Page 99 of Suddenly Entwined

I laugh, because if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’m following.

“Explain it to me.”

“Lou and I really like Caro, and I know you guys are dating…” she wrinkles her nose at the word. “But what does that actually mean? What if you decide to stop dating? Will she still be our nanny?”

My stomach growls at the scent of supper drifting under the bathroom door, but I know it’ll have to wait. Natalie is bringing out the big guns tonight.

“Those are good questions. Well, we know that in September she’s going to finish college, right? So, she’s going to stay living downstairs, and she’s going to help as much as she can. We’ll know her schedule soon. And, as for the dating, Daddy can’t tell the future, but we make each other really happy, and I don’t see us stopping dating.”

“What comes after dating?”

Engagement. Marriage. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but then Natalie’s tummy rumbles too, and I know that we’ve reached the natural end to this little heart to heart.

“C’mon,” I say, hauling her up to her feet and resting my palms on both of her cheeks so her lips are the tiniest bit smooshed. She reminds me of one of the fish on the shower curtain.

“All you need to know is that I have an extra big heart, so I have lots of extra love to give. Got it?”

She nods before squirming away, her tolerance for my hands on her face running out. I hang back as Natalie goes to find Caro. I want to give them a moment on their own to work things out. The relationship she is forming with my daughters is separate and different from my own. Of course, as their father, I need to be apprised of the important stuff, but constantly inserting myself into their interactions isn’t what they need.

I quickly clean up, and when I hear laughter as I approach the kitchen, I know the tough stuff is out of the way. At least for today.

“Smells good,” I say, squeezing Caro’s thigh beneath the table as I settle into my chair.

“Thanks. It’s just a frozen lasagna. I had a busy afternoon.”

“Daddy, do you notice anythingdifferentabout Caro?” Louisa asks, giggling.

I let her question hang in the air while I pretend to examine Caro, tipping my head from side to side. I’ll admit that the drama distracted me for a while, but I know she went to see Anna at her salon today, and I’d have to be blind to not notice the soft spirals framing her gorgeous face and the fact she’s wearing peachy pink lipstick.

“Hmm, I think her teeth look very shiny. Did she go to the dentist?”

Louisa tosses her head back in laughter. “No!”

“No? Okay. Then I think maybe she got contact lenses. There’s no way her eyes are always that pretty.”

I smirk as Louisa dissolves into even more giggles and Caro actually blushes at my compliment. Even Natalie is trying hard to not give into my silly antics, but I saw the corners of her lips tip up before she lifted her milk to her mouth.

“Maybe it’syouthat needs the contact lenses, because I was living my best life at the salon today,” Caro says as she gives her head a gentle toss.

“It’s beautiful,” I tell her, giving into the urge to slide my fingers down one of the strands.

“You start with high and lows today, Daddy.”

“Holy smokes, why am I getting put on the spot so much today? Let’s eat a bit first.” I say, popping a bite of cheesy lasagna into my mouth.

A few minutes later, once my stomach is satisfied, I know exactly what to say.

“My high was having somebody in my corner.” I turn my head to glance at Caro.

She smiles and it’s her turn to reach out and place her palm on my thigh, offering a reassuring pat.

“And I hope she can be patient with me because I’m still learning how to share my corner with someone else. Having backup is really cool and I hope that I'll be there for her when she needs support–”

Louisa leans over to her sister and whispers, “This is really long.”

Everyone laughs and then I raise my hands in the air. “Fine, fine! Nobody wants to listen to Dad getting sappy, I get it!”

“I loved it.” Caro stands and I pull her onto my knee so she’s perched on my lap with my arms around her waist.

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