Page 26 of The Greatest Gift

“Am I?” Nakul says, grinning up at her. “Guess I need better instructions.”

Her giggles fill the air and I can’t help but laugh too. Watching them together stirs something deep in my chest—a mixture of happiness and a pang of guilt. Nakul is so good with her, so genuine and patient. And I know how much he wanted children of his own, even though he can’t have them.

Stevie all but forgets about me as she drags Nakul around the playground, forcing him to climb up several structures so that she can explore. It’s usually me doing this alone and I find that I enjoy watching her smile just as much as I enjoy making her smile. She starts yelling ‘Daddy look!’ as Nakul helps her onto the slide for the umpteenth time.

His large mass contrasts the size of the playground, his wide shoulders barely fitting through the tunnels and other structures that Stevie demands he goes through. I rescue him, tapping in as Stevie grumbles about wanting Na-ool but forgets about him the moment I help her onto the slide. She’s so easily excited, something I love about my baby girl.

After an hour, Stevie hasn’t lost an ounce of energy but her rosy cheeks tell me she’s getting just a little too cold. She runs over to me, her face smacking into my knee. “Again, again!” She whines.

“How about marshmallows?”

Her little eyebrows nearly rise clean off her face before a squeal tears from her throat. “Na-ool is coming?”

Nakul chuckles, finding humor in the way that she says his name. “Absolutely, Stevie. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Stevie grabs my hand and then reaches for Nakul, the man having to bend a little to truly hold it. Still, she’s happier than ever, trying to pull us down the block to her favorite café. It doesn’t work of course and I sweep her into my arms, knowing that she’ll sleep well tonight. She might even pass out at the café with all the excitement from this afternoon.

Nakul takes my free hand, pulling it to rest against his lips as he smiles at me. The short walk is comfortable and the warm air as we step into the café is more than welcome. “Grab a table, Judd. I’ll get some hot chocolate and marshmallows on the side, I’m guessing?” He asks, a hint of amusement following his words. He’s remembering the first time we met, Stevie stuffing marshmallow goo into her mouth.

“Yeah, a few of the snowmen ones.” I find a table toward the back, helping Stevie out of her coat.

When he comes back with two steaming mugs and a smaller mug for Stevie, he sets everything down with a theatrical flourish. “Hot chocolate is served.”

“What do we say, Stevie?”

Stevie giggles, reaching for her cup. “Thank you!”

“You’re very welcome,” he says, ruffling her hair.

As we settle in, I feel Nakul’s hand brush mine under the table. When I glance at him, he leans over and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. My face warms, but I can’t stop the smile spreading across my lips. Stevie is too occupied with her hot chocolate to notice that we’re lost in our own little world.

Judd

The afternoon at the café morphs into a lazy late afternoon at the house. It feels like I can’t get enough of him, wanting to spend more time than there is in the day. Watching how comfortable Stevie was with him this afternoon and how excited her face gets every time he acknowledges her means more to me than he’ll ever know.

An hour ago, Nakul offered to make dinner and I took him up on it because after this afternoon it was either takeout or whatever I could warm up in the microwave.

Stevie is now sprawled on the living room rug with her blocks, her giggles spilling over every time she topples a new tower. She enjoys destroying it more than she does building it. I can hear Nakul moving around in the kitchen, the clink of pots and pans accompanied by the faint scent of garlic and cheese wafting through the air.

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” I call out, leaning against the archway.

Nakul glances over his shoulder, a mischievous grin on his face. “I’ve got it. Trust me.”

I shake my head, smiling as I watch him work. He moves through my kitchen with a confidence I envy—chopping broccoli, stirring a creamy sauce in a pan, tossing everything together with a practiced hand. It’s like he’s been here a hundred times, like he belongs here. The sight of him feels so natural that it catches me off guard, a pang of something warm settling in my chest.

“Dinner!” Nakul announces, setting a steaming bowl of pasta on the table. Stevie scrambles up from the floor, her blocks forgotten as she races to her chair.

“What is it?” she asks, eyeing the food with curiosity.

“Broccoli and cheese pasta,” Nakul says as I help Stevie wash her hands and then set her in her booster seat. “Try it—you might like it.” He places a small portion onto a plate and hands it to me, letting me plate it properly.

I take a few seconds to cut it into smaller pieces and then let it sit so it doesn’t burn her mouth. I’m wary that she won’t eat it—vegetables are not her favorite—but it’s almost Christmas so there could be a miracle. She makes grabby hands for the plate as I place it onto her tray.

Stevie pokes at the pasta with her fork, grumbling in frustration when the noodle won’t stick. She angrily shakes it in the air before stabbing the noodle again and then yells triumphantly before taking a tentative bite. Her eyes widen and she stabs another noodle before stuffing it into her mouth. “This is so good!” she declares, her voice muffled around the food.

I laugh, sitting across from them. “You’re a miracle worker,” I tell Nakul. “She doesn’t always eat her veggies.”

“Neither did I,” Nakul admits with a shrug. “I used to pick them out of everything until my mom made me eat broccoli with cheese. Changed my life.”

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