CHAPTER 14
Brittney
“Hey Isabella!”
“Hello Brittney!”
“I like your hair.”
“Thank you,” she says. She clasps her hands in front of her thighs and turns her body sideways, bending at the hips and knees. She is so cute! “I did it myself.”
“You did a great job.”
“Thank you. Do you want some candy?”
“Sure!” I say. I laugh at her sweet tooth and am surprised Sean’s letting her have this much candy. I wonder if he’s a bit of a pushover when it comes to his daughter.
“Okay, but we have to wait until after dinner.”
“Okay. It’s a deal,” I say, extending my hand. She looks at it like she’s unsure what to do with it at first. “Shake?” I ask.
She takes my hand and giggles, before suddenly jerking it up and then down, and giggling even harder. Then she takes off running for the kitchen.
“Whoa there Speedy Gonzales,” Sean says, as he scoops her up just as she runs by. Brittney giggles some more at Sean grabbing her and lifting her up. Any thoughts I might have had about this entire situation being a bad idea are quickly forgotten. I can’t believe how perfect Sean and Isabella are. They’re so perfect in fact I almost wonder if there’s a need for me in their lives.
“Thanks for coming by,” Sean says.
“Thank you for inviting me,” I say.
Sean kisses me on the cheek.
“I want a kiss too!” Isabella says.
“Okay,” Sean says.
He puckers up for Isabella and she taps his lips with her fingertips. “From Brittney, silly.”
“Oh!” Sean says. “Well you have to ask her. You can’t go around stealing kisses. There are no kissing bandits allowed in this house.”
My smile goes from huge to enormous when Brittney reaches in towards me with her lips puckered and her eyes closed. I move my cheek in her direction and get a big wet one right in the middle of my cheek.
Isabella pulls back towards her dad and points at her cheek, as she closes her eyes again.
I lean in and kiss right where she’s pointing.
“Thank you,” she says.
“Thank you!” I say.
“Dad, can you put me down? I want to show Brittney my paper mache.”
“Sure thing,” Sean says.
“Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” he whispers to me. “Do you mind?” he says motioning towards Isabella.
“Are you kidding? I can’t wait to see it.”
“Thanks,” he says, putting her feet down on the floor. She takes off running, and he wraps me up in a hug. “I missed you,” he says. I can tell he’s not lying by the bump I feel in the groin area of his jeans.
“I missed you too,” I say. I feel a squeeze on one of my butt cheeks followed by a slap. I pretend it’s like a jolt to send me on my way, which I do. I walk towards Isabella’s room, swinging my hips way too much.
I turn back and see Sean, with his eyebrows raised high. He gives me a wink, which I quickly return.
With a welcome like that how could I ever leave? I guess the only way would be to step out and step right back in, only to do it all over again.
But leaving these two is the last thing on my mind right now. I’ve been hit with a wave of positivity, happiness, and love since the moment Isabella opened that door for me and smiled at me from my waist level.
How did I get so lucky?