I ran a hand through my hair and turned back to my closet, scanning the row of shirts as if they’d magically give me the answer. Light salmon, crimson, cornsilk, sky blue, slate gray. The list went on and on. I had options.Lots of options.
I flipped through hangers, moving each shirt aside after careful consideration. My hand paused on a cerulean dress shirt. The shade made my eyes pop, and I always received compliments when I wore it. I pulled it free and grabbed the navy blazer hanging nearby to match the dress pants I already had on. The combination was simple but nice, put together and clean. It was exactly the balance I was looking for.
I slipped into the cerulean shirt, leaving the top button undone, before pulling on the navy blazer and opting to not wear a tie. Maverick would’ve made fun of me if I showed up in that.
When I finally caught my reflection in the mirror, I adjusted the collar once and smoothed the fabric down the front of my shirt. I took a moment to look at myself—really look.Good enough. It’d be enough to keep me from overthinking everything.
I slipped on my silver watch and ran through everything in my head. My pre-date checklist included setting Holly up for the night and saying good-bye to Aria. After that, I had to head across town to meet the owner of the restaurant. I’d gone all out on the date, and hopefully, Maverick wouldn’t lose his mind over it.We’d cross that bridge when we got there.
I found Aria in the castle tent in her playroom. She had Sir Bites-a-lot and a few of her other spooky animals sitting on a blanket with a full tea set in front of them. There was Sir Stitchkins the dead patchwork bunny, Lord Chewy the sparkly Cthulhu, Lady Hissington the vampire kitty, complete with fake blood stains—I may have had a hand in naming that one, the pun was fantastic—Clyde the Mothman plushie with no eyes. I didn’t ask why Clyde didn’t have a fancy name like the rest. She loved them dearly, and I just hoped I wasn’t screwing her up by letting her embrace love for creepy things.
“You look so pretty!” Aria squealed when I crouched down to peek inside.
“Do you think I’ll make a good impression?” I asked.
“Absolutely! No one will look as good as you,” she exclaimed, making me smile. No one was as good a hype girl as my own daughter.
“Is there any chance I can get a goodbye hug?”
“No.” She shook her head, her curls hitting her in the face.
“Blow a kiss?” I offered, but she shook her head again. “High five?”
Her little face screwed up as she considered my question. I never pushed it if she didn’t want to. I wanted her to feel in control of her body and her interactions with others, even me.
“Fist bump,” Aria said finally and held out her fist.
“Awesome.” I bumped my fist to hers. Before I could pull away, she grabbed my wrist and tugged on my arm. Rocking forward, I dropped down on one knee as she flew out of the tent and threw her arms around my shoulders.
“Take me with you,” she mumbled into my neck. I hugged her tighter. “Please?”
“Not this time,” I told her softly. “It’ll be okay. You’ll have fun with Holly, and I’ll be here when you wake up in the morning.”
“But I’ll miss you.”
“I know, little love.”
“Can I sleep in your room tonight?Please?” she begged. She squeezed me tighter as if that would convince me to say yes.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll let Holly know.”
“I still don’t want you to go,” Aria muttered but let go of me anyway. With a finger under her chin, I made her look at me. That lower lip couldn’t push out any more than it was, and those eyes couldn’t be any bigger.
“Who are you?” I asked. Her lips quirked slightly at the question.
“Your favorite girl,” she whispered.
“And who am I?”
“My favorite daddy.”
“And how long will I love you?”
“Forever and ever.” That smile was in full bloom as she said it.
“Don’t you forget it.” I tapped the tip of her nose. “We’ll make a special breakfast tomorrow.”
“Okay. Don’t have too much fun without me,” Aria ordered as she crawled back into her tent.
