I’m in the middle of wiping down the kitchen counter in front of me when I feel Vienna come closer. “Are you okay, Rhonan?” There’s a cautiousness to her voice.
I reach for her by the waist and pull her into my chest, stroking my finger down the side of her face. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t seem fine,” she says, reaching up to my chin, forcing me to look at her. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to give yourself even more wrinkles and then your sister is definitely going to push that face cream on you.” She toys with my bottom lip and I can’t fight the way my body reacts to her.
Chuckling, I lean down and press my lips to hers. “I draw the line at yoga, all right? Yoga won’t prevent wrinkles, but it will prevent a shit ton of other issues.”
Her eyes widen. “Has someone beenresearching yoga?”
“Not intentionally. It’s just popping up on my internet feed now. Henley said the same thing happened to him after the first time he tried it.”
Vienna laughs. “Well, I’m glad to see that you’re embracing it instead of fighting it finally.”
I’m embracing a hell of a lot more than yoga.
“Okay, I’m ready!” Ellis announces as she re-enters the room, interrupting our conversation.
“We’ll talk later.”
Vienna nods before pressing a kiss to my lips and returning to the table with my daughter.
Fuck, I can’t wait until Ellis goes to sleep so I can show this woman exactly how she makes me feel—all fucking night long.
“Daddy, are you gonna paint with us now?”
Sighing, I toss the kitchen towel to the counter and take a seat at the table. “Sure, sweetie.”
“Yay!”
After countless rocks are turned into ladybugs, turtles, and more rainbows, Vienna goes back to her house to check on Roscoe while I get Ellis through bath time and our bedtime routine.
Tucked in her bed, on the verge of falling asleep, my daughter looks up at me. “Daddy?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“I missed you when you were at work and Uncle Fletcher’s party.”
“I missed you too, baby girl.” Pushing her hair from her face, I can see her eyes start to flutter closed.
“I missed Vienna too.”
“Yeah, me too,” I croak out as I hear the front door open and close, which means Vienna must have come back.
“Are you gonna marry her?”
“I—I don’t know, Ellis,” I answer honestly. Plus, she’s already been married and so have I, so I’m not sure where her head is at on the topic. But could I see her walking toward me in a white dress? Could I see me waking up next to her with my ring on her finger?
Yeah, I can definitely see it now.
“I think you should.”
I fight to control my smile. “Is that so?”
“Yes. You love her, just like Uncle Fletcher loves Auntie Laney.”
God, to be a kid when love and life seem so fucking simple. “What makes you think that?”
“Because you look at her like she’s the most beautiful rainbow you’ve ever seen.”
