Her eyes meet mine. “Funny. I didn’t think anything but yoga could do that.”
Fuck, this woman is something else.
Chuckling silently, I smooth my hand around to her lower back and pull her close, lowering my voice even more. “I guess later I’ll have to remind you that I can steal your breath in other ways.”
“Daddy, I don’t want to miss the movie!” Ellis shouts, interrupting our moment. And it’s probably a good thing that she does because the longer I stand here and admire this woman, the more I want to skip dinner and just eat her instead.
“What movie are you going to watch?” Vienna asks Ellis once we’re all in my truck and on the way to my sister’s house.
Ellis kicks her feet in her booster in the back seat. “Frozen. It’s Uncle Fletcher’s favorite.”
By the time we’ve arrived at my sister’s house, Ellis has given Vienna a well-thought-out summary of the movie. “And we’re gonna make popcorn with marshmallows and rainbow sprinkles,” Ellis says as Vienna leads her up to the front of the house by the hand.
Vienna’s face lights up. “Oh, that sounds amazing. We should try that one night.”
“Yeah, if you never want her to go to sleep,” I mutter out of the corner of my mouth as Laney answers her front door.
“Running late?” she says, assessing the three of us.
“I couldn’t find my Elsa pajamas because they were already in my bag,” Ellis announces before dipping inside right past my sister and Fletcher.
“She insisted she looked everywhere for them, which included her tearing every last article of clothing from her dresser.” I meet Fletcher’s eyes. “Word of advice, next time tell her that any pajamas will suffice.”
Fletcher shakes his head. “No can do. Wearing Moana pajamas to watchFrozenis clashing vibes, Rhonan. And as a girl dad, I’m surprised you don’t understand that.”
Vienna laughs beside me.
“One day when you two have a kid, I’ll make sure to get my payback.” Tapping my temple, I say, “I’m filing this all away for later.”
Laney crosses her arms over her chest, smirking. “Oh, calm down. You know, you should be thanking me, not threatening me right now.” She moves her finger back and forth between us. “If it weren’t for me, you two wouldn’t be going on this date right now, for many reasons other than you were lacking a babysitter.”
I step forward and kiss my sister on the cheek. “Fine, I’ll let it slide.”
She places her hands over the center of her chest, peering up at me with so much emotion in her eyes, I’m afraid she might cry. “Have a wonderful time tonight, and no rush in picking Ellis up in the morning, okay? We have plans to make breakfast and take her to the park if the weather permits.”
“I appreciate you,” I say, moving my eyes to Fletcher as well. “Both of you.”
“The pleasure is ours,” Fletcher says with a nod. “Ellis, come say goodbye to your dad and Vienna.”
The pitter-patter of tiny feet on the floor alerts us to her arrival. When she pushes through the door, she moves to Vienna first, something I wasn’t anticipating, but makes my chest tight in a good way. “Bye, Ms. Vienna. Have fun!”
“I will, Ellis.” She leans down and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “You have fun too!”
Ellis peers up at her and widens her eyes. “I’m gonna eat all the cavities tonight!”
Laughing, I pull my daughter over to me, wrapping her in my arms and inhaling her for just a few seconds longer than normal. “Behave yourself. Use your manners and make sure to brush your teeth.” I bop her on the nose. “I love you, Ellis.”
“I love you too, Daddy.” With a quick kiss to the tip of my nose, she runs off again.
“Be safe. Call us if you need anything, all right?” Fletcher adds.
I glance over at Vienna and take her hand in mine, realizing how long it’s been since I’ve been able to glance beside me and find someone there that I wanted more than the fear. “Trust me. I think we’ll be fine.”
***
The drive to Asheville goes by in a blur as Vienna fills me in on all of the latest kindergarten drama.
“Who knew that five-year-olds could have such complex relationships?” I say as I open the passenger side door to my truck, helping her down once we’ve arrived and parked at the restaurant.
