Page 27 of Sheltering Lily

“Hi, sweetheart.” I went to her and pressed a noisy kiss to her cheek. When I adopted her, I’d had no idea the effect she’d have on me. She gave me a sense of purpose and responsibility. I’d known going in that I had to provide the right kind of home for her. What I hadn’t expected was the joy she brought me.

Lily smiled at me. She’d also brought me joy, and I longed to give her a hello kiss, too, but we’d been careful not to be too demonstrative in front of Sofia.

“You’re home a little early,” Lily said.

“Making up for the long hours earlier this week. Hope I haven’t interrupted your fun.” The kitchen was a mess, but that’s what you got when two artists lived under one roof. I wasn’t complaining. I’d deal with a thousand messes if it meant coming home to these two every night.

“Not at all,” Lily said. “We were practicing cutting shapes. Sofia has mastered the circle, rectangle, and triangle. I think we’re ready to try something more complicated.”

“Like a hexagon?” I suggested, taking a seat next to Sofia and studying the various shapes cut from brightly colored paper.

“I was thinking a house. I traced one for Sofia. Why don’t you help her cut it out?” Lily proposed, handing me a pair of children’s scissors. Sofia already had a pair in her little hand.

“I’ll try. If I can…” I adjusted the scissors, trying to get my big fingers through the child-size on the handle. Sofia giggled at my awkward attempts.

“Like this, Dada,” she said and demonstrated her grip on the scissors.

“Maybe we should let Daddy have a bigger pair.” Laughter filled Lily’s voice before she handed me adult scissors along with a piece of pink construction paper. The house sketched on it was much like mine from the front, tidy and symmetrical. I helped Sofia hold the paper so she could take the first snip.

“I’ll cut out some flowers to decorate it,” Lily said.

“Do I need flowers?” I had orderly shrubs and pruned trees in my front yard. I’d had a landscape architect design and plant the yard, but I maintained it myself.

“It might be nice to add some,” she said. “A little color, texture, shape to soften the lines. Maybe give some fragrance. I think something pink would be perfect.” Lily exchanged a knowing smile with Sofia.

They were ganging up on me, and I’d never been happier. If they wanted flowers in the front yard, I’d plant flowers for them…after some research about what would grow best and what kind of care the blooms would need. I didn’t go into anything haphazardly. That quality was what made me resist Lily at first, since I’d been convinced that she wasn’t what I was looking for. And maybe I should have continued to resist, but my life was richer for having her in it.

Sofia chatted as we cut out the house, telling me about her day playing with Austin and Aunt Carolyn. When the house was finished, Sofia arranged the flowers on it and began sticking them down with a glue stick. There were yellow flowers on the home’s windows and a giant purple one on the front door. I didn’t comment, but I’d try to make sure the real landscaping was a little more subtle.

“Something baking?” I asked Lily when I heard the tick of the oven running.

“You could say that.” She shot me a smile.

“What is it?” I asked. I could see something through the oven window, but it wasn’t a loaf of bread or anything else I cared to eat. “Why is there a creature in the oven?”

“It’s an animal that Sofia and I shaped out of clay a little while ago. Mostly Sofia. It needs to bake so we can paint it tomorrow.”

I got off my stool and walked closer, peering into the oven. A bizarre-looking thing was stretched out on a cookie sheet. It appeared to have four limbs and a head…and that might be a tail. Other than that, I couldn’t identify it.

“Looks to be a new species.” I turned to Lily and Sofia, keeping my face neutral.

“I gave Sofia artistic license to create as she pleased. Isn’t it beautiful?” Lily asked me, sliding her eyes to Sofia in a pointed way as if to say, Praise the creation and your daughter.

“I’d call it a magnificent creature. Tell me about what colors you’ll paint it.” I directed the last to Sofia, who launched into a description of colors I could barely follow—but she was happy. And that was what mattered.

Lily

I placed the pieces Sofia had cut out into an oversized art portfolio while Colin gathered up the other supplies and dumped them into the bin marked “Sofia’s Art.” He’d put Sofia to bed a few minutes ago after a quick dinner of turkey sandwiches and fruit. I knew I needed to broach the subject of the internship with him, but I was reluctant to break the atmosphere of…of what? Happiness? Comfort? Love? I couldn’t say, but I had to be fair to him and let him know I was considering leaving them. Throughout the day, I’d gone back and forth between wanting to leap at the opportunity and wanting nothing more than to continue playing house with Colin and Sofia.

“We need to talk,” I forced myself to say when we’d finished cleaning up the kitchen.

“We do,” he agreed, reaching for my hand. “I’ve been putting it off, but I don’t want to do that anymore.”

I managed a small smile, knowing we had very different topics in mind. My guess was that he wanted to talk about deepening our relationship, while I was contemplating ending it so I could pursue my dream. I felt so guilty at the thought of hurting him—but I reminded myself that I’d never promised him forever. I’d been clear about that. If only that would make the words any easier to say.

He drew me to him. “A kiss first.”

I went into his arms, willing to lose myself in his long, deep kiss. I put everything he meant to me in it, hoping he felt it, as I feared this kiss might be our last. When it ended, I was reluctant to let go, resting my head on his shoulder as his hands smoothed my hair. I wanted to stay like that forever, but the next minutes would change things between us.

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