Page 57 of Icing on Top

“Clearly she does have a dragon. One with an affinity for blue crayons,” she challenged me, but her amused grin gave her away.

Relenting, I leaned back against the wall and simply observed as they finished their story. Charlie came out of hiding to see the last few pages, hanging onto Zoe’s every word. My heart was likely to burst right out of my chest.

Seeing them walking out of the tunnel hand-in-hand with their matching jerseys had nearly done me in, but the intimacy of this moment was the nail in the coffin. I had fallen for Zoe. Hard.

Charlie asked for another story, but I could already see her eyelids drooping. She’d fall asleep halfway through and then Zoe would be stuck.

“Not tonight, Tot. It’s already way past your bedtime.”

Her bottom lip pouted out just a hint as she shimmied down into her blankets, but she was too exhausted to truly put up a fight. I placed a kiss to her forehead, smiling knowingly whenever her eyes took an extra beat to open when I pulled away.

“Goodnight, Tot,” I whispered.

“Night, Daddy.”

Zoe adjusted the blankets around her. “Goodnight, Charlie girl.”

The corner of Charlie’s lips twitched in a hint of a smile, eyes mere slits as sleep pulled her under.

“Goodnight, Zo,” she sighed.

I followed Zoe into the hall and barely got the door shut behind me before I wrapped my arms around her, one hand sprawled across her lower back while the other cupped her neck. I kissed her tenderly, smiling whenever her body relaxed into mine. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but it wasn’t the right time. Not after the night she had.

So instead, when I pulled back and met her hazel eyes, I asked, “How are you feeling?”

She’d put on a brave face all night for Charlie, but I had seen right through it. If Charlie hadn’t been with us, I would have followed Zoe when she said she was getting air. The tears had already built up in her eyes before she’d disappeared into the crowd, and I would have given anything to support her in that moment, but I didn’t want to scare Charlie.

Zoe’s gaze flicked over my shoulder and her fingers fiddled with the strings of my hoodie. I moved my hands to her hips and gently guided her down the hallway to the living room. When we sat on the couch, she curled into my side much like Charlie had done to her. I ran my fingers through the ends of her hair, letting her organize her thoughts.

“Tonight was a lot. Seeing Carter after all these years, sitting on the bench in a jersey.” Her thumb traced back and forth over my ribs. “But I also think it was necessary. I needed to finally face that part of my past.”

And she’d faced it straight on, throwing herself into the deep end, and all because of Charlie. Because it would make her happy. The same thing I’d been doing for the last four years.

“I’m proud of you,” I murmured, lips brushing against her temple. “I know it was hard, but you did it.”

Her hold on me tightened before she tilted her head back to look at me.

“Because of you and Charlie. I couldn’t have done it without the both of you. I wouldn’t have even made it into the parking lot.”

I could tell her that she would have been able to do it eventually, but that would be dismissing her feelings, and I never wanted to do that.

“I’m glad we could be there for you.”

I’ll always be there for you.

Because I’m in love with you.

The words were right there, pushing against the back of my teeth, ready to spill out. Screw the fact that it had only been a little over a month since our first date.

“I better head home. It’s late and I’m wiped,” Zoe sighed, adjusting to get up from the couch.

I could still say it, but the moment was gone. Instead, I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, curling my fingers around it.

“You sure you’re okay to drive home? You could always stay in the guest bedroom.”

She smiled reassuringly. “I’m fine. Besides, I’ve gotta get up early to meet with Carter. I’ll text you when I get home.”

While I appreciated it, unfortunately, it did little to soothe the anxious knot building in my chest.