Page 80 of Perfect Imperfections

It was. So amazing that no one corrected the man for swearing in front of an eight-year-old.

“Hey, Chris,” Ellie called to the Black man with a shiny bald head standing a few feet away from the massive animal, guiding it into the building. “Can you bring Tia over here? I’ve got a friend for her to meet and some yummy treats.”

The man waved in acknowledgement. Soon, Chris and the huge pachyderm were lumbering over to where they all stood.

“Here.” Ellie handed Charlotte a palm frond. “Hold this out like this to Tia. That’s right, way out far so she can grab it with her trunk, and the minute she does, you let go. Elephants are very strong.”

“Elephants can carry over six-hundred pounds,” Charlotte announced proudly.

“That’s right, sweetie. They can. Now hold it out. Here she comes.”

He watched as his daughter held out the palm and the woman he cared for held onto her waist, talking her through it, guiding her as the large animal reached out with its trunk to snuff over Charlotte’s hair—eliciting an adorable giggle—before grabbing the green leafy branch and depositing it in its mouth.

“I fed a real live elephant! I can’t wait to tell everyone at school!”

He glanced over to his brother who had his cell phone out, camera recording. Damn, he was glad Gavin had the sense of mind to record such a momentous occasion. He’d completely forgotten. So wrapped up in the stupid shit going on inside his head, he’d totally spaced on the memory preserving moments.

“Send me that, would ya?”

His brother nodded, thumbs flicking over the phone screen. His cell dinged a moment later, but he left it in his pocket. It would save. He’d watch it later, at Charlotte’s insistence, he was certain. For now, he was content to stand there and gaze at the daughter he loved with the biggest, happiest smile he’d ever seen plastered on her face. And at the woman who’d put it there. The woman who’d also made him the happiest he could ever remember. The woman he feared was making herself indispensable to him in every aspect of his life.

CHAPTER 28

Ellie sat on the couch in the Greens’ living room, Sullivan on one side of her, Charlotte curled up against the other as they watched the movie with the princess and the magic shoes, for the fourth time in a month. She didn’t mind though, not really. These past few months with Sullivan and Charlotte had been a dream. Ellie never knew she could be so…content.

A soft ping sounded from her pocket. Shifting without trying to disturb anyone too much, Ellie reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out her phone. She smiled when she saw the text message.

Cam: Show this to the squirt

Followed by a picture of Bingo with a sardine in his beak. Cam had been sending her funny pictures of the penguins and other zoo animals to show Charlotte. She had also been making fast friends with the charming girl, as Charlotte had finagled a few more weekend visits to the zoo. The last one she’d asked if Cam could come along. Gavin had joined them, too. The verbal sparring between her best friend and Sullivan’s brother seemed odd to her. The two acted like they hated each other, passing barbs back and forth, but there was always a weird smile on her friend’s face when she sent veiled insults Gavin’s way. Weirder still, the man grinned as each affront landed.

She had no idea what was going on with those two, but as long as it didn’t upset Charlotte or Sullivan, she didn’t really care. She was happy and in love. A fact she still hadn’t revealed to Sullivan. As much as she wanted to shout the words from the mountain tops, she couldn’t. Fear had a chokehold on her. Plus, there was the matter of them promising to keep this thing light and fun. But with each passing day, she fell deeper and deeper. It didn’t feel light anymore. There were times when she looked into Sullivan’s eyes and swore she saw love shining back at her in those green depths.

Or maybe she was just projecting what she wanted to see. For now, she told herself to just enjoy their time together, whether it be puzzle night, movie night, or the date nights they’d managed to sneak in thanks to Gavin’s babysitting.

Life was good.

Not wanting to disturb the movie—even though it was the millionth time Charlotte had seen it according to her father—she slipped the phone back into her pocket. The photo could wait until after the show, during brownie time.

Brownie Time. Movie night. Puzzle night. Date night.

All her free time recently seemed to be categorized by activities. Activities involving actual people, not simply her and the nature channel. If someone had told her three months ago, she’d be spending most of her nights and weekends with a handsome single dad and his daughter, she would have laughed in their face. Ellie didn’t connect with other people very well. But it appeared she connected with Sullivan and Charlotte just fine. The knowledge warmed her heart. Maybe she’d finally found her place to fit.

“Anything important?” Sullivan asked, his lips gently brushing the shell of her ear.

“Nope. Just, Cam sending more Bingo pics.”

He chuckled, and the vibrations from his lips against her skin sent a thrill of anticipation through her. Over the past few weeks, she’d been staying over most weekends. Once they put Charlotte to bed, Sullivan would whisk her off to the bedroom and do the most inventive, delicious things. Her thighs squeezed together in anticipation just thinking about it.

“I’m growing fond of that old bird.”

“Bingo has that effect on people. I think it only took a day for him to charm Cam and less than an hour where I was concerned.”

He bopped her softly on the nose with his index finger. “That doesn’t count. You’re a softie for all animals. You wouldn’t even squash a spider if it landed on your nose.”

Now there he was wrong. Spiders had their place in the animal kingdom, but if a creepy, crawly eight-legged arachnid fell on her face without warning she would probably freak out a bit and smack the thing away, inadvertently crushing the poor creature and causing flies everywhere to celebrate.

“You guuuuuys!” Charlotte gave them both a disgruntled glare. “I’m trying to watch the mooooovieeeee!”

---