There are two full size beds on each side of the room, with a small reading chair and a two person table placed in the corner.
“Ah, this is perfect.” I walk over and pat the tabletop as he stares at me, bag in hand. He finally shuts the door shaking his head, but not enough to hide a small smirk that he attempts to cover up.
“Okay, sweetheart. You’re the boss.”
“No, insert it here. Yeah, push it in. Yup, right there. Yeah, that’s good. Ooh, perfect.” My mind goes in the gutter with his direction as Wade praises my Lego building work, peering over at me with a smile.
The past hour has been a complete one-eighty from how Wade acted during breakfast and in the garage. He’s been calm, kind, andsopatient.
It’s been a long time since I’ve built a Lego so there were moments of confusion. Wade stepped in calmly, reviewing the instructions and guided me through it. His understanding and patience level is seriously unmatched.
I had to refrain from wanting to toss the thing across the room.
“So, Lily loves the rain, huh?” I ask, as I peek at the instructions and snap on another piece.
“She does. It rarely rains but when it does, she runs and grabs her bright purple rain boots, and once those things are on it’s full blown mayhem. I’ve never known anyone to love an actual mud bath, but she’s out there practically shoving herself in human size potholes.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “It can’t be that bad. She’s a kid, of course she’s going to get dirty.”
He cocks his head at me with a lopsided frown and raised eyebrows. Slipping his hand in his pocket he brings out his phone, tapping on the screen, then turns it around to face me.
A photo of an adorable baby girl with bright platinum hair wearing purple rainboots and a yellow jacket is laying stick straight in a muddy puddle. Actually, I can’t say it's really a puddle. There’s definitely more dirt than water and there are large blobs of thick mud plastered all over her body. She’s got a beaming smile as her bright blue eyes look at the camera with pure joy.
“Oh my, she’s living her best life,” I reply, grabbing his phone and pinching the screen to zoom in on her adorable face.
“She is.” He chuckles. “I’ve never been a fan of the rain, but she makes me look forward to it,” he says with a grateful smile and I can see how much he loves his little girl.
“She’s lucky to have you.” He glances up at me and doesn’t say anything, but I can feel how much he appreciates what I said.
“Is her mom around?” I ask, curiosity winning over my willpower.
He shakes his head, “She left when Lily was just a baby.” He glances over at me with a sad smile, but it doesn’t feel like it’s for him. It’s for Lily. “But, my mom and sister help out a lot when I’m at work, so she’s got amazing women in her life.”
“Her dad is pretty amazing, too,” I reply with a smile, because I think he needs the reminder.
I swipe out of the zoomed in picture and the next one slides on the screen. There’s a little heart at the bottom indicating it’s been favorited in his phone. I tilt my head as I look at the photo. It’s a picture of the garage from earlier. Jasper's entire body is in full frame with his back to the camera watching me as I walk up the side of the fire truck, looking into my phone with a smile.
“Oh, I— I was going to post about the donation.” He grabs his phone from my hand, clicking the side button making the screen go black, as he shoves it back in his pocket.
I pause for a moment, and wonder if I should ask why it was in his favorites folder, but decide against it.
“Tag me in it when you do, so I can share it. The community donation part of my page is my favorite thing to do.” I smile and he nods, holding the Lego truck in his hand, he turns it from one side to the other as he inspects it then places it on the table and pushes it toward me.
The table is dramatically less clustered now that we’ve fitted most of the pieces.
I pick up the truck, glance at the instructions and look up at Wade holding out the last piece in his palm. He saved it for me, which I find oddly endearing.
Pinching my fingers together I pick the final piece out of his hand, snapping it on, then tilt my head to the left and right as I push into each side, ensuring it’s snug.
“We finished it!” I stand excitedly and round the table to show him.
He turns to face my direction as I walk up to him with a proud smile. I haven’t built any Legos since my dad passed and my heart somehow feels a little fuller.
I hand him the fire truck, and he reaches forward to grab it. Our fingers overlap and the warmth of his touch as he grazes his fingertips over mine makes my breath hitch.
Our eyes connect and electricity moves between us. My heart rate picks up and the sound beats loudly through my eardrums.
I shift my gaze down and realize I stepped right in between his legs when I walked to his side of the table and we’re so close, my body is almost flush with his.
