by Nella Tyler
“It’s a snowwoman, actually,” I replied, drawing a smile from her. She looked damned good in her skinny jeans and puffy coat, her long red hair cascading down her back to catch the sunlight.
“Are you ready to go?” Her eyes traveled from my booted feet to my torso, still safely wrapped in my winter jacket.
“I think so.” I turned to find Sophia behind me, clad in all of her cold weather gear. She was smiling so wide I expected her face to split open. I hadn’t seen her this happy in ages, maybe not ever.
“Miss East!” She ran past me and jumped into Abigail’s arms. “Are you taking us to the surprise now?”
“I sure am. Let’s go climb in my car before it gets cold in there again.” She took hold of Sophia’s gloved hand and walked out to the car while I hung behind to lock up the house. I went out to get into Abigail’s little sedan, which was quite a change from my roomy truck. I felt cramped in the front seat and had to move it back for more leg room.
“Where are we going?” Sophia asked after we were all buckled in.
Abigail smiled, her eyes meeting Sophia’s in the rearview mirror. “We’re going to the children’s museum. They have a hands on science exhibit that I know you will love.”
Sophia cheered. She’d come home a while ago with information on this exhibit and had begged me to go, but with Christmas coming and all the planning involved in that, I’d put the flyer aside for later and completely forgotten about it.
Abigail cranked some holiday music, giggling as Sophia cheered a second time and I wrinkled my nose. We’d just put the holiday stuff behind us and now here it was again. Not that I really minded. The girls were happy singing along with the music together, and I was happy just to be here with them.
We parked at the children’s museum and went to the ticket counter to pay for admission. I pulled out my wallet but Abigail pushed my hands away.
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head once, the look in her eye making it clear I’d better put my damned wallet away. “Today is on me.” She bought our tickets before I could argue. I’d never had a woman take me out before. It was weird, but I was going to go with it and see what else this wonderful woman had planned for my daughter and me.
Speaking of my daughter, she hadn’t let go of Abigail for a moment. She’d completely forgotten about me, but that was nice, too. It was good to see Sophia interacting with a positive female role model. I’d worried a lot about her finding a woman to confide in now that Chelsea was gone. My mom was around, but she was older and not as close by as she could have been. Sophia needed someone to mother her, even if just part of the time.
The exhibit was amazing. I found myself enthralled by all of the stations where little kids could have some hands on experience with different experiments to prove some basic scientific facts. I mostly stood back and watched as Abigail helped Sophia understand the science behind each of the experiments. I hadn’t seen Sophia laugh this much in a long time. It warmed my heart to see how deeply Abigail cared for my daughter. I jumped in here and there, trying out some of the experiments whenever Sophia waved me over, but mostly I watched the girls together, joking and learning, their bond much stronger than I’d imagined prior to today.
I’d been attracted to Abigail — visions of her creamy white body kept running through my mind, especially the tattoo with the gothic script that she had winding around her right hip — but seeing her with Sophia pushed me even further over the edge. I was overcome with my feelings for her and was sure they were written all over my face in permanent ink, which was why it was so great that she and Sophia were basically on a date together and I was just along as the third wheel.
After a few hours at the museum, everyone was starving. Turns out, Abigail had thought of that too.
“Have you been to the pizza place downtown?” she asked, her pretty green eyes jumping from me to Sophia.
“I didn’t even know there was a pizza place downtown,” I said.
Now Abigail looked even more excited. “That’s where we’re going for lunch! You can sit in a special section and make your own pizza. They give you the dough and all of the toppings you like and you can put the pizza together. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Now she was smiling down at Sophia, who was soaking up Abigail’s excitement and turning it into her own. Her brown eyes were dancing, she was so amped up.
“Yay! I want to make my own pizza!” she cried, clapping her little hands together.
I grinned at Abigail. “Looks like you picked a winner.”
We drove over to the pizzeria. It was busy as hell. We ended up parking a few blocks up the road and walking back to the place. Then we had to wait thirty minutes for a table, but it was nice. We found a bench inside and piled on it, nearly sitting on each other’s laps. Sophia was crammed between us and loving the extra attention that being with two adults who were over the moon for her was steering her way. I hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. It was easy and comfortable, and it felt like we’d been doing this for years, not just today.
The hostess called our names and led us back to a table in the busy dining room. As she was handing us menus, she made a comment about what a cute family we were. It went right over Sophia’s head — she’d started coloring her children’s menu and was laser focused on staying inside the lines. Abigail and I looked at each other, smiling secretively, but neither of us corrected her.
We ordered drinks and decided to each make our own personal pizzas. Sophia could barely sit still she was so excited over this. Abigail and I chatted over her bent head while she colored, until the three dishes of pizza dough and bowls of marinara sauce, cheese, and toppings were delivered.
“Can I put whatever I want on mine?” Sophia asked.
I laughed at how eager she looked to get started, but she was always hesitant, not wanting to make a mistake. “Put your sauce on first, like this.” I showed her how to spread it around, leaving a few centimeters for the crust to rise. “And then you can put on your cheese.” I demonstrated. “After that, you can put on all the toppings you want. Just don’t overdo it.”
I watched as she followed my instructions to the letter — she was the type of kid who only needed to be shown a skill once before she mastered it — her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth the way it did whenever she was focusing hard on something. We’d peeled our jackets off before sitting down, and she’d pushed the sleeves of her sweatshirt up, bearing her tiny forearms.
“She’s so serious when she works,” Abigail said, not taking her gaze away from Sophia. “She does this in class, too. It’s hard to pull her away from a task once she gets started. That kind of focus in a child this age is amazing.”
It warmed up my insides to hear such praise heaped upon Sophia. I knew how whip smart she was, but I respected Abigail’s professional opinion, and it was great to know that others thought Sophia was as gifted as I did. I could be a little biased, after all.
The waitress came back to take our completed pizzas to the kitchen to cook, leaving Abigail and me to talk about the latest developments in our lives while Sophia stayed bent over the table, coloring furiously. When the waitress returned, she had our pizzas, fully cooked and steaming. They were delicious, and we all had a great time eating, talking, and laughing together. I didn’t want to jinx whatever was happening here by reading too much into it, but it felt like we really were a family. The way Sophia was looking at Abigail and how naturally they were interacting kept stealing my breath away. Maybe it was the recent visit to Chelsea’s grave, but I felt emotionally fragile and bone tired. This day was just what I needed. I could see Sophia felt the same way. There was no way I’d ever be able to thank Abigail for this.
Abigail drove us back to the house at the end of the date. Sophia had more of her children’s menu to color, so she’d brought it along with her, as well as the four pack of crayons the hostess had given her, though she had hundreds of crayons, markers, and colored pencils of her own at home.
“
Can Miss East stay and watch a movie with us?” Sophia asked from the backseat as we were pulling into the driveway, her voice full of excitement.
I looked over at Abigail, who was looking at me, as well. She smiled at the same time I did, her green eyes dancing with their own inner light.
“What do you say?” I asked. “We’re going to watch a few Disney movies tonight.”
“And make popcorn!” Sophia exclaimed.
“Yes, there will be snacks and warm drinks, too. You’re welcome to join us if you like.”
Abigail turned off the engine to her little car. “I’d love to join you.” We all got out of the car and went into the house together.
Chapter 24
Abigail
Saturday
We stripped out of our coats, hats, gloves, and scarves as soon as we walked into the warm Reid house. Drew suggested making a fire, and Sophia cheered, sealing the deal. We all had our little jobs to do. I was to find the microwave popcorn in the cupboard and make a huge bowl of it. Drew was to handle setting up the roaring fire and grabbing warm blankets for everyone to burrow into during the move. And Miss Sophia was to change into her pajamas and then decide on the movie we were all going to watch. The sun had dropped out of the sky at this point, but it was only six o’clock, meaning we could watch two movies before she needed to be in bed. As soon as we got our of our winter gear, we hurried off in three different directions to complete our assigned tasks.
I’d only been in the Reid kitchen once before, but everything was clean and well organized. I had no trouble locating the pantry and finding the bags of microwave popcorn neatly stowed on the shelf with other healthy snacks and cereals. I was pleased to see the popcorn was the movie theater butter variety. I got the first bag going and hunted for a bowl large enough for the three of us to take as many handfuls as we wanted during the show. I found one that would easily hold two or three bags of popcorn with no problem. We’d had plenty of pizza and soda at the restaurant, so I settled on just making one more bag. We could always pop a few refill bags in between movies if we needed to.
I checked the fridge while the second batch was popping and pulled out a juice box for Sophia, a beer for Drew, and a soda for me. After the popcorn was done, I found a serving tray pushed back in one cupboard and arranged the snacks and drinks on top of it. I walked back out to the living room to find Drew kneeling in front of a roaring fire, his hands sooty, his ass looking absolutely fantastic in his jeans. He looked over at me and smiled, as though reading my dirty mind. But before he could say anything, Sophia burst into the room, dressed in a soft pair of purple pajamas and matching fuzzy slippers. She had two movies in her hand, both of them Disney.
“I want to watch these!” she exclaimed. She handed the movies to her dad.
Drew pointed to the couch, where he’d set up a nest of blankets and fluffy pillows, all of them pink and purple and clearly belonging to Sophia. “Go get comfortable on the couch, and we’ll get the movie going.”
Giggling, Sophia launched herself into the pile of blankets. I laughed too at how excited she seemed at this. I could see by the set up that this was a normal occurrence for the Reids. It warmed my heart for about the twentieth time today. Drew was such a patient, engaged father. And Sophia was so well adjusted, even after the loss of her mother. It was a testament to Drew’s skill as a dad. I’d seen all kinds of parents in my years of teaching, from involved to dismissive and everywhere in between. With a father like Drew, Sophia would be just fine, even if she was more sensitive than her peers.
“Come sit next to me, Miss East,” Sophia said, patting the blankets to the right of her. She’d positioned herself in the middle of the couch, meaning she’d be in between Drew and me while we watched the movie. That was probably best. The way I was feeling, if I sat too close to him, I might not be able to keep my hands to myself for long.
I set the tray of popcorn and drinks onto the coffee table and sat down next to Sophia. She snuggled in close to me right away. I folded my legs onto the couch cushion and covered them with one of the blankets. Drew was messing with the Blu-ray player, getting the movie ready. Once he’d finished, he turned off the overhead light and joined us on the couch, snuggling in on the other side of Sophia and covering his lap with another one of the blankets. He pointed the remote at the player and started the movie.
Sophia cheered as soon as the television screen came to life with the Disney castle. I smiled at her enthusiasm. She was so different with just her dad and me. At school, she would never be this open and full of life. It was really great to see the complete transformation.
I reached for the bowl of popcorn and sat it right on the pile of blankets in Sophia’s lap. “You get to be the mistress of the popcorn,” I whispered, making it sound much more serious than it actually was. “It’s up to you to keep it safe.”
She grinned up at me, her little body fidgeting next to mine. “I’m gonna eat it all.”
“Not if I eat it all first,” Drew broke in and took a monster handful while Sophia giggled and playfully slapped at his big hands.
We watched the movie together in the dark, the fire flickering in my peripheral vision as we took small handfuls of popcorn. It struck me for about the hundredth time today that all of this felt so natural. It wasn’t taking any work at all to be comfortable with the Reids, as though I truly fit in here. It felt like things had always been this way: the three of us spending a fun day together and then retiring to the couch to snuggle and watch a movie. I felt at home with them, like we were family. It was frightening how quickly and effortlessly it had happened. I wondered if Drew felt the same way or if I was just romanticizing everything in my own head. All I knew was it felt right.
The first movie ended, and Drew rose from the couch to get the second one going, leaving Sophia and me on the couch. She’d burrowed into my side and leaned her head on my arm, but had kept a death grip on the bowl of popcorn, taking her solemn duty seriously.
“It’s empty,” she said to me, tilting the bowl so I could see what was left. Just a few kernels.
“Do you want some more?” I asked.
She shook her head. “My tummy’s full.”
“What about you, Drew?” I waited for him to point his light brown eyes my way, his dark brows slightly lifted. “Would you like some more popcorn?”
“No, thanks.” He grinned before turning back to the Blu-ray player. “My tummy’s full, too.”
I plucked the bowl from Sophia’s hands and leaned to set it on the coffee table again. “Well, that makes three of us.” I snuggled back into Sophia. Being close to her felt a lot like sitting in front of an active fireplace. This little one created her own heat. I hardly needed a blanket.
Drew came back to the couch and started our second movie of the evening. “This is the last one before bedtime, Soph, okay?”
She nodded against my arm, her eyes already glued to the television. “Okay, Daddy.”
I put my arm around Sophia as we watched the movie. Drew and I kept looking at each other over her small head and smiling. I decided that, no matter what else happened tonight, I was going to kiss that man’s full, tasty lips before I left to go home. I’d like to do a lot more than kiss him, but understood that was inappropriate. Sophia didn’t need to get up in the morning and find me here. That would be too much to explain, and we’d be forced to lie to her, which I didn’t want. I liked feeling like a family, and lies would ruin that feeling. I wanted to keep feeling that way. I never wanted this sensation of being at home with them to end.
It had been a long time since I’d watched the classic Disney movies. I found myself pulled in, like I was a little kid, too. Enthralled by the story, it took Drew calling my name several times before I could dislodge my attention from the princess’s trials and tribulations. Even still, I was hesitant to look away from the magic on screen.
I lifted my eyebrows as I looked at him, smiling because he was. I could stare at this man for the rest of my life
and never tire of it.
“We lost Sophia,” he whispered.
I looked down at her. She’d curled up in the blankets, resting her head on a pillow in my lap and her feet on her father’s lap. Her eyes were closed.
“Sophia,” I whispered.
She didn’t budge, at all.
Smiling, I smoothed back her hair a few times before looking at Drew again. His eyes were very dark in the dim light, but I could feel the heat in them.
“I’ll take her up to bed,” he said, reaching for her.
I was still smoothing her hair and loving the feeling of her breathing against my legs. “Can I take her upstairs? Would that be okay?”
Drew smiled at that, his entire face softening at once. “Yeah, that would be fine. I’ll clean up down here while you’re up there. Make sure to turn on the nightlight on her bedside table in case she wakes up in the middle of the night and needs to go to the bathroom.” He stood and lifted Sophia into his powerful arms as though she didn’t weigh anything, at all.
I stood and took her small body from Drew, cradling her against my chest. She hadn’t even stirred at all this activity. She really wasn’t very heavy, at all.
“I’ll be back down in a bit,” I said. I walked out of the living room as Drew turned on the overhead light. The rest of the house was draped in shadows, but there was enough light filtering through from the living room that I was able to climb the stairs to the second floor. Sophia’s room was the first on the right, next to the guest bathroom. She’d proudly showed me everything the last time I was here.
I went inside her room and turned on the light. Her little twin bed was made and covered in stuffed animals and pillows. I pulled the blanket and sheets back and set Sophia’s tiny body on top of her mattress. She moaned and burrowed into her pillow, her eyes never opening. I brought the blankets up to cover her shoulders, tucking them under her small chin. I watched her sleeping for a moment, unable to wipe the smile from my face. She looked like an angel lying there, lost in what I hoped were sweet dreams.
