pull her close. We sit there in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying being together. I could sit like this forever and die a happy man. I don’t need anything else. I’ve got my daughter sleeping safely upstairs and this amazing woman in my arms. Everything is perfect.
Iris’s slender fingers trace the swirling outlines of my tattoos. It’s innocent, but it lights a fire inside me regardless. I think Iris could sit there picking her nose, and I’d get turned on.
I try to get my dick to calm down while Iris is in my lap. The last thing I need is for her to think I’m just some horndog. The movement of her fingertips is mesmerizing, though, and my heart thumps wildly in my chest the more I watch. I lick my suddenly dry lips and put a hand on her waist, sliding my thumb under the hem of her shirt and rubbing her smooth skin.
“Are you planning on staying tonight?” I murmur against her neck before starting to kiss my way to her mouth.
“Mm … I could be convinced.”
I nip her earlobe and move my hand up to cup the underside of her breast. “Could you be convinced to stay every night?”
Her fingers stop their tracing, and her spine stiffens.
Shit.
