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A smile curved my lips.
The turn of locks is what I heard next, my anxiety to the roof.
When the door swung open, I froze.
Reed.
Heart beating wildly in my chest, we stood, gazes locked.
Part of me wanted to laugh at the sight of Reed donning a pink, long-haired wig, a crown, and a gold party dress, his chest muscles bursting out like the Hulk.
The other part of me, the part that ached for him, wanted to cry, leap in his arms, and hold him for days.
“Hey,” he said, his voice low and raspy. “You delivering pizza now instead of selling million-dollar homes?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You dressing up like a princess now instead of a hero who saves damsels in distress?
He peered down at me and blinked. “You wanna come in?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Reed closed the door behind me as I stepped in, then took the pizza boxes off my hands.
A voice squeaked out, “Is that our pizza?” and a beautiful little girl with brown hair and big, ocean-blue eyes, dressed like a princess, hopped toward us.
She smiled up at me. “Are you here to have a princess tea party too?”
I bit my lip, darting my attention to Reed. “I’d love to have a princess tea party. Is that okay with you?”
Scarlett tugged at his dress. “Please? She’ll make a pretty princess.”
Reed nodded his approval, and the three of us prodded into the kitchen.
As we sat down for pizza, Reed officially introduced me to Scarlett.
She grinned and said, “You’re the lady inside his phone.”
Reed’s whole face turned the same color as the pizza sauce.
Head tilted, I said, “I’m sorry, the lady inside his phone?”
“Pictures.” Scarlett giggled. “He has pictures of you inside his phone.”
Reed cleared his throat. “I’d been scrolling through some of the selfies we’d taken in Barbados, and when Scarlett spotted you, she wanted to know who the pretty lady was.”
This time my face was probably the same color as the pizza sauce.
We ate, all while Scarlett explained what happened during a princess tea party.
“You can be Rapunzel since your hair is so long.” She pointed at Reed. “He’s Cinderella, and I’m Princess Scarlett of Tasmania.”
Hours ticked by, and we were still deep in the throes of Scarlett’s princess tea party.
Reed’s warm, loving, and affectionate interactions with Scarlett pinched my heart, reminding me what a catch he truly was.
“You have to turn in now, sweetie.” Reed brushed the hair out of Scarlett’s face. “We get the keys to the house tomorrow and have a long drive ahead after that.”
Her shoulders sagged, then she looked at me, eyes wide and hopeful. “Can you fall asleep with Daddy and me in The Castle?”
