What is it about a man carrying a child?
He leaned down with Maya in his arms and pressed a kiss to the crown of Allie’s head before heading out into the cold with his daughter.
“Want a snack?” Tripp asked as she turned back, his voice seeming crisp and loud in the hush of the house.
“Sure,” she told him before poking her head into the living room. “We’re getting a snack, do you two want anything?”
“No, no, we’re heading to bed, honey,” her mom said. “Don’t stay up too late.”
“Don’t worry,” Allie said. “I couldn’t if I wanted to.”
“We know that’s true,” her dad said, chuckling.
Allie was famous for falling asleep at family get-togethers from time to time. She was such an early riser for school that an early bedtime was a must.
Tripp was already in the kitchen when she headed down the hall past generations of family photos to join him.
He was filling one of Mom’s glass mixing bowls with cereal, with two bananas on the counter beside him.
Allie resisted asking him how he could eat half a box of cereal in one sitting, knowing he would just tease her for herindoor work.
Instead, she grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and sat at the table, watching him prepare his snack.
“Is it a real diamond?” he asked as he peeled the first banana.
“Yes,” she admitted.
He stopped what he was doing to look over at her, concern in his normally mischievous gaze.
“Allie,” he said. “You know you have to be careful of the kind of man who would put a diamond on a woman’s finger as a joke.”
“It isn’t a joke,” she said, feeling the inadequacy of her words as soon as they were out of her mouth. “And besides, he said he wants to get to know me better.”
“Oh yeah?” Tripp asked. “And what did he mean by that?”
Her brother’s eyes were flashing with anger now, and she tried not to feel offended at what he was implying.
“Nothing bad,” she said right away. “Just that he wants us to see if there could be something real between us.”
“We’ll see about that,” Tripp growled. “I’ll be keeping a sharp eye on him.”
“And on Maya too, right?” Allie teased him.
“She’s a sweetheart,” Tripp said protectively. “One more reason to be careful, Allie.”
“I will,” she told him solemnly. “I promise.”
“I’m holding you to that,” he told her.
She nodded and took a bite of her apple as he cut up his bananas and added milk to his enormous bowl of cereal.
The sweetness of the apple burst in her mouth,making her think of crisp fall evenings and walks in the orchard.
Will I be walking in the orchard with Ash and Maya next fall?
Tripp came over to join her, and he began devouring his snack at a remarkable speed.
She couldn’t help smiling at the sight.
