Page 20 of Chase Our Forever

I focus back on Liv as her eyes drift from place to place, wondering if she’s looking around and thinking I’m pathetic for not bringing any personal touches to the home.

“Here’s where I keep some of my toys!” Clara calls, breaking me from my thoughts. She runs to a wall of built-in shelving. The bottom portion is cabinets, giving us room to store her toys and art supplies without them being on display when people first walk into the house.

Clara opens up one of the cabinets and pulls out a box of Barbies. “See?” she yells, her voice echoing off the walls across the space from us. “Toys!”

Liv nods, her eyes still wide with shock as she takes in the house. “I love it,” she manages to get out, her eyes finally stopping on the kitchen. “This is the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen.” Her voice is full of wonder as she follows me into the kitchen. I cock my head to the side as my eyes track her face.Is she telling the truth?I can’t tell. “Surely not. It’s big but simple. I haven’t finished decorating.”

I shift her bags in my grip, wondering if she’s judging the lack of decorations in the house.Does it feel cold? Is she judging me for not making it homier for Clara?The things that make it more of a home than a house are things my mom has brought over.

“It’s still beautiful,” she notes, running her fingers along the wood slab of the kitchen island.

I clear my throat, not knowing how to respond. I wish Clara would interrupt with something random to ease the awkward energy around us, but instead, she chooses thisonetime to be perfectly entertained with her Barbies.

At least it feels awkward to me, but the wide-eyed amazement of Liv tells me maybe the awkwardness is only one-sided.

“So, this is obviously the kitchen,” I point out. “The pantry is behind those wood doors. Add any food you want to the grocery list on the fridge. Tonya runs out and grabs groceries on Mondays.”

Liv chews on her lip as she nods. “I’m not picky. Whatever you normally get is fine.”

I bite back the urge to argue with her. I want her to feel comfortable enough to stock anything she could want in the house. But that’ll be a discussion for another day. Right now, I want to continue to give her the tour and let her get settled.

“To our right is the living room. The stairs go up to the second floor, where most of the bedrooms are. The only bedroom down here is the primary one. The basement has a playroom for Clara, as well as a theater room. She’ll beg you to watchFrozenin there every morning.”

This makes Liv laugh, her eyes finding mine. “I guess it’s a good thing I’ve never seenFrozen.”

My jaw opens. “You’ve never seenFrozen?” I can’t hide the shock from my face. I’ve seen bothFrozenmovies—and all the spin-offs—countless times. I could probably quote many of the scenes if I needed to.

Liv shakes her head. “I haven’t seen any of the newer movies. Maybe Clara will fix that for me.”

I let out a low whistle. “Oh, she will. Trust me on that. She’s begging to be Elsa for Halloween this year—for a second time. Want to follow me to your room? We can set your things down before continuing with the rest of the tour.”

“That sounds perfect.”

I nod, not feeling the need to make small talk as I lead her up the stairs. She follows behind me quietly as Clara trails behind us, still playing make-believe with her dolls.

I walk us down the long upstairs hallway. “This room is a guest bedroom. It’s got bunk beds for when Clara’s cousins stay the night with us. The next room is Clara’s?—”

“This is my room!” Clara excitedly interrupts. She jumps up and down in excitement. “Want to see it?” she asks, her focus on Liv.

Liv looks at me, letting me be the one to answer my daughter’s question.

“How about we show Liv her room first? Daddy’s getting old, and these bags are heavy. Let me put them down, and then you can show Liv your room.”

Clara nods her head before lifting her shoulder in a small shrug. “Okay.” She looks to Liv. She cups her mouth with her hand, leaning a little closer to Liv. “Daddyisgetting old. He has gray hair.”

Liv raises her eyebrows in amusement, her focus on my daughter. “Does he?” she asks, pretending to be shocked.

I roll my eyes. “Clara was with us when my mother pointed out that I have a few gray hairs. Nothing crazy. Be nice to your dad,” I tell Clara, playfully narrowing my eyebrows at my daughter.

It doesn’t faze her at all. She skips ahead of us and heads right to Liv’s room.

“The study is right here, as well as a guest bathroom.” I gesture to each room as I point them out to Liv before we make it to the end of the hallway where her room is.

“And this is your room!” Clara pushes the door open, immediately running into Liv’s room. When I walk into it, I find my daughter already sprawled out on the mattress, making a pretend snow angel on the bed.

“This is yours.” I carefully set her bags down on top of the dresser before crossing my arms over my chest. “Will it work?”

Liv snorts, her head shaking. “Will this work?” she mimics, her voice filled with disbelief. “This room is almost as big as the entire first floor of the house I grew up in. I’ve never slept in a bed this large.”

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