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“It’s you, singing all sorts of songs. I like your voice,” the little girl replied.
“I like your voice. I liked singing with you at your grandparents’ house. I wish you’d sing more,” she added when Landon and Aria shared a curious look.
She observed the pair. “What?”
“Tell her, Aria,” Landon nudged
“We had music class today, and now that I’m a big kid in second grade, I have to make a music goal.”
“What did you pick?” she asked, catching Landon’s wide grin out of the corner of her eye.
“I’m going to sing a song for Lolo and Lala when we go see them in Italy for their second wedding.”
“It’s called a vow renewal,” Landon corrected.
“I like second wedding better,” Aria tossed back, always the ball-buster, bless her heart.
Ball-busting aside, this was a big deal. These last few weeks, they’d played the piano together, and Aria had pretty much mastered the guitar, but she wouldn’t sing.
“I can’t wait to hear it. I’m sure your grandparents will be thrilled with that gift” she replied when Landon shifted his weight, and she got a look at the e-reader in his hand. “Hold on a hot second. Is that a Babysitters Club e-book?”
“Yeah, it is,” Aria beamed. “We started reading it tonight.”
Landon held it up. “Aria’s school gave each student one to use at home.”
“And I asked Uncle Landy to get the first book in the series on my fancy computer book because you didn’t have that one in the pile of notebooks and Uncle Landy pictures.”
Ah, the pile of mortification.
But she didn’t have a second to be embarrassed about her childhood crush on her current husband. Not when something quite extraordinary had happened.
She peered at the tablet, noting the special font and highlighted text. “You’re reading to Aria?”
He gave her the heartthrob sexy little half smile. “I am.”
Before today, that task had fallen to her each night. They’d tag team bedtime. After Aria was out of the tub and ready for bed, she would read the child a story, and Landon would sing a lullaby. But the brightness in his eyes would dim the moment she’d cuddle up with Aria and crack open a book.
Tonight, there was nothing subdued about the man. A boyish grin spread across his face, and God help her. The warmth in his expression had her feeling almost as unsteady as someone who’d ingested drug-laced lollipops.
Aria pointed to the e-reader. “It’s got special letters that don’t wiggle. My old school didn’t have that. They had wiggle words, and it made me mad when the letters wouldn’t keep still.”
“I bet,” she replied, squeezing the girl’s hand.
“I asked Uncle Landy to wake you up to read to me like we always do, but he said to let you sleep and that he’d read to me.”
“That was really sweet of your uncle,” she answered and met her husband’s gaze.
Was he starting to understand that he wasn’t broken? Could he see there was nothing wrong with him? Did he realize there was nothing shameful about being a neurodivergent learner?
“Aunt Harper?” Aria said and scooted toward her. The kid narrowed her gaze and looked her over like Landon had a few minutes ago.
“What’s with the full-body scan, kid?” she teased.
“Uncle Landy said you ate a bunch of lollipops that made you feel topsy-turvy.”
Topsy-turvy was one way to put it.
She smoothed the upturned sleeve on Aria’s pajama top. “I feel much better, but I’ll be laying off the lollipops.”
