Page 57 of Against The Tide

“Why, Doc?” She nuzzles deeper into me, one arm cuddling her bedtime buddies while the other wraps around the front of my chest.

“Because when you love someone, you love all their heart, and the biggest part of your mommy’s heart is you. So, you see, it’s impossible for me not to love you.”

“I love you too.” She tries to squeeze me as tight as she can, and I squeeze her right back, peppering her hair with kisses.

I’m putting her back into bed and tucking her in when she asks me another question. “Are you going to take my mommy on a date?”

“Do you know what a date is?”

“Umm.” Iris thinks hard about it before she replies, “It’s when a girl and a boy are hungry and they share food together. If he really likes her, he lets her try his food.”

“Yeah?” A chuckle escapes me at her definition of a date, and it makes me wonder how much more does she know about life that I don’t realize?

For seven years old, she’s really switched on and savvy. She has a real old soul to her tender years.

“That’s what Scout said. She told me that her mommy steals her daddy’s food all the time and that he always moans about it but lets her have it because he loves her.”

“You know what? That’s kind of true. I wouldn’t share Jo’s pie with anyone except your mom, and maybe you.”

“So, are you going to take my mommy on a date?”

“Absolutely.”

“Are you going to take Jo’s pie too?”

“I think I’m going to have to.”

“Mommy should take some red velvet cupcakes too, that way you can both share and that means that you love each other.”

“Tell you what, if you go to sleep, I’ll come over extra early tomorrow so we can make more cupcakes.”

“And then we can have a date?”

“Hell yeah, you, me and your mom.”

Turning on her side, she squees, “I can’t wait.”

“We can go for a picnic, and I heard that tomorrow night there’s going to be a meteor shower, so we can put the stargazing tent up and watch it too.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Good, but you have to go to sleep.”

“Okay,” she yawns on purpose as I tuck her in, and just as I’m about to leave the room, she tells me, “Don’t forget flowers. It’s not a date if you don’t bring flowers, and my mommy loves roses, and they have to be red because that’s the color of love. Okay?”

“Sure thing, champ.”

I make it downstairs as Avery’s finishing up in the kitchen. Jo wasn’t feeling too great after a restless night, and with everyone having turned up for dinner, she went to bed the minute they left. It’s just me and her Care Bear theme tune singing self.

Finally.

It takes her a moment to realize I’m watching her, and as always a beautiful blush colors her cheeks.

“Did she make you read another chapter?”

“I think she’s loving the story so far.”

“It’s more about who’s reading it rather than the story itself.” She smiles, biting on that gorgeous lip I’m partial to while she watches me close the space between us.