“Do you like mozzarella sticks?” I asked Bennie. “We can split those and our mushroom pizza,” I said, cracking up at Bennie’s slow grin.
“Daddy, can I have both? Please? I promise to finish my pizza since Stella and I are sharing.” She clasped her hands under her chin.
Lee closed his eyes, his shoulders shaking with a silent chuckle.
“Daddy usually says no because then I don’t finish my pizza if we get extra stuff,” Bennie explained, cupping her hand on the side of her mouth as if she were telling me a secret. She was so adorable, the ovaries I never thought about ached.
“I’m sorry. I should have asked Daddy first.” I cringed when I lifted mygaze to Lee.
“It’s no problem. You’re a guest, and it’s a special day.” Lee pulled out his phone, punching the screen.
“Pizza, mozzarella sticks, and I think we have some iced tea in the fridge, unless you want something else.” Lee flicked his eyes to me.
“Why is it a special day?” Bennie asked her father, scrunching her adorable nose.
“Because Stella lives back in Brooklyn now,” he said, holding my gaze as he looped his arm around my shoulder. “And she’ll be close, so we can see her all the time.”
“Oh,” Bennie said, her eyes wide and darting between us. “So whenever Stella comes over, we can have mozzarella sticks?”
“Maybe not every time,” Lee said. He was close enough for me to feel the laugh rumble through his chest. “But we can allow it for today.”
His slow grin reminded me of the beautiful boy I’d first met, the one who’d made me forget my troubles, despite causing a few.
But the boy was a man now—and a single father trying to take care of his daughter without the wife he’d always love.
I couldn’t let silly fantasies of the past sneak in and screw up the present.
SIX
LEE
“When did you meet my daddy?” Bennie asked Stella around a mouthful of mushroom pizza.
Stella’s mouth curved in a wistful smile when she found my gaze.
“A long time ago. We were kids,” Stella told Bennie.
“A kid like me?” Bennie’s brows drew together.
“A little older, baby girl,” I said. “We were all teenagers in high school when I met Stella and her brother.”
“Oh,” Bennie said, nodding as she took a chomp out of her pizza, holding it by the crust with both hands. “I’m only friends with one of the boys in my class. The rest are all gross.”
I chuckled at the disgusted crinkle in her nose.
“Boys can be gross.” Stella nodded. “My big brother was super gross when we were little. He once tried to eat oatmeal with his hands,” Stella said in a loud whisper.
“His hands?” Bennie’s brows climbed up to her forehead.
“I never knew that.” I had to laugh. “How old was he?”
“Old enough that it was ridiculous,” she said on a sigh. “My mother wasn’t moving fast enough, and back then, peanut butter oatmeal was his favorite thing.” She shook her head. “It hadn’t occurred to him to get up from the table and grab a spoon from the drawer, so he dug his hand into the bowl.”
“But oatmeal is hot. I have to use a big spoon and blow on it first,” Bennie said, her eyes still wide and fascinated. “Did he get into trouble?”
“Yes. Luckily, our mom caught him before it glopped all over his school uniform and made us late. My mom was furious, and my dad couldn’t stop laughing.”
Bennie giggled, giving Stella a wide grin even though her mouth was full.
