Seven

by Susan Renee

  Bryant told me to dress for comfort since we would just be hanging out for the evening with Ivy. I chose a pair of black leggings and an oversized pink button-down shirt. I slip on a pair of black ballet flats and I’m ready for an evening of playtime with a new friend.

  I hope she likes me.

  It takes approximately fifteen minutes to get from my apartment in town to Bryant’s quiet ranch. I didn’t realize he lived so far out of town, but I like it. It’s peaceful here, calm, beautiful. Driving out I saw one field after another lined with sprouting crops but when I turn onto Bryant’s road all of the fields around me are lined with wooden fences.

  He never said anything about a farm.

  I pull up to a larger sized ranch house than I expected. The exterior is a mix of stone and wood siding, almost like a log cabin with a little extra flair. The front porch wraps around the side of the house which overlooks a small wooded area. I imagine it’s quite peaceful at times to sit outside and listen to the goings on around you. There are great big windows to the right of the front door. The great room, or living room, must be on that side of the house. On the other side of the front door is a smaller set of windows as well as the attached garage. I don’t see Bryant on the front porch and I don’t see him watching out any of the windows of his house, so I get out the car and make my way to the front door. I ring the doorbell and then stand in anticipation for Bryant to answer the door. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s not like I didn’t just spend the night with Bryant the other day. Obviously the nerves are for the young human I’m about to meet for the first time.

  I take another step back from the door when I see them. Two small hands pulling back the white curtains in the window of the great room. Soon I see two green eyes staring at me. She’s not moving. She’s just staring…and smiling.

  Oh thank God she’s smiling.

  I bend over slightly so I’m more her height and wave gently to her. I don’t expect her to answer the door, I am a stranger to her after all, but she smiles back at me and waves as the door swings open. When I stand up I’m looking into the eyes of an almost panic-stricken Bryant holding a hairbrush and a comb in his left hand.

  “Hi,” he says with a huge sigh.

  “Hello,” I smile at him questioningly. I’m not so sure I understand why he looks so panicked but as soon as the little girl from the window steps out from behind Bryant, I see it. The beautiful curls I remember Ivy having from the picture Bryant showed me are gone; pulled back and frayed in some sort of…braid? Is that what it is? Not knowing how I’m supposed to react because perhaps this is the very first time Ivy has ever done her own hair, I put on my widest friendliest smile and crouch down again to Ivy’s height.

  “Hello. You must be Ivy.”

  “Yep. And you awe Subanna” She says my name loudly and with pride, as if she’s known me her whole life. “My daddy talks about you lots. She is pwetty, Daddy, just like you said. Like an angel.”

  Be still my heart.

  “Well thank you very much, Ivy,” I chuckle. “You know what? Your daddy talks about you a lot too, and you are a beautiful little girl. I think Ivy is a beautiful name.”

  “Tanks. Do you like my dwess?” I watch as she twirls around in her beautiful blue Elsa dress.

  “Oh Ivy, you are most certainly the prettiest princess I’ve seen today.”

  She stops and rubs her head vigorously with her hand. “Daddy can’t bwaid vewy good. It doesn’t look like Elsa...” She looks at me and jumps up and down. “Can you fix it? Girls can bwaid and boys can’t bwaid so you can fix it wight?”

  My eyes glide quickly over to Bryant who is still standing in the doorway watching Ivy and me with a sheepish smile. I smirk at him as he sighs and shakes his head in defeat.

  “I can make the world’s best chicken nuggets and the yummiest chocolate milk, but there’s no chapter on Elsa braids in the Daddy handbook.”

  I nod, understanding what obviously must’ve transpired right before I got here. I look at Ivy’s cute scowl toward her father and back to Bryant who almost looks embarrassed to have even attempted the challenge and now know exactly why I am here. I clear my throat and in my best Mary Poppins voice I say “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. I think I know a great way to start off our afternoon.” I turn towards Ivy and say, “How about I teach Daddy how to make a beautiful Elsa braid. It just so happens I do know a lot about braiding hair.”

  “YAY!” Ivy cheers. “Come on Subanna! Come in, come in!” Her little fingers wrap around my thumb as she charges toward the house, eagerly pulling me behind her. As I step through the doorway Bryant leans in and kisses me on my cheek.

  “I’m really glad you’re here,” he says.

  “Me too,” I respond.

  “Me thwee! Let’s go Daddy! Subanna is gonna teach you things.”

  I spend the next half hour sitting next to Bryant on the couch as Ivy sits patiently in front of him watching an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. With her hair between his fingers I show him several different types of braids. He’s a fast learner, better than I expect him to be, and in no time, Ivy’s hair looks just like her favorite snow Queen, Elsa.

  “Thank you for the braiding lesson, Savannah. Phew, you saved me from the wrath of a Queen Elsa tantrum just in time.”

  I laugh as I bump into Bryant’s shoulder slightly. “You’re welcome. It was the least I could do. I mean a princess can’t spend her day doing princess things with terrible daddy hair.”

  Bryant stands up and turns to me. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “Sure.” I hold my hand out for him to pull me up from the couch. “Give me a tour of the kitchen?”

  “Absolutely. Come on.” Bryant nods his head towards Ivy whose eyes are transfixed on the television. “We’ll be back before the hot dog dance.”

  “The what?” I ask as he pulls me from the room. As soon as we’re around the corner and in the kitchen Bryant pushes me against the kitchen island and kisses me with so much force, I have to grab onto his biceps to steady myself. In no time though, I’m returning his kiss with equal fervor knowing that we could lose our moment of privacy at any minute.

  “I missed you Seven,” he whispers between kisses. Bryant’s hands hold on to my hips but begin to slowly slide up the sides of my body igniting sparks in me from head to toe. Damnit, if there weren’t a kid in the house I would lay myself out for him right here on this kitchen counter.

  “I missed you too.” I wrap my arms around Bryant a little more as his hands continue northward, grabbing my face and holding it in his hands. His lips retreat, leaving me panting and famished for more of him. He lays his forehead against mine closing his eyes as our breathing evens out. “I’m sorry Seven.”

  “What? Sorry for what? What’s wrong?” I’m confused. One minute he was sucking my face and now…

  “I’m sorry I have a kid in the other room and I can’t lay you across this kitchen island and finish what we started the other night. You just, smell so damn good and I couldn’t wait any longer to kiss you, to touch you.”

  “Mmm…I’d like that too,” I whisper.

  “Stay with me tonight.” He’s not really asking but I can tell by his inflection that he doesn’t want me to say no.

  What about Ivy?

  “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

  “I wouldn’t be asking you to stay if I didn’t.”

  I smirk even though he can’t really see me with our foreheads still touching. “Oh, was that you asking me? Because…”

  “Savannah?” He interrupts my teasing.

  “Yeah?”

  I watch him swallow the knot in his throat as he thinks for a minute before staring me square in the face. “I don’t want to be alone anymore either, but I don’t want to be with just anyone. I want to be with you.”

  I don’t know why my stupid face chooses this moment to betray me but hearing my words echoed back at me causes a small tear to slip out of my
eye and trail down my face. I watch Bryant’s eyes follow it down my cheek before he lifts his thumb to swipe it away.

  He wants me?

  He remembered what I said?

  “How do we do this with Ivy…?”

  He kisses my lips quickly before wrapping his arms around me, shaking his head. “I don’t care,” he says. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll sleep on the couch if I have to Savannah. I’m just so damn glad you’re here, but now that you’re here, I don’t want you to go. Don’t worry. I’ll handle Ivy, okay?”

  I smile shyly. “Okay. I trust you.”

  I watch him turn away from me toward the cupboard above his head. He opens it and reaches for two glasses.

  “Oh, shit,” I mumble to myself, acting defeated.

  “What is it?” Bryant turns around quickly, waiting for my response.

  I give Bryant my best provocative smile and shrug my shoulder slightly as I explain, “I didn’t bring anything to sleep in.” That’s a lie. I totally packed a small duffle bag with pajamas and toiletries because a girl never knows where she might end up, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to tell him that.

  Bryant places both glasses from his hands onto the counter and then spins around toward me. His head comes in close to me so I bend my head back. He smiles as he leans in closer laying feathery kisses along my neck. “It’s settled then. Fuck the couch. Someone has to keep you warm if you won’t be wearing any clothes. I volunteer as tribute.” He closes his lips around my earlobe, earring and all, and I’m a goner.

  “OH TOOOOOOOOTLES!” Ivy shouts from the living room. Bryant stops his torturous exploration of my neck at which point we both burst into laughter.

  “Fuckin’ Tootles…” he says. “That thing has terrible timing.”

  I kiss Bryant’s cheek and place my hand in his. “Come on, you promised we would be back in time for the hot dog dance.”

  *****

  “Subanna!” Ivy gasps and jumps up from her chair in the kitchen. In the last couple of hours, we’ve braided hair, done the hot dog dance, put together four different princess puzzles, read six different books, and held ourselves the best princess tea-party a girl could ever have, complete with crowns, pink feathers and only our very best British accents. If I didn’t already know, I would never believe that Ivy was a little girl who has endured terrible medical issues. She is nothing but a ball of energy.

  This sweet pea is so much fun.

  Peyton would’ve liked her.

  “What’s wrong Ivy? Are you okay?” I ask, surprised by her sudden gasp.

  “Do you wanna see my woom? It’s BEAUTIFUL! My Daddy made me a biggest huge castle bed. Do you wanna see? Come on! It’s so big you won’t even bewieve it!”

  I look to Bryant whose eyebrows are up in excitement as he watches his little girl talk to me. He returns my gaze and shrugs his shoulders. “Frankly I’m surprised it’s taken her this long. She loves that bedroom.”

  “Oh yeah?” I turn back to Ivy. “Well then, darlin’, this is something I just have to see! Show me your biggest huge castle bed.”

  Ivy takes me by the hand and leads me, literally skipping down the hall, and up the stairs to her bedroom. She opens the door and runs into her room twirling and smiling all over herself. “See? It’s my biggest huge castle and it’s all for me but I share it with Daddy sometimes and I’ll share it with you all the time because you’re a princess girl like me.”

  I almost don’t hear a word she says because my eyes are floating in wonder around this little girl’s bedroom. Yes, it definitely looks like pink threw up in here, but it’s the most perfect little girl’s princess room I have ever seen. Straight ahead of me is a beautiful bay window with bench seating, pink of course, and billowy white ruffled curtains. The window overlooks the field in the back of the house. It’s breathtaking. To my right sits a ridiculously large castle complete with steps on one side, and a sliding board on the other.

  Damn, she wasn’t kidding. “Biggest huge” is right.

  I watch as Ivy walks up the steps and jumps on what must be her mattress. I walk over to the castle and laugh as she rolls around above in her bed. Her giggle is the most joyful sound. I can’t not smile when I hear it. The front façade of the castle has two towers. One right next to the steps, and one next to the slide. In between the towers is a pink sparkly curtain of sorts.

  “Ivy, what’s inside under here?” I motion toward the sparkly curtain.

  “I show you Subanna! It’s a supwise!” She slides down the slide and runs over to me, pulls the curtain back, and reveals the space within. The floor inside is filled with fluffy pillows. Ivy immediately springs forward and lays down on her back inside. “Come in Subanna, come here. Lay down.” She pats the pillows next to her.

  A little surprised I turn around in time to see Bryant nod at me to follow her inside. It’s a little small for adults but I manage to crawl into the space and turn over onto my back. Ivy and I are now both laying under her bed looking up at the platform where her mattress lies. It looks like any old piece of wood except that it appears to have tiny holes all over it.

  For ventilation?

  So her mattress doesn’t stay wet if she has an accident?

  Is that a thing?

  “Do it Daddy! Do the thing! Do it!” Ivy shouts.

  “I’ve got it Princess. Are you ready?” I hear him say from outside the castle. I feel his presence close to me but I can’t quite see him.

  “Yes Daddy! Weady!” She’s so excited, but I’m not sure what we’re supposed to be looking at.

  And then it happens.

  Bryant flips a switch and the entire under carriage of the castle lights up. Tiny white lights appear in all of those tiny holes and they’re all sparkling softly. I gasp in amazement as my eyes light up. This is a dream come true bedroom for a little girl. What I wouldn’t have given to have a room like this when I was young.

  “Oh, Ivy…it’s…it’s beautiful!” I exclaim.

  “Mind if I join you?” Bryant asks. He’s asking Ivy but he’s staring at me.

  “Yes Daddy, come in! Make a wish wiff us!”

  Bryant slowly crawls in and lays directly next to me. I would think he was trying to make the moves on me except there really is no other room under here. Ivy is practically laying on me as it is. We lay quietly for a moment just taking in the soft pink beauty surrounding us. I could spend hours in here just staring…thinking…

  “I go first!” Ivy says. “I wish…no more puple medicine and I wish evewyday I get to see Subanna. You go next Daddy.”

  This girl just melts my heart.

  I feel Bryant take my hand beside him on the floor and squeeze it tight. The gentleness and secrecy of my hand in his releases butterflies throughout my stomach. I return the gesture not letting on to Ivy that anything has changed whatsoever.

  “Okay I’ll go next.” Bryant says. “I wish that my Ivy would grow big and strong no matter what kind of super power medicine her body needs. And I wish I could see Subanna every day too. Just like Ivy.” He squeezes my hand again but I can’t return the gesture this time. I’m too busy holding my breath, trying not to overreact by either crying like a baby or smiling so big I end up giggling like a school girl. I simply hold my breath quietly as I listen to Ivy and Bryant’s wishes.

  “Your turn,” Bryant says softly.

  “Yeah you go now Subanna. You make a wish,” she turns her head back to stare up at the stars. It must be what she and Bryant do pretty often as she seems to have this routine down to a science.

  “Okay…ummm…I wish…”

  I wish I could see Peyton again.

  “I wish that I had a biggest huge castle just like this one so that I could lay here every night, next to my friends and family, and make my wishes over and over again. And I wish that only good things would happen to people. Never bad things, so that nobody would ever have to be sad again.”

  “Yeah me too.” Ivy says. “Only good things. Not bad things like big po
kes from the hopsital.”

  The hopsital. Kid language is the greatest.

  “Yeah,” Bryant says softly. “Only good things. Never bad things…ever again.”

  I’m pretty sure he’s talking to me.

  After a brief moment of silence Ivy swings her legs over onto me and sits up. “Daddy, can Subanna have a sleep over?”

  “Well, why don’t you ask Savannah if she would like to have a sleep over. She might be really busy.” I turn my head toward Bryant but he’s not looking at me. He’s still staring up at the sparkling lights above us.

  I wonder what he’s thinking about.

  “Subanna? You want to sleep over right? Daddy makes pancakes with chocolate chips in them.”

  I gently gasp as I play along for Ivy. “He does? I LOVE pancakes with chocolate chips in them! Do you think he can make me a smiley face out of chocolate chips?”

  “YES! He can! He can! He can!” She bounces up and down excitedly.

  “Then I think I might have to stay because I have to have pancakes with chocolate chips in them in the morning.”

  “YAY!!!” Ivy screams and runs out of her biggest huge castle to jump and twirl around her room. Bryant and I laugh as we watch her.

  “See? That wasn’t so hard at all. I knew she’d want you to stay.”

  “Oh yeah? And how did you know that?”

  “You mean beside the fact that she’s been at your side pretty much since the moment you walked through the door?” He chuckles quietly.

  “Okay, you have a point. She’s a great little girl, Bryant. You should be very proud of yourself. You’re a great daddy.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that. I just do what I can when I can and pray for the best.”

  “Subanna will you tuck me in tonight at bed time?” Ivy asks from across the room.

  I turn my head back to Bryant and smile before responding to Ivy. “Of course, Princess Ivy! Whatever you want.”