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“Lamb chop.” He builds onto our list of names Maisie and Tyler could call each other.
The kids giggle as they become more ridiculous.
“Pumpkin pie.”
“Papa bear.”
“Pudding.”
“Nugget.”
“Butt!” Hunter shouts out, and Izzy chimes in with, “Darling.”
The momentary awkwardness is replaced with fits of laughter by the four of us. Dad even fights back a slight quirk of his mouth as he watches the interaction.
“Well, if you ask me, sweetie pie makes me gag,” Dad says as he moves into the foyer, where he takes off his shoes and hangs his hat in the closet.
The kids take their giggly bodies to the sink and start cleaning off the table. Will and I are behind them, gathering dishes.
I turn to him and mouth,Thank you.
“For what?” he asks as he takes a glass from my hand.
“For just … being here. Tonight was nice.”
And there it is …the smolder.You can’t see the flame, but the heat is intense as he fixes his gaze on mine and holds it steady, taking all the energy from the room and igniting it with a single look.
“The night’s not over.” His voice is deep and low.
I swallow hard. “No?”
“Hunter and I have to show you what we’ve been working on. Are you ready for a show?”
“Yes. Um, why don’t I clean up the kitchen while you two set up your tricks?”
“Tricks? We have a performance. Do you have popcorn?” he asks, and I nod. “Let’s start the show then.”
While I clean up, Izzy makes the popcorn, and Hunter and Will set up the show. Will asks my dad if he has a hat, which Dad gets.
The dishwasher is on, the counters are clean, and I’m soon being called into the living room.
Hunter and Will are each wearing hats—a wizard hat for Hunter that we got from Disney World and a men’s bowler cap for Will. Hunter has a Captain America cape on while Will has Spiderman and Thor ones around his neck. They each have a wooden spoon in their hand as they stand by the fireplace. They look ridiculous and adorable at the same time.
Izzy and I take a seat on the sofa, and Dad sits on the side chair. We each have a small bowl of popcorn in our laps.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the super-amazing magic show, hosted by me, Will, and the great—”
“Huntino!” my son exclaims as he waves his arms in the air.
They start with a trick from the box. Hunter shows the crowd the red velvet pouch that sits on a round wooden frame with a handle.
“I’m going to put this coin in the pouch and—wait, what do I do?” he asks Will, who leans down and shows Hunter where the tiny lever by the handle is to make a mechanism inside the pouch swoop to push the coin out of view, appearing to have disappeared.
Hunter makes quite the show of moving the mechanism, to the point that Izzy leans over and whispers loudly, “He needs to practice big time if he wants to be in the talent show.”
“It’s his first try. Give him some time.”
Hunter pulls off the trick. Dad, Izzy, and I act like we can’t believe the wooden coin disappeared, which makes Hunter smile from ear to ear.
