Page 31 of Sparrow

“Thank you. For the compliment and opening the gate.” She passes by me and I catch the subtle notes of her perfume: soft and floral with a twist of citrus.

“It was my pleasure.” I move to stand beside her. “Come on. I reserved the best seat in the park for us. I had to call people, then have my people call other people, and name-drop and pay a small fortune for this seat, so you better enjoy it.”

“How will I ever repay you for your trouble?” She laughs.

“Oh, Mills, there are plenty of ways.”

We make our way back over to the bench under the tree and take a seat. We aren’t sitting for more than ten seconds before Cadence barrels down the slide and toward us, skidding to a stop when she sees Mills.

“Cadence, can you come here for a second, please?” I ask her. “There is someone I want you to meet.”

She stands there, shyly looking down then back at Mills before waving me over.

I turn to my right and whisper, “Hold on, please. She’s a bit shy around new faces.”

“Take your time. She’s adorable, Gray,” Mills replies.

I stand and squat down beside my daughter. “You don’t have to be nervous, Cadence. She’s my friend and she’s really nice.”

Cadence whispers, or at least tries to, but I know Mills can hear. “Daddy, is that Ariel?”

The mermaid? Ah, the red hair. I glance up to her and see that she did in fact hear, and she is grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s not, but she is just as pretty as her, isn’t she?”

“No, Daddy. She’s even prettier.” God, who said kids weren’t wingmen? I should buy her ice cream for saying that out loud.

I look up at Mills, making full eye contact and reply, “She certainly is.” I look back down at my daughter. “Are you ready to meet her?”

Cadence just nods, so I return to my feet and take her hand, leading her closer to Amelia.

“Cadence, this is my friend, Amelia. Amelia, this is my daughter, Cadence.” Those are the most important twelve words I’ve ever said.

“Hi, Cadence. It’s really nice to meet you. I love your overalls, and who is that on your shirt?” Mills sinks down, dropping to her knees on the ground to be more eye level with her. Uncaring about her dress or being dirty.

Cadence looks down then says, “It’s Cinderella. She’s a princess.”

“Ah, I know all about Cinderella. She’s one of my favorites.”

They converse back and forth with ease, and I just watch in awe. They talk about princesses, movies, and snacks. It’s easy. Exactly what I could have wanted out of a first meeting between them.

“I’m going to slide now. Bye, Melia!” She bolts back off.

Amelia stands and waves. “Gray...she’s everything.”

“Trust me, she’s got me so wrapped around her finger, I can hardly breathe.” I chuckle.

“I could see how that would be the case.” She returns to her spot on the bench with me.

“She likes you.”

“How can you tell by a two-minute conversation?” she asks, sweeping her hair over her right shoulder.

“She opened up to you easily. She doesn’t do that.”

Without even thinking, I reach over and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She tilts her face toward my palm, allowing me to touch her for a moment.

“Maybe I’m just the toddler whisperer,” she says.

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