Wonder With Me

by Kristen Proby

  “I got to pick it out myself,” Piper says proudly.

  My daughter’s room looks like a princess threw up all over it. Pink upon pink upon pink flows everywhere, from her bedding, to the carpet, to the wall color. Her bed is a full-size canopy, with flowy curtains hanging down. I had a mural of happy flowers and butterflies painted on one wall.

  “Finally, a room that a girl can get comfortable in,” Noel says, then sends me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I don’t mean that to sound as bad as it does, it’s just this room is absolutely perfect for a little girl.”

  “No offense taken,” I say as I lean my shoulder on the doorjamb and watch as Piper shows off her books and her dolls.

  Noel walks to the double doors that lead out to a deck.

  “It’s locked from the top, so little miss here can’t get herself into trouble.” I walk over and reach above Noel, feeling the heat of her back against my front, and pull the lock free, then open the double doors. We feel the air whoosh in.

  “Absolutely beautiful,” Noel breathes. “Piper, you hit the jackpot with this bedroom.”

  “What does that mean?” my daughter asks, making me grin. I adore this little girl more than I ever thought possible.

  “It means you’re a lucky princess,” I reply and watch as her face lights up.

  “Yeah, Mr. Bunny and I like it here,” she says, and I can’t help the wide smile that spreads over my face. I can’t imagine my life without her, and I’m relieved that she’s happy here with me.

  “I think a Christmas tree should go right here, in front of these doors since it’s about to be winter, and the doors will stay closed anyway,” Noel suggests as she snaps a photo.

  “Good idea,” I say with a nod.

  “What about your room?” Noel asks.

  “What about it?”

  “Will I be decorating it, as well?”

  “Oh, I don’t think that’s necessa—”

  “Yes,” Piper interrupts. “Daddy, you have to.”

  “I guess I am,” I say and laugh as we walk across the hall to the master.

  It’s a big room, with masculine furniture. I only sleep here, and I haven’t had any guests since Piper came to live with me. Much to my surprise, I haven’t missed having the companionship of a warm woman in my bed.

  “I have a plan for this, as well,” Noel says, her eyes shining as she approaches the French doors that match the ones in Piper’s room. “Do you share this deck?”

  “Yes, it spans the house.”

  “Excellent,” Noel says.

  “I don’t mean to tell you how to do your job, but shouldn’t you be writing this down?”

  Noel smiles, and it hits me in the gut. “I have a strong memory. I won’t forget. Plus, I have the photos.”

  We wander through the rest of the house, and once we’re back in the living area, I act on impulse.

  “Stay for dinner,” I offer.

  “Oh.” Noel blinks, and if I’m not mistaken, her cheeks flush. “Thank you for the offer, but I need to get back to my office and get to work on this. It’s an unexpected extra project, and I’d like to stay on track, maybe even get ahead.”

  “I understand.” Of course.

  She’s here to do a job, not entertain you and your daughter, you idiot.

  “I should have the design emailed in a day or two,” she adds.

  “Daddy, can I watch the iPad?” Piper asks.

  “Sure.” I hold a finger up to Noel. “Give me one minute to get her situated.”

  Noel nods and watches as I get Piper settled on the couch with my iPad and a cup of Goldfish to snack on.

  “I’ll walk you out,” I offer, leading Noel to the doorway.

  “Your home is seriously beautiful,” she says as we walk outside and toward her little black car. “How long have you lived here?”

  “About six weeks,” I reply, making her stop and turn to me with wide, golden eyes.

  “Six weeks?”

  I nod and brush my hand through my hair, which reminds me that I need a haircut. But who has time?

  “Piper came to live with me two months ago. I had a condo in the city, which was perfect because that’s where my office is, but it’s not a place for a little girl to grow up. She needs a yard and a neighborhood. So, the condo is for sale, and I found this house and moved us in. It was convenient that it came furnished.”

  “Wow,” she says. “Well, I’m happy to work on this project for you, and if, after the holidays, you want to do some redecorating, I can help you with that, too.”

  Unable to stop myself, I reach out and tuck a strand of her soft, honey-colored hair behind her ear. “Thank you. I may take you up on that.”

  She clears her throat and turns to her car. “Okay, then. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Drive safe.”

  She nods and lowers herself into her car, starts the engine, and pulls away, leaving me standing in the driveway long after she’s gone.

  I tip my head back and look up at the sky. The sun is getting ready to set, something Piper and I always watch together.

  But for this second, I take a deep breath and wonder if I know what I’m doing.

  No. No, I don’t. I didn’t ever plan to be a father. But here I am, doing it every day. One day at a time. Learning one day at a time. Because to be honest, the first couple of weeks were a disaster. I didn’t know what to feed a child, or that she should only get screen time for a bit each day.

  I’ve been reading all of the books on parenting I can get my hands on, pouring through blog posts, and calling my own mother for advice.

  I walk inside, close and lock the door, and watch silently as Piper sings along with a song that’s playing on the iPad. She’s clutching that bunny to her side, and every once in a while, she pulls up one ear to her nose to sniff.

  Roughly sixty days have gone by since I found out that I’m a father, and since she came to be with me.

  She’s the center of my world. The best thing I ever did. And I didn’t even know.

  Piper glances up and smiles.

  “Come sing with me.”

  “Later. It’s almost time for the sunset.”

  “Oh, we don’t wanna miss it!” She jumps off the couch, runs to me, and grabs my hand, then leads me out to the edge of the patio. “Let me hold you.”

  That’s code for pick me up. So I do, and hold her close as we watch the sun slide into the Pacific.

  “Do it again,” she whispers when it’s gone.

  “Tomorrow,” I promise her.

  * * * *

  “Tell me if I’m pissing you off.”

  I’m sitting in my best friend and business partner’s office. Elijah and I have been friends for a long damn time.

  “Trust me, I don’t have issues with telling you when you’re pissing me off,” he says with a laugh and leans back in his chair.

  “I’ve been gone more than I’m here lately, and that’s not—”

  “Like you,” he finishes for me. “I don’t know if you noticed, but you’ve taken on a daughter you knew nothing about, moved to the ‘burbs, and you’re figuring it all out.”

  “I appreciate your willingness to be flexible, but we still have a business to run.”

  “And we’re running it,” he says and shrugs. “You’re still putting in fifty-plus hours a week, Reed. You’re just doing a lot of it from your home office. And that’s fine.”

  “So you’re not pissed.”

  “Nope.” He shakes his head. “Have you found a full-time nanny yet?”

  “Still looking,” I mumble. “Half of these girls are just that. Girls. Barely old enough to have a driver’s license. I’m not going to allow my daughter to ride in cars with them.”

  “No. I wouldn’t either.”

  “I tried to talk my grandma into moving here. I offered her a lot of money, too.”

  Elijah’s brows climb. “She turned you down? I don’t believe it. The sun rises and sets where you’re concerned.”
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  “She hasn’t been feeling well,” I say with a sigh. “And I think she has a boyfriend.”

  He barks out a laugh. “Go, Grandma.”

  “Piper’s in preschool half the day, and she’s in daycare until four. I guess until I find a nanny, I’ll have to continue leaving here by three-thirty every day to get her. I’ll have Becca schedule all of my appointments for the mornings, and I’ll work from home the rest of the day.”

  “It’s the holiday season,” he reminds me. “Most people are too preoccupied with shopping and parties right now to worry about investments and stocks. It’s a slow time of year.”

  “It’s year-end,” I remind him.

  “Yeah, and that’s a bitch. But we have intelligent staff. This is why we own the company, so we can delegate. You need to do that more.”

  “I have a feeling I’ll be doing it a lot over the next few weeks. But, hopefully, the dust will settle soon.”

  “It will. You’ll fall into a routine. I have to say, I never thought I’d see the day that you’d be a daddy. I definitely didn’t see it happening like this.”

  “Me either.”

  “How are you doing with all of these changes?” Elijah asks, his face somber. I know that he’s the one person in the world I can be perfectly honest with, and he won’t judge me.

  “It’s been a lot,” I admit and brush my hand down my face. God, I’m tired. “I’m still overwhelmed, and maybe a little in shock.”

  “You find out you have a four-year-old child out there you didn’t know about, and she’s now your responsibility?” he says, shaking his head. “Of course you’re in shock. I’d be in shock until she’s eighteen.”

  I laugh. “I’m taking it one day at a time. She’s the sweetest little thing. Vanessa clearly instilled manners in her, and she’s easygoing. I’m crazy about her.”

  “I can see it all over your face,” he says. “I’m happy for you, man. I really am.”

  My phone, sitting on Elijah’s desk, lights up with a notification.

  Incoming email from Noel.

  “I have to take this. I’ll see you later. Thanks for being understanding.”

  “You’re welcome. Oh, and let me know if you ever need a sitter. I’m sure my mom would love to spend time with Piper. Maybe that’ll get her off my back to have kids for a while,” he says as I stand.

  “Not a bad idea.” I grin and walk from his office to mine.

  I pull up the email from Noel on my desktop and sit back in awe as I page through the images she sent.

  She has some kind of software that she uploaded the house photos into, and then she went through and added the decorations, so I can see what it’ll look like when it’s finished.

  It’s stunning. Christmas trees in every room, garland, lights. Bunnies.

  Piper is going to flip.

  Let me know if you have any questions is written at the bottom of the email.

  Rather than reply, I pick up the phone and call her cell number.

  “This is Noel,” she says.

  “Hi, it’s Reed.”

  “You got my email.”

  “I did.”

  “Do you have any questions?”

  “Yes. For starters, how in the hell did you do this? It’s gorgeous.”

  Just like you.

  “I’m glad you like it.” I can hear the smile in her voice, and I long to be with her.

  “When will you get started on it?”

  “Tomorrow, actually. If that works for your schedule.”

  “I can make that work. What time should I expect you?”

  “The crew will be there at eight. I’ll meet them there.”

  “Great. I’ll see you then.”

  We hang up, and I scroll through the photos again. If the finished product is half as beautiful as what she’s given me here, Piper will be over the moon.

  I can’t wait.

  Chapter Three

  ~Noel~

  I have my coffee, extra-large, and I’m ready to tackle this day. If all goes as planned, in just three days, Reed’s house will look like Santa himself lives there.

  Traffic headed out of the city isn’t too bad this morning since I’m driving opposite of rush-hour traffic, so getting up to his place should only take me about fifteen minutes.

  “Long enough to enjoy this coffee,” I mutter to myself just as my phone rings. My sister’s name comes up on my car’s screen. I click accept on my steering wheel. “Hello there.”

  “Hey, I was hoping I’d catch you before you started in with your meetings today,” Joy says. I can hear dogs barking around her, but that’s not unusual, given that my sister is a successful veterinarian in Seattle.

  “You did catch me. I’m on my way to a job. What’s up?”

  “I think we should do family dinner on Sunday with Dad. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve seen you.”

  “I know.” I sigh and take a sip of my coffee. “It seems that everyone in the Seattle metro area suddenly wants their house decorated.”

  “This is the time of year everyone has parties, so of course they want their homes to look nice.”

  “You have a good point,” I concede and wonder why I didn’t think of that. “But I’ll make time for dinner on Sunday. How is Daddy? Have you talked to him?”

  “He’s good. He brought Nancy in for a check-up yesterday, and he looks happy. He said he has a date on Saturday.”

  I sit stunned, staring at the red taillights ahead of me.

  “Noel?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you hear me?”

  “I think so. Dad has a date?”

  “I was pretty surprised, too,” she says. “But he seems excited about it.”

  “Mom’s only been gone for three years.”

  “That’s a long time, Noel,” she says softly. “I know it feels like yesterday, but three years is a long time.”

  “Well, as long as he’s happy, I guess.” I swallow hard, still wrapping my head around this. “We’ll ask all of the questions on Sunday.”

  “That’s my plan,” Joy replies. “Okay, don’t work too hard. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  She ends the call, and I bite my lip. I don’t know how I feel about my dad dating someone new. I guess I’ll set it aside until we talk to him on Sunday.

  I pull into Reed’s driveway, pleased when I see that the crew, along with their big trucks and supplies, made it here before me.

  With coffee in hand, I march down the driveway to the house and see Reed talking with one of the men.

  “There she is,” Reed says, looking relieved when he sees me.

  “Great.” Bob, a man I’ve worked with many times before, turns and smiles at me. He’s old enough to be my father, but I still flirt with him relentlessly.

  “Hey there, handsome,” I say to Bob and pat his shoulder. “Are you all ready to go?”

  “Your notes were clear, as always. My boys will get started out here right away.”

  “Thank you.” I smile up at him, chuckle when he blushes a bit, and watch as he walks back to his truck.

  “I think I’m jealous of Bob,” Reed says beside me.

  “Why is that?”

  “He just got way more attention out of you than I’ve managed to do,” he says. I turn to him and sip my drink.

  “Well, Bob does a hell of a job, and I think he’s rather adorable.”

  “So you like older men, then.”

  I shrug a shoulder, trying not to notice how broad Reed’s chest looks in his blue button-down shirt, or how his forearms flex as he pushes his hands into his pockets.

  Good Lord, Reed is something to write home about.

  “I’m going to need you to leave,” I inform him and watch as he raises an eyebrow.

  “In what capacity?”

  “I need you and Piper to move out of here for the few days that this will take. First, because you’ll just be in the way. And second, because I want it to be a surprise wh
en it’s finished.”

  “You’re kicking me out of my own house.”

  I wink up at him. “Yes. I am.”

  I turn to talk to my interior crew, but my toe catches on a rock, and I pitch forward, my coffee flying out of my hands and splattering all over Reed’s driveway.

  Strong arms catch me, keeping me from falling on my face, and all I can do is stare longingly at the coffee steaming off the concrete.

  “Damn it.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Thanks for catching me.”

  He has strong hands. Firm arms. A tight grip around my waist.

  I wonder how he’d hold me if we were naked, and—

  I shake my head, stopping those thoughts before they have a chance to go anywhere else.

  “Come on,” he says, taking my hand and pulling me behind him.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’m taking you for a new coffee.”

  “I can’t, I have to talk to Jean about the stairway, and—”

  “They’re just unloading and organizing. It will take a while. They don’t need you yet.”

  “How do you know what they need?”

  He stops and turns to me with a huff. “Are you always this obstinate when a man tries to buy you coffee?”

  “When said man tries to pry me away from my job site? Yes. You hired me to make your home beautiful, not to go to a café with you.”

  “You’re stubborn.”

  And with that, he bends over and slings me over his shoulder, carrying me easily—and in front of my crew—to his car.

  “Attaboy!” Bob yells, giving Reed a thumbs-up.

  “You’re not helping!” I call back to him, but he just smiles at me.

  Finally, Reed sets me next to his boxy Mercedes SUV and opens the passenger door. “Get in.”

  “You just made me a laughing stock in front of my crew.”

  Reed frowns and looks around the driveway. “The only one looking this way is Bob, and he’s not laughing. He looks proud of me.”

  I sigh in agitation and get into the car before I do what I really want to do: stomp on his foot and march away.

  I will not admit that being carried by him, having his arms wrapped around me twice in the span of two minutes, made my core tighten.