Page 50 of Hungry Hearts

“Some of them like to sing.”

“Singing is good.”

“And they are nice to people. Even to mean people, like the beast and the mean stepsisters.”

“Being nice is a super important part of being a princess.”

“And they don’t do bad things like the evil witches do.”

“Are you nice, Ruby?”

She nods her head. “I’m nice like my mommy.”

My heart swells so big I’m afraid it’s going to burst in my chest any moment now.

“Do you do bad things?”

She scrunches her nose again. “Not all the time, but one time I ate cookies and didn’t ask and put back the empty box and my mommy found out because I was too full to eat dinner.”

My daughter has an incurable sweet tooth. Something she inherited from her father. It didn’t matter how full Adam was, he’d always make room for dessert. For the first time, when the moment of nostalgia washes over me, it’s not followed by sadness and grief. Instead, the memory brings me joy at the comparison between father and daughter.

“Nobody is perfect, not even princesses. I’d say you’re well on your way to becoming Princess Ruby.”

“Really?” Ruby’s eyes light up with excitement. “Do I get magical powers too?”

“Those have to be earned. It takes years and years of being a nice, kind princess to get the magic.”

She clutches her dolls to her chest and twirls around so the skirt of her tutu puffs out in the wind. “I’m going to be a princess!”

Ryder stands again and inches closer to me. His gaze drops to my mouth, which has had a permanent smile on it since I spotted him leaning against the restaurant.

“Hungry?” I ask.

“Starved.” He tips his chin toward the front door. “Let’s grab some grub.”

A few minutes later, after we’re seated at a table and have ordered, Ruby continues with the princess conversation.

“Are you a prince?”

Ryder chokes on his iced tea. “Honey, I’m no prince.”

“Do you do naughty things?”

“Ruby!” I scold.

Her question has the corner of Ryder’s lip quirked. He narrows those panty-melting blue eyes on me and answers. “A time or two.”

“Are you all done doing naughty things?”

My eyes widen as I read the naughty things going on in his brain right now. When Ruby’s attention is on her dolls instead of him, he stares at me and shakes his head. “Yeah.”

“Is my mommy a princess?”

Still, his gaze is glued to me. “Your mommy is an angel.”

“My daddy is an angel. He died when I was a baby.”

The playfulness in his eyes is immediately extinguished. I’ve been dreading this part of the night, wondering when Ruby would bring up her father. I’ve never hidden the fact that he died and have always been truthful to her when she has questions. I want her to know her father as best as she can and have him be a part of her life as much as possible.

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