Page 30 of Harmonizing with Little Heaven Leigh

He shrugged. “I used to sing with my mother when I was a kid. She didn’t speak English very well, but we’d sing these old songs and then she’d have me translate each line, so she knew what they meant.” He chuckled, a faraway look in his eyes for a second, before he blinked it away. “The trials of being a bilingual child.”

She didn’t know a lot about his childhood, but he seemed to have a lot of fond memories of it. She was glad that he’d been happy, but envious too. It made her think about what she’d missed out on, which was probably why he didn’t bring up the topic with her much.

Someday she was going to untangle the mess in her head, and work through it, but until then she was just grateful for the little factoids he dropped from time to time. “Okay, muffins are going in the oven. They’ll need about half an hour. How are you doing over there, Daddy?”

“A little sooner than that, I think.” Angel picked up his small bowl of shaved dark chocolate curls, grabbed a larger bowl he’d been mixing things into, and moved over to the stove.

She followed. “What are you making?”

“You’ll see.” His grin was secretive.

She put her hands on her hips, frowning. “That’s not fair. You said we weren’t doing secrets.”

“Well, Daddies are allowed to change their minds.” He winked at her and began pouring a milky mixture into a small pot.

She watched, as he added in cornstarch and vanilla. The clues should have helped, but there were too many recipes that used them. She wanted to whine, but she didn’t want to bring out her Little side in the kitchen, so she just sighed.

Angel took pity on her. “It’s my version ofnatilla.”

“What’snatilla?”

“A kind of custard. Specifically this isMaizena de chocolate. It’s a Cuban chocolate pudding. I’m using dark chocolate so it will be less sweet.”

He knew that after years of baking, she usually didn’t have much of a sweet tooth. She did like dark chocolate though—it was just sweet enough, without being overwhelming. “Ooh, Daddy. That sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it.”

“Tonight, after dinner,mi corazón. Remember, we’re making desserts, besides even though it can be served warm… my version tastes better when chilled.”

“Speaking of dinner… do we have a plan? The fridge is kind of empty at home.” Neither of them had taken the time to pick up groceries. Luckily the Ranch had plenty of places to eat.

They discussed their options as Angel kept the whisk moving in the pan nonstop, and by the time he was pouring the thick liquid into little ramekins, they had settled on Italian, but since neither of them felt like sitting in the restaurant, they took it to go.

She liked her pasta, but she liked the dessert he’d made even more. It had a bit of a spicy kick to it, which was surprising for a dessert, but nice. And since making one portion of a recipe would have been ridiculous, there was plenty of leftover muffins and pudding for the next day or two.

They curled up on the couch together. Angel put on one of their favorite television shows while they cuddled, but it wasn’t long before Heaven started to yawn. It was early, but they’d been putting in a lot of long days lately, and she gave up before the show was over.

“I’m going to go to bed, Daddy. I’m sleepy, and I’ve got class in the morning,” she reminded him. Angel dragged his eyes away from the screen, and she realized he was half-asleep too. “Are you coming?”

“Not tonight, I’m too tired.”

The joke was so deadpan she almost missed it. “Ugh, Daddy,” she said in a complaining tone, as she rolled her eyes.

He chuckled, but a yawn interrupted it, and he got up. “Yes, I’m going to join you. No one told me that opening our own business was going to be so much work.” He sighed.

“I did! I told you about thirty times, and we both still decided it was worth it.”

He aimed a playful swat at her bottom. “Don’t argue with Daddy,niña. He’s too tired.”

“Well, if he’s going to keep talking about himself in the third person, like a comic book villain, then I’m going to go to bed without him,” she retorted, and headed toward the bedroom with a flounce. This time the swat actually landed and startled a squeak out of her.

It almost incited an activity other than sleeping, but the truth was, they were both just too exhausted. A half-hearted attempt at foreplay stalled when Heaven nodded off. It was just for a few seconds, but it was enough to make it clear that they both needed rest more than anything else.

“I’m sorry, Daddy. Tomorrow, I’ll be up for some fun,” she promised him, only to be greeted by the sound of soft snores. It made her giggle, as she turned over, and wiggled back until she was pressed against him.

CHAPTER10

The grand opening went off without a hitch and the store had a constant stream of visitors all weekend long, which made the long days of preparation worth it. They probably gave away more treats than they sold, but that was fine. It was never about the money for either of them, and making a splash was important for a new business.

Even with a couple of employees, hired from the Ranch Littles, it was a hectic time, and Heaven Leigh hadn’t had the chance, or energy, to visit the Littles’ Wing all week, but as soon as things settled down and were running smoothly, Angel put his foot down.

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