I didn’t know my heart could crack open so many times. I press my lips to her forehead and cup her cheek with the hand that isn’t holding hers. “Ari, it’s fine. Yogurt or pudding or a smoothie is good.”
She eats a yogurt, dropping her head to my shoulder between bites while I eat my omelet. Emotional exhaustion rolls off of her.I wish I could absorb it—soak it up like a sponge then wring it out into the sink and down the drain.
Once she’s finished her breakfast, I gather her up off of her stool and place her sideways on my lap with my arms around her. She sighs deeply, melting against my chest, her head tucked under my chin. Her normal bouncy energy is nowhere to be found as she slowly sips her coffee, and I softly rub her back through the thick fabric of my hoodie.
The stool gets uncomfortable as fuck after a while, so I carry Ariana upstairs to the living room and settle onto the couch with her still in my arms. I’ll only let her go when she asks me to. Holding her makes me feel a little better, and I think it helps her, too. Lil follows and turns on the racing game we’ve all played together after tossing me a controller. Ari shifts so she can see the TV.
“She cheats, baby,” I tell Ariana after losing three straight rounds. When the fourth round starts, Ariana takes the controller out of my hands, and I watch her beat the snot out of my cousin with pride.
“How the fuck?” Lil turns and glares at the controller in Ariana’s hands. “I should have known, Luca can’t win this game for shit. Alright, Ari, bring it on.” They play until Lil calls for a lunch break, claiming starvation is imminent.
Ariana stands and holds her hand out to me. I climb to my feet and go to pick her up again, but she shakes her head and raises up on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. I lean down so she can reach it.
“You can’t carry me around all day, Beefcake.” Her voice is soft, but her eyes aren’t as dull as before.
“I’ll carry you anytime you need me to, Minx. Or want me to.” She gives me the tiniest smile, and her eyes sparkle just a little. And it’s everything.
“I’m making a big batch of macaroni and cheese if anyone is interested,” Becca announces when we all walk in.
“You make the best mac and cheese, Becks. That sounds perfect.” Lil takes a pitcher of iced tea out of the fridge.
“I also made a salad.” Becca laughs when Lil wrinkles her nose.
“Now, why would you go and do a thing like that?” Lil starts to grab glasses down from the cabinet. “Ari, tea?” Ariana nods. “What about you, Luca?”
“Yes, please. And don’t leave room for sugar in mine.”
“Ugh. How do you even stand him, Ari?” Lil teases.
Ari’s lips turn up into that small smile again and she squeezes my hand. “Meh, he’s okay,” she says quietly.
Becca announces the food is ready. Lunch is usually self-serve around here, so Lil dishes herself up a big bowl of pasta and then a small plate of salad with an eye roll. She immediately drowns the salad in ranch, cheese, croutons, and bacon. I grab my food using one hand because I’m still not letting Ariana’s go.
Then, my girl surprises us all by taking a bowl and putting a small serving of mac and cheese in it.
She eats it slowly, but she eats every bite in the bowl.
When we get back upstairs, Ariana steps into me and wraps her arms around my back. “I need to take a shower.”
I drop a kiss to the top of her head. “We’ll be here when you get done. Maybe I can get Lil to play a game I don’t suck at for a few minutes.”
She shakes with silent laughter before she pulls away to take her shower. I grab another one of my hoodies and leave it on Lil’s bed for her to put on when she gets out.
“I haven’t seen her eat anything that needs to be chewed on a hoodie day, like ever,” Lil says when I walk back into the living room.
“I could tell from the way your jaw hit the floor.”
She glares at me, then begrudgingly agrees to play a fighting game I’m halfway decent at instead of the racing game theycontinually murder me in. We’re in the middle of a round when Ariana sits next to me. She curls up against me, and I raise my arm up and around her so she can cuddle in close.
My arm touches bare skin and my head snaps toward her in shock. She’s wearing a T-shirt instead of my hoodie. Her eyes are trained on the TV, watching the game I forgot I was playing, but she quickly looks up at me when my character stops moving.
“Lil’s winning,” she says. I lean down and kiss her gently. She kisses me back, just a soft touch of her lips to mine, before smiling at me. “Hi.”
I grin back. A wild, goofy ass grin. “Hi, baby.” My heart is bursting.
“Holy shit.” Lil’s staring at us, her eyes wide. “That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen a hoodie day end. Not even a full twenty-four hours.” Her eyes narrow. “And you’re kissing out in the open now, huh?”
My girl blushes. It’s so adorable.
