Page 36 of Truce Of The Matter

“Seeing that smile makes me love all of this already. And you look great. Get your ass out there and claim your man. It’s too many women out there.”

She winks and I take one last look at myself in the mirror. I have to agree; I look better than I have in days. So I straighten my shirt then leave her inside of the office. When I make it out to the dining area, he’s sitting in his usual booth and his pretty littledaughter, Aryel, is grabbing hot sauce and parmesan cheese from the condiments table. I watch her, and when she joins him back at the booth, I walk over to them.

Since I’m approaching from behind him, Aryel spots me first. She stops unraveling her rolled silverware and straightens. A huge smile spreads across her pretty little face.

“Hi, Miss Truce,” she says, smiling. His head turns immediately.

“Hey, pretty girl,” I respond.

He stares at me for a moment then glances back at Aryel. He’s smiling but his eyes are doing something I don’t recognize, oddly bouncing between me and her. Finally, he stands and pulls me into him for a hug.

“I want to kiss you so fucking bad but Aryel doesn’t know anything about us yet,” he whispers. “Let’s change that now so I can. Sit with us,” he adds before releasing me.

My unsure eyes silently ask if he’s sure and his unwavering gaze replies with a resounding yes, so I join them but walk to Aryel’s side of the booth. In watching their cute little interactions whenever they are here, I have learned she’s just as protective of her father as he is of her. She’s also, rightfully so, territorial. I can’t just barge my way into their space; I have to ease into it, and do so correctly, because I really like him.

“Can I sit here?” I ask and she nods while scooting over. “Thank you,” I tell her once I’m seated.

She reaches over and touches my pinky. “I like your nails,” she compliments my almond-shaped French manicure. Her own nails are painted blue, matching her red and blue cheerleading uniform.

“I like yours, too. That’s a pretty blue.”

“I have a diamond too,” she gushes while opening her hands so I can see the rhinestones on her middle fingers.

Rex watches our entire exchange intently, in silence. He doesn’t interrupt; he just lets us go on and on about our nails. At one point, I glance up and see that sexy smile of his before I give my attention back to Aryel.

“I really like those. They sparkle,” I say.

She gushes. “Thank you. We have a competition Saturday so I got them done.”

Chapter 12

When Truce first stepped over, the realization that my heart and future were about to officially meet hit me hard. Although Aryel knows Truce because we eat here a lot, this is different. Her role has changed for me and that’s a big step for Aryel and me. It’s not that I’m not unsure about Truce or my feelings for her. That shit is on lock. I finally have her in my life and I’m not letting her go. I’m going all in to build with her and that can’t happen without Aryel. She is my heart and I protect her with all that I am, which is why I don’t introduce her to random women or bring them around her. But this is different. Truce is different and seeing the two of them together right now makes me regret those five seconds of anxiety.

They are having a full-blown conversation without me. Aryel is so caught up that she hasn’t even unraveled my napkin and silverware. While I’m more than capable of doing that shit myself, she normally does it. It’s our routine. She tries to do little things for me and I allow her, to a certain extent. However, right now, she’s forgotten my ass and I love seeing her completely wrapped up in all things Truce.

“Let me go check on our food,” I say and Truce lifts her head.

“They still haven’t brought your food?” she asks unbelievingly. “I’ll go check.”

Before I can object, she slides out of the booth and heads toward the counter. I watch as she talks to the cashier then walks through the door leading to the kitchen area. When I turn back to Aryel, she has a huge smile on her face.

“Is she your girlfriend, Daddy?” she asks while grinning, sounding giddy and excited.

“Why did you ask me that?”

Her smile hasn’t faded at all, instead it’s made its way to her big, doe-shaped eyes. “Because I think she is,” she says.

“But why do you think she is?” I question, interested to see how her little observant brain is processing this…us.

“’Cause you like her. You kept smiling at her when we were talking,” she reveals then laughs. Amusement dances in her eyes and her entire body shakes as she does, causing me to chuckle a little too.

“If she is my girlfriend, are you okay with that?” I ask because her answer carries weight.

“Yes,” she answers quickly. “I like her.” She nods then reaches for my napkin. Because Aryel can’t mask her true feelings, I study her face as she unravels my napkin. Her sentiment is genuine and she really likes Truce. After she places my silverware on top of my napkin, she looks up at me. “We should have ordered her some food too.”

“Maybe we should have,” I say and she nods.

“She can have some of my spaghetti if she wants. They give me a lot.”

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