She shakes her head. “No, I know how to use them. I might take a shower. Use one of these shower steamers that you like so much, if that’s okay?”
“Of course,” I whisper, winking. Pushing to stand with my hands on my knees, I say, “Oh, hey, take my number, just in case.” Abigail nods, pulling her phone out of the front pocket of her hoodie, and I tell her my phone number for her to enter it in as a new contact. She sends me a text, my phone buzzing in my back pocket. “Perf. Enjoy your shower steamer.”
Exiting the bathroom, I pull the door closed, and then lean against the wall, letting my head thump dully on the outdated wood paneling.
When I hear the shower turn on, I sigh, pushing away from the wall. Rejoining Bailey and Chloe in the living room, I plop down between them on the couch. Chloe immediately covers me up with the other half of the fuzzy blanket she’s burrowed in, and we settle in to watch Dracula’s attempt to keep Mavis from meeting human Johnny.
Just a few minutes later, I hear the engine of Zach’s truck pull into the driveway, and then he’s walking in through the front door, plastic Wal-Mart bag in hand. He drops a kiss to each of our heads as he passes, and I look up at him.
He wraps his palm around the underside of my jaw, tilting my face up and back, and he rubs his thumb along my throat. Those blue eyes of his stare into my soul, searching for something, though I’m not entirely sure what.
And then he leans down and kisses me, slowly, unhurried. My toes tingle.
“Thank you,” he whispers, continuing that teasingly light stroke of his thumb along my neck. “How is she?”
“She’s fine,” I whisper back. “She’s taking a shower. I gave her my phone number, just in case. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.”
He gives my jaw one last swipe of his thumb before letting go. I stand, tucking the blanket in around Chloe’s legs. Following Zach into the kitchen, he starts emptying the bag onto the counter.
He pulls a bag of potato chips and an entire Halloween sized bag of Mini Reese’s Cups out, along with a massive double chocolate cupcake in a single serve plastic container. A matching fuzzy sweater and lounge pants set in a muted jade green. I cut the tags off and shake them out, then fold them neatly as he pulls more stuff out of the bag like it’s Mary Poppin’s magic purse. Electric heating pad, single use face masks, new nail polish, a new box of colored pencils, and an adult coloring book.
“How’d I do?” he asks, raising his eyes from the collection on the counter to mine.
“This looks great,” I assure him. “Good job, Dad.”
He blows out a breath, notching his chin into his chest. “Damn that was stressful.”
I laugh, patting his chest. “Oh, you poor sweet man. Just get ready until they all sync together.”
“What do you mean?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.
“When Bailey and Chloe start theirs, too. They’ll all be on the same schedule,” I tease.
His blue eyes go wide in sheer panic. “Please tell me that’s not really a thing.”
Picking up the new pajama set, I wink at him and cross the room to the hallway. I knock on the bathroom door, and then I hear, “Yeah?”
“It’s just me,” I call, cracking the door open just a hair. “Your dad got you some new comfy pj’s. I’m just going to set them in the door, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you,” Abigail calls back over the thrum of the shower.
“How’s that steamer?” I ask quietly.
“It’s pretty great.”
“Good. Your dad got you snacks, too, whenever you’re done.”
“Cool, tell him thank you.”
“I will.”
“Louise?” she calls just before I close the door. She pulls back the shower curtain, just enough to pop her head around it. I smile when I realize she’s sitting on the floor of the tub. “Thank you, too.”
I grin at her and wink. “You’re welcome, sis. Anytime. I mean it, okay?”
She nods and then disappears back behind the shower curtain. I close the door, and then look up at Zach, who is leaning against the wall in the same exact spot I was earlier.
