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“Good morning, Angel. Would you like me to pour that for you?” I asked, taking the heavy gallon of milk from his small hands.
“I can do it!” he said, but he didn’t actually fight me when I took the gallon from him. He knew he needed help, but he wanted to pretend like he didn’t. I said nothing, and just poured him a glass. He took it from me, but then made a pouty face as he walked away.
“What’s wrong, honey?” I asked.
“I wanted to pour it.”
I sighed. “I know, honey, but the jug was just too heavy for you. Soon, you’ll be big enough to do it by yourself though.”
He looked down at his feet. “Don’t tell Zane.”
I laughed, then quickly covered my mouth so that he wouldn’t feel like I was mocking him. “Luca, why don’t you want me to tell Zane about this?”
“I want Zane to think I’m strong.”
I walked over and bent down so that I was at eye level with my son. “Oh, honey, I’m sure Zanedoesthink you’re strong. And you want to know something else, your mommyknowsyou’re strong. How about this, next time, we can pour it together?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know…”
“Or I could ask Zane to show you how to pour milk when the jug is really full. Would you like that?”
I could see just a hint of a smile, but then he looked away, obviously embarrassed, and made a little animal-like sound in response. I tousled his hair and got up, letting him drink his milk in peace.
I woke Kenlee and changed her diaper before feeding her. She was a beautiful baby and it was easy to see why Zane was so protective. Once I had both kids fed and ready, I took Luca to the in-house daycare for the day. I had left him there a few times before so he was familiar with the staff. They were always happy to see him and vice versa. I liked that he was able to play with other kids without having to worry about him running off. It was a win-win. I said goodbye to Luca and told him I would pick him up after work. He kissed me goodbye and ran off to play with his friends.
I barely knocked on Zane’s door before he opened it and greeted us with an enormous smile. It was a complete change from yesterday’s greeting, and I was happy to see it.
Taking Kenlee from me, he looked at both of us and declared, “I doubt too many other men were lucky enough to answer their door this morning to two stunningly beautiful women.”
Kenlee giggled and he kissed her cheek before setting her in her swing. Before turning back to me, he told her, “Good morning, Angel. Daddy missed you.” Then he turned back to me. “Good morning to you too, gorgeous. I hope you slept well.”
“I slept quite well as a matter of fact. For some reason, I was completely worn out,” I said, winking at him.
Walking toward me he moaned, “Hmmm. Good to know. I will have to see about making that happen more often.”
“I hope you do,” I said.
Once he was close enough to touch me, he pulled me in and gave me a hug that said he couldn’t wait for more. I was looking forward to it as well.
“Would you be willing to have dinner with me tonight when you get off work? Don’t worry about bothering Addie again, I will take care of childcare for the kids tonight.”
I smiled. “Yes, I would love to. I get off at 5:00. I’ll just need a couple of hours to shower and spend some time with Luca.”
“Of course. I’ll make reservations for 8:00. Nothing too fancy though. I don’t know about you, but I for one, am tired of getting dressed up,” he told me playfully.
I was relieved. I didn’t mind dressing up, to be honest, I enjoyed it, but my options were limited. The dress I wore last night, the one he gave me as a gift, was the only nice dress I owned.
“That sounds perfect,” I told him and leaned up to kiss his cheek, then headed for the door. I stopped before walking out of his room, however, and turned back. He looked at me with curiosity in his eyes, and I smiled. “I had a really nice time last night, and I’m glad that we decided to see where this thing might lead us. I’m still a little worried, but I think I’m beginning to trust you again.”
“Really?” His face lit up.
“Yeah,” I said. “We’re taking baby steps, but at least we’re going in the right direction. And I wanted to thank you again—for helping Luca and I get out of a bad situation. No matter what happens between us, I will forever be grateful for the way you took care of us when we needed somebody the most.”
“I was happy to do it,” he said, walking over and stroking my cheek. “I just hope you’ll let me continue to be there for you. And for Luca.”
I leaned my face against his hand but said nothing. After a few seconds of silence, I had to leave so I wouldn’t be late. I waved as I stepped backward out of the door, and he watched me walk away with a big, bright smile on his face.
Chapter Twenty-Five
