“She’ll appreciate it when I give her the salmon.”
“You’re not giving her the salmon.” I shake my heads. “That’sourdinner.”
“I’m giving her a little piece of the salmon.”
“You’re going to spoil her.”
“Too late.” He turns in my arms and kisses my forehead. “How was work?”
“Exhausting perfection. The usual.” I lean back against the counter. “We got three new referrals today, and I had a meeting with Georgetown about expanding the sensory gym.”
“That’s huge.”
“It is.” The D.C. branch of the Early Childhood Center has exceeded every expectation. Some days I still can’t believe this is my life—running a program I built from the ground up, working with incredible kids, living in a city I’m actually starting to love.
Living five minutes away from Taysom doesn’t hurt either. He pays for my apartment, so it’s actually way nicer than any place I’ve ever lived before.
“Oh!” I grab my phone. “I almost forgot to tell you—MJ was incredible today.”
“Yeah?” His whole face lights up.
“Lynette sent me a video from MJ’s kickball game. She made it all the way to third base, Taysom. No limping, no pain. She wasflying.”
We watched the video chat together earlier this morning before he left for practice, seeing MJ’s huge smile as she showed off her new backpack and talked about first grade. Her hip has healed beautifully, and while I miss working with her in person, knowing she’s thriving makes the distance easier.
“That’s amazing,” Taysom says, and I can hear the emotion in his voice. He’s heard enough stories about her that he’s invested.
“Her mom said to tell you hi, by the way. And that she’s been following your season.”
“Oh yeah?” He grins. “What’d she think of Sunday’s game?”
“She said, and I quote, ‘that boyfriend of yours can really throw a football.’”
“Aww. That’s sweet of her.” His cheeks are tinged with pink.
I poke his chest. “Three touchdowns, Mr. Reed. You’re kind of killing it.”
“Kind of?”
“Okay, definitely killing it. The sports reporters won’t shut up about you.”
He pulls me closer. “I couldn’t do it without you.”
I snort. “That’s absolutely not true, but I’ll take the credit anyway.”
We stand there for a minute, swaying slightly to music that isn’t playing, and I think about how surreal this all is. A year ago, I was in San Antonio, convinced my whole life was falling apart. Now I’m here, running a center I love, with a man I love, and a spoiled cat who’s currently trying to steal salmon off the counter.
“Miley, no!” Taysom lunges for the plate, but he’s too late. She’s already nabbed a piece and is racing toward my bedroom.
“I told you she was supervising,” I say.
“She’s a menace.”
“She’s perfect.” I kiss his cheek. “Just like her dad.”
“I’m her dad now?”
“You’re the one who bought her the fancy cat tower and the seventeen thousand toys.”
