Thisis my favorite sound in the whole wide world.
When he talks to her in that soothing voice of his.
God, I don’t even know how many times he’s been able to calm her down by just talking to her like that. Or managed to put her to sleep on the nights when she’s fussy and won’t listen to me at all. And I’m so tired and irritable that I don’t know what to do.
Sometimes I envy him that, the magical powers he has.
But right now, I’m totally falling for them. Just as my baby girl.
Because at his voice, she laughs and squeals again, kicking her chubby legs at his chest and clapping, making him chuckle and kiss her forehead.
But the show’s not over yet.
The next part is my favorite part. Even though I always roll my eyes at it.
Halo raises her arm then, tugs on her hair barrette — this one’s white and shaped like a daisy — and gives it to him. Which he dutifully takes from her small hands. Before he sets her down on the island, her legs dangling off the edge, and combs her dark hair with his large, beautiful fingers, putting it back on.
She nods at him. Like this is such serious business, putting a hair barrette on, and he nods back like he agrees.
Like how Mommy did it before was wrong and only Daddy knows how to do it.
I’m about to roll my eyes at their cuteness when he looks up.
He smirks at me and I narrow my eyes at him, mouthing,I hate you.
Which only makes him chuckle and wink, meaning,No, you don’t.
Ugh.
No, I don’t. I can’t hate him. I’ve never been able to. And these days, he’s even more irresistible with how playful and amazing he is with Halo.
Who wants his attention back on her so she waves her hand in his face, tapping his jaw and addressing him in random syllables. He picks her back up and with a last heated look at me, he takes her into the living room like he always does.
He’s going to play with her for a bit, keep her occupied so I can work on dinner in peace. It’s a routine we came up with in the beginning of this whole parenting thing, which I think is working out great for the most part.
Before coming to me.
Which he does about thirty minutes later.
I feel an arm sliding around my waist and his hard body settling against my back. I close the tap where I was washing the lettuce for the salad. Wiping my hands, I raise my arm and caress his stubble, sagging against him.
It’s my turn now.
“Hi,” I whisper, smelling his delicious scent of woods and wildflowers.
Also cars.
Spicy and masculine and so freaking sexy.
Reed hums, rubbing his jaw in my hair as he takes a breath, his chest undulating against my spine. Like breathing my scent calms him. It calms me too.
Knowing that I give it to him.
“Did you bring it?” I whisper, talking about the puppy, burying my fingers in his thick stubble.
“Yeah.”
“Is it cute?”
