“Just you!” I insisted.
My exuberant response doesn’t work, and she pressed on for more answers.
“On your date, who are your kissing Mommy?” she asked again, still serious.
“I don’t know if I am going to kiss anyone, baby. I’m going on a date with Dr. Matthews. Are you okay with that?” I asked carefully.
“Oh. Yes!” she grinned brightly, going back to her doll play.
Leah looked at me in the mirror and we both shrugged.
Well, apparently that talk was done.
~Logan~
I pulled into Clare’s driveway just as I had a week earlier, but today I felt completely different. I was still nervous, but now it felt like a different nervous, more a feeling of anticipation. Last week I was unsure of the path I should take with Clare. I wanted her. I wanted her more than anything. But I didn’t know if I could trust myself. I still wasn’t completely confident. After last Saturday though, when I held her in my arms and kissed her for the first time, I knew one thing. I wasn’t going anywhere, and I planned on making sure she understood that today.
I took one last deep breath, got out of my car and headed for the door. As I rounded the corner of the driveway, I nearly ran headfirst into Maddie who was barreling toward me.
“Whoa there, princess. What are you doing out here?” Clare would not be pleased if she knew Maddie was out here without permission.
“It’s okay. Mommy and Aunt Leah saw you from the window and said I could come get you. They’ve been up there forever,” she huffed.
Apparently the female rituals of beauty hadn’t captured her attention yet. I looked up at the window I thought must be Clare’s bedroom, and saw Leah’s small frame smiling down at me. She gave a small wave before disappearing behind the curtain. I chuckled wondering how long they’d been up there. Obviously long enough to drive a small child nearly insane. Poor kid.
“Forever, huh? Does your Mommy look pretty?” I asked, picking her up en route to the front door. I couldn’t wait to see Clare. The week since our kiss had been long and difficult. We’d spent many hours on the phone, but I hadn’t had the chance to see her in person. With my crazy schedule, I had to work double time to swing another Saturday off.
“Yeah, she’s got a pretty dress on and she smells real good. Aunt Leah said Mommy should smell yummy on a date.”
I choked back a laugh.
She became silent for a moment before asking, “Are you going to kiss my Mommy?”
Completely unprepared for this, I came to an abrupt stop, standing there on the front step just before we entered the house. How do I answer this? Will she hate me if I say yes? I can’t lie. Not to Maddie. I looked at her for the first time, expecting a look of betrayal or hurt on her tiny face, but instead she was smiling. Amazing. It was the only word I had for this child.
“Cause it’s okay if you want to,” she added.
“Oh yeah?” I teased, tickling her between the ribs as we entered the house.
“Yes!” she squealed in between hysterical fits of laughter.
“Well thanks for the permission, princess.” I sat Maddie down in the middle of the living room, which was just to the left of the front door. She looked at me with her big bright grin and I attacked, chasing her throughout the living room.
“No problem!” she shrieked, when I finally caught her in my arms.
“So, should I just go back upstairs? ‘Cause I feel like I’m intruding.”
We had been making so much noise I hadn’t even heard her enter the room.
Turning, with Maddie slung over my shoulder, I saw Clare for the first time in a week, leaning against the doorframe of the living room. I suddenly felt my knees grow weak from the mere sight of her. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to seeing her without my heart rate doubling. I really hoped not.
When she asked where we were going, I simply told her to dress semi-casually, but that was all I told her. Everything else was a surprise. The dress Maddie had mentioned was simple but beautiful on her. The bright orange under an ivory lace overlay brought out the fiery tones in her hair and made her skin glow. The dress gathered at her slim waist with a belt, and it was short, giving me plenty of her long legs to stare at. She had a denim jacket tucked under her arm, and was wearing strappy sandals that wound around her ankle. She looked amazing, but I’d seen her covered in vomit and thought she’d been breathtaking. She was stunning no matter what she was wearing.
“You look...Wow,” I stammered, leaning over to set Maddie down. I walked over to where Clare was standing.
“Hey Maddie, why don’t you go find where Aunt Leah’s run off to?” Clare suggested, briefly glancing over at Maddie and then returning back to me. Everything else disappeared for a moment. After a week away, I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and kiss her senseless. The look in her eyes told me she was on the same exact page.
“Oh, I’m right here. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. You could cut the sexual tension in here with a knife,” Leah shouted from the kitchen.
Clare reluctantly pulled her gaze from mine and circled around to Leah, who was currently sporting a messy bun piled at the top her head and a faded hooters t-shirt. She leaned casually on the granite countertop watching us, clearly amused.
“Seriously, Leah! She has ears. One of these days she’s going to repeat something you say to her daycare teacher or my Mom!” Clare scolded.
“Oh please, if Maddie said something to your Mom, she would know right away who taught it to her. Laura would come after me with a bar of soap,” she insisted.
“Well, at least she knows which one of us has the dirty mind,” Clare said, walking to the kitchen counter to retrieve her purse. As she passed Leah, she reached over and pinched her in the ass causing her to yelp, and they both laughed.
“Ha! I’m just more vocal about mine,” she argued as she rubbed her sore butt cheek.
“Not true. I’m an angel.” Clare said, officially ending the conversation.
I personally would love to know more about Clare’s dirty mind, but instead she went over Maddie’s evening routine with Leah, who just stood in the kitchen and rolled her eyes.
“Not too much sugar. Remember to feed her dinner. And make sure she brushes her teeth,” she reminded, giving Leah a pointed look.
Leah held up her hands in defense. “What? It was one time. Who says they need to brush their teeth every day?”
Clare shook her head and huffed in exasperation, leaving the kitchen to find Maddie who had arranged herself on the couch in the family room. She was reading a book with Dora the Explorer on the front. I smiled, knowing Clare hated Dora. Another late night conversation.