Page 22 of Brazilian Fantasy
“Yeah, she is, and she’s really good with Maddie.”
Luiz walks into the room with Maddie, who has her little pup on the leash we purchased, along with a million other things—aka, a starter kit—the store manager talked us into buying. But I don’t mind. If it makes Maddie happy, then I’m happy.
“Hello, there,” Luiz says, his gaze meeting Pipers.
I do the introductions as they exchange a handshake, and when Maddie tugs on Piper’s sundress, Piper drops to her knees.
“Have you thought of a name for her yet?” she asks Maddie. As Maddie shakes her head no, I turn my attention to my in-laws.
Luiz gazes at me with those astute eyes of his, and when a small smile turns up the corner of his mouth, my throat tightens. I tug at the collar of my T-shirt, suddenly finding it harder to draw in air as I realize Piper was right. We do have sex written all over us, and my in-laws know it.
Shit.
Then again, they’re welcoming Piper with open arms, and Luiz is giving me a sly smile. “Well, we should get going,” I say, and Anna goes into the other room to come back with Maddie’s overnight bag, and her pup’s bag, which is twice the size. We say our good-byes and head outdoors. I buckle Maddie in the backseat, and she cuddles her pup.
I slide in beside Piper, who’s chewing her bottom lip. “They know,” she whispers.
“Yeah. They do. And they don’t seem to have a problem with it.”
“I thought they were going to hate me.”
“They seem to like you.”
“They want you happy,” she says matter-of-factly. “They seem like really good people.” She touches my arms gently. “I’m sorry about Jenny. She must have been a really good person, too.”
I nod, and guilt washes over me like a rogue Atlantic wave. My lungs seize, unable to take in air as I drown in the guilt over my wife. Conflicted emotions burn through my blood. I’m not supposed to be happy ever again. I don’t deserve it. But with Piper, I am happy. When she’s in my arms, I feel alive again, look forward to each new day, and can breathe without constantly taking tight, shallow breaths. I grip the steering wheel hard enough that my knuckles turn white.
I take a peek at Maddie in the backseat, and my heart thumps as she plays with her pup.
“We’re going to have to give her a name soon,” I say around the lump in my throat. Maddie nods, and it breaks my heart that she lost her mother because of me. “How about Tiny?”
She crinkles her nose and shakes her head no.
“Mmm, how about Rover?”
She giggles and gives another shake of her head. Piper laughs.
“You’re not very good at this,” Piper teases.
“Fine, let’s hear your names.”
“Okay, how about Bella, or Baby, or Peaches?” Maddie’s eyes go wide.
“You like one of those Maddie?” I ask.
She gave a non-committal shrug, and Piper adds, “I know how about Cupcake?” Maddie rubs her belly, and Piper laughs. “It might not be a great name for your pup, but how about we make cupcakes when we get home?”
She nods, her curls falling around her face.
“I don’t know. Nanny Eugenie is pretty strict about sweets.”
“Well, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Piper looks at Maddie. “We can eat them and watch Frozen.” She waves her hand at me. “I’ve seen the show a million times. I’m sure Maddie has, too. The kids at the daycare love it.”
“Frozen?”
Her mouth opens. “Don’t tell me Maddie has never seen Frozen?”
“Nanny Eugenie—”
