address so you can come around later. Say around six-thirty?”
“I’d love to,” he says genuinely.
With a silent sigh of resignation, I text him our address and then Elody and I make the short drive home, stopping off on the way to grab supplies to make a stir-fry for dinner.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NOW
“Mom, where’s my pink tutu dress? The one with the flowers,” Elody yells from her room. She’s been running around like a madwoman for the past half an hour as she struggles to find something to wear.
“Mom! Where’s my purple hairband with the shiny things? And my sparkly pumps?”
God help me.
“Not sure, Elody. Look under your bed.”
“I did!” I hear her foot stomp. “I can’t find them anywhere ,” she whines.
“Righto, kiddo, that’s enough,” I say sternly when I reach her bedroom. “You need to calm down. Find something to wear and stick with it. Your dad doesn’t care what you’re wearing; all he cares about is seeing you. Spending time with you. Not your outfits. Now, pick something, put it on, and then clean this mess up,” I say, taking note of the state of her bedroom.
“Yes, Momma.”
I leave her be and walk back out to the kitchen. I lie out all the vegetables on the counter and begin slicing. Twenty minutes later, everything is prepped and Elody is waiting patiently on the sofa as she watches the television without seeing. The doorbell rings and Elody immediately looks to me for confirmation.
“Go ahead,” I urge her with a nod when I see Brock standing on the other side of our stained-glass door.
She opens the door wide and he fills the entry-way. My stupid, stupid heart flutters in my chest, skipping beats and palpitating. He bends down and presents Elody with a single orange gerbera.
“Thank you,” she says, grinning broadly.
“You’re very welcome, sweetheart.” He stands again and holds out more flowers. A bunch, this time, for me.
“Thank you, Brock. You didn’t have to.” I take the flowers and bring them to my nose. Gorgeous. White and pink lilies. My favorite.
“I wanted to. Thank you for having me.”
“Of course. Come on in.”
“I love your dress, Elody. You look beautiful,” I hear him compliment her and my heart swoons as I imagine the way Elody savors his praise.
Dinner goes surprisingly well, and by eight-fifteen, Elody is sound asleep on the sofa, curled up under Brock’s arm. I grab my camera.
“Would you mind?” I ask, holding it up.
“Not at all.”
I snap a bunch of pictures from a range of angles.
“Make sure you send me a copy.”
“Of course,” I reply. “I’ll just put her to bed.” I lift her up and carry her into her room.
“Let me? Please?” I startle when I hear Brock’s voice behind me.
“Oh, um, sure.” I step out of the way, crossing my arms around my waist, and watch as he leans down and places a tender kiss on Elody’s forehead before whispering something into her ear. Then he brings the covers up to her chin and strokes the side of her face with the back of his hand. When he is done having his time, I lean over and kiss my little girl goodnight, flicking the light off, and pulling the door almost closed.
“Would you like a coffee? I don’t have any beer, but I do have some wine, if you’d prefer.”
“Coffee would be good,” he replies, following me out into the kitchen area.
I fix us both a mug and we move out onto the back deck to drink them. Bringing my feet up to the edge of the chair, I rest my chin on my knees and look out into the darkness.
“You’ve got a beautiful home, Cassi,” he comments, before taking a sip of his drink.
“Thank you. We love it here. Do you live far?”
“I don’t actually. When I took over the company, I moved into an office not far from here.”
“That will be good for Elody, knowing you’re nearby. She’ll want to see you often,” I say
“I’d love to,” he says genuinely.
With a silent sigh of resignation, I text him our address and then Elody and I make the short drive home, stopping off on the way to grab supplies to make a stir-fry for dinner.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NOW
“Mom, where’s my pink tutu dress? The one with the flowers,” Elody yells from her room. She’s been running around like a madwoman for the past half an hour as she struggles to find something to wear.
“Mom! Where’s my purple hairband with the shiny things? And my sparkly pumps?”
God help me.
“Not sure, Elody. Look under your bed.”
“I did!” I hear her foot stomp. “I can’t find them anywhere ,” she whines.
“Righto, kiddo, that’s enough,” I say sternly when I reach her bedroom. “You need to calm down. Find something to wear and stick with it. Your dad doesn’t care what you’re wearing; all he cares about is seeing you. Spending time with you. Not your outfits. Now, pick something, put it on, and then clean this mess up,” I say, taking note of the state of her bedroom.
“Yes, Momma.”
I leave her be and walk back out to the kitchen. I lie out all the vegetables on the counter and begin slicing. Twenty minutes later, everything is prepped and Elody is waiting patiently on the sofa as she watches the television without seeing. The doorbell rings and Elody immediately looks to me for confirmation.
“Go ahead,” I urge her with a nod when I see Brock standing on the other side of our stained-glass door.
She opens the door wide and he fills the entry-way. My stupid, stupid heart flutters in my chest, skipping beats and palpitating. He bends down and presents Elody with a single orange gerbera.
“Thank you,” she says, grinning broadly.
“You’re very welcome, sweetheart.” He stands again and holds out more flowers. A bunch, this time, for me.
“Thank you, Brock. You didn’t have to.” I take the flowers and bring them to my nose. Gorgeous. White and pink lilies. My favorite.
“I wanted to. Thank you for having me.”
“Of course. Come on in.”
“I love your dress, Elody. You look beautiful,” I hear him compliment her and my heart swoons as I imagine the way Elody savors his praise.
Dinner goes surprisingly well, and by eight-fifteen, Elody is sound asleep on the sofa, curled up under Brock’s arm. I grab my camera.
“Would you mind?” I ask, holding it up.
“Not at all.”
I snap a bunch of pictures from a range of angles.
“Make sure you send me a copy.”
“Of course,” I reply. “I’ll just put her to bed.” I lift her up and carry her into her room.
“Let me? Please?” I startle when I hear Brock’s voice behind me.
“Oh, um, sure.” I step out of the way, crossing my arms around my waist, and watch as he leans down and places a tender kiss on Elody’s forehead before whispering something into her ear. Then he brings the covers up to her chin and strokes the side of her face with the back of his hand. When he is done having his time, I lean over and kiss my little girl goodnight, flicking the light off, and pulling the door almost closed.
“Would you like a coffee? I don’t have any beer, but I do have some wine, if you’d prefer.”
“Coffee would be good,” he replies, following me out into the kitchen area.
I fix us both a mug and we move out onto the back deck to drink them. Bringing my feet up to the edge of the chair, I rest my chin on my knees and look out into the darkness.
“You’ve got a beautiful home, Cassi,” he comments, before taking a sip of his drink.
“Thank you. We love it here. Do you live far?”
“I don’t actually. When I took over the company, I moved into an office not far from here.”
“That will be good for Elody, knowing you’re nearby. She’ll want to see you often,” I say
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