interesting idea.”
“I think of lots of interesting ideas.”
“It shows in your artwork, that you’re a deep thinker.”
“So, what do you think?” she asks, still looking at the ceiling.
“About what?”
“About being Daddy’s girlfriend.”
“I think if your daddy wanted to take me on a date, he could ask me, and we’ll see where it goes.”
She giggles.
“But only if you’re okay with it.”
“Obviously, I am, Ms. Bloom,” she sighs out.
“I see that.” I laugh.
She rolls over and looks at me. “Can you be on your porch around six-ish?”
“Are you coming to see me?”
She nods.
“Then I’ll be there.”
Driving home, I can’t help wishing I’d done the same thing to my dad—pushed him into loving again. Ms. Kennedy or even Shirley would have been wonderful for him, and he for them.
When my phone rings, I tap the steering wheel and answer, “Hello?”
“Heard you had an interesting meeting at the end of the day.”
“Oh my God, Ethan, she is freaking adorable.”
“Pushy as hell, too. She sent me a list of things I should do, and then a text saying, and I fucking quote, You need to nail this down.”
“She did not.”
“Christ, I wish she hadn’t,” he sighs, and then we both laugh.
“I’m thinking we take this real slow, set up a date maybe; not just jump into slapping a label on this, for God’s sake.”
“You’re overwhelmed.”
“What’s overwhelming, Elizabeth, is caring. It’s not a wonder everyone in my family learned to shut it down.”
His words hurt my heart. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t ever be that, love. Just understand that I’m not used to getting emotional, and for the love of all things Scottish, don’t ya start looking at me like I’m some sort of bamstick.”
“I like your bamstick.”
“Meaning arsehole.”
“How could I do that when your dick literally appears whenever you’re around?”
He growls, “I fucking love you.”
Saturday
One Month Later…
Ethan
“Daddy?” Kai pushes up and sits on my bathroom counter. “Are you nervous?”
It’s been a month since Kai “strong-armed me” into asking Elizabeth on a date, with flowers and Ben and Jerry’s. As far as she knows, tonight is our official first, unsupervised date—Elizabeth’s idea, which works for me. She loves my girl and that makes me love her even more. Wednesday nights, however, while Kai is fast asleep, Maryanne returns and stays until I sneak back across the street in time to wake my Sleeping Beauty.
Friday nights are still designated grill nights. Tonya is a regular, and so is her boyfriend, Jimmy, who’s a tad bit younger, but who am I to judge? I’m eleven years older than Elizabeth. Simon, Bridget, Brendan, and the twins, Eleanor, and “baby Elizabeth,” which Kai calls her and now we all do as well and often, Calliope, and her husband Nigel. Every other Saturday, Kai goes to yoga with Elizabeth, and I hit the gym. Then we meet up for lunch.
Sundays are truly a day of rest. Elizabeth spends the day reading and readying herself for work, and Kai and I watch YouTube videos, and she laughs over and over again at this Australian bloke named Chance, his goat, and his kids.
“Maybe a wee bit. Do you have any advice for me, a sheòid?”
“Why do you call me that?”
“A sheòid?”
“Aye,” she says gruffly, and I can’t help laughing. She’s come a long way from whispers to words to belly laughs.
At Elizabeth’s suggestion, we make a weekly challenge, and she gets a twenty dollar bill every Friday to spend however she wishes if she asks one question in each subject a day. The next week, we upped the stakes, that she had to ask two. This week, she’s at four. She still freezes up from time to time, but she perseveres.
“It means hero, valiant warrior, and you”—I kiss the top of her head—“have been mine for eight years.”
She stands up on the counter and pops a kiss to the top of mine. “Samesies.”
Then she puts her hands on her hips. “I think you should kiss her on the lips tonight.”
“Kai, what in the—” I stop when I realize I’m about to swear at my kid like I do Simon. It’s not like she hasn’t heard me say fuck, but never to her. “Heck.”
She laughs at the obvious righting of my wrong. “And if you love her, you should tell her. Do you love her?”
I look her in the eyes and nod. “I do.”
She slaps her hands against my cheeks and holds my face firmly. “Is she gonna be my mommy?”
“Don’t you think maybe you should date someone longer than a month before marrying them?”
Still squeezing my