Page 35 of Numbers Boy
He grins, eyes gleaming with laughter, and looks down at my rain-splattered pants. “Literally,” he teases.
From next to us, Isabella pipes up. “Jeez, Uncle Noah, was it raining cats and dogs out there or what?”
“I sure hope he didn’t step in a poodle,” Steve replies with a wink in her direction.
They both bust out laughing, and my heart cracks open a little bit further for this sweet, stunning man, who has somehow gotten my prickly niece to come out of her shell and have some fun. The only other person who can get her to joke like that on a regular basis is Blake. Even I have a hit-or-miss record as she gets older. And Blake’s known her for years. He knows how much to push and when to pull back. The fact that Steve is able to do the same thing in such a short time has me fascinated.
“Looks like you didn’t have a chance to miss me. I love the makeovers,” I comment, reaching out to gently tug on one of the braids in Lilly’s hair.
She grins up at me, dance party momentarily forgotten. “It was so great! Steve let us do makeup and told us about his dresses and everything!”
“I see that. You all look great,” I say, but my mind snags on the last part of her comment. Why does Steve have dresses? I look over at the man, picturing him in something long and flowy. The mental image causes a flutter to go off in my stomach, clearly liking it. His usual style is so comfort-based, but having his legs in a skirt sounds hot as fuck. It would certainly complete the earlier thought I had about him as Ariel. Steve catches my gaze, and I realize I’m staring. His lower lip is caught between his teeth, one corner of his mouth hitched up in a shadow of his normal smile. Does he think I’m going to be upset about how they spent their evening? Or is it more specifically about his clothing choices? Either way, I give him a warm smile and shoot him a wink. “And that all sounds awesome.”
Isabella nods, looking between me and Steve, clearly catching onto the undercurrent of… whatever just happened. “It was cool. Now, can we watch a movie while we wait for Mom?”
“Sure,” Steve agrees, smile a bit more natural now. “Why don’t you and Lilly pick something while your uncle and I get snacks?”
The girls hurry to the couch and huddle together in the middle, Stacy jumping up to join them as they bicker good-naturedly about what to watch. I leave them to it, following Steve over to his kitchen.
“You okay, beautiful?”
Steve nods, his back to me as he grabs a bag of popcorn out of the cupboard and gets it started in the microwave. His shoulders look a little tense, but I don’t push. After a minute, I can see him take a deep breath before he turns toward me. His face is set, fire in his gorgeous green irises, even as he still seems nervous.
“So, umm, I do drag.”
Ah, that’s what had him so worried. And explains the dresses. A smile twitches my lips as the image of Steve in a skirt shifts to a more elaborate, dramatic gown. It feels right.
“Huh. That makes sense.”
“What do you mean?” Steve seems a little taken aback by my response, but his shoulders relax. Some of the fight seems to leave his eyes as well, replaced with a more lively spark of what looks like hope.
“It’s just, I call you Princess, and I thought you truly looked like a princess when I walked in to find you dancing with the girls. But I guess I didn’t take it far enough. You’re royalty, alright, but you’re not a princess. You’re a queen.”
As I talk, I move closer to Steve until I’m right in front of him. I press him gently into the countertop behind him, my hands gliding around his back. His wrap around my neck like they did when I first got back from my job.
“You’re too sweet to me,” he murmurs and smiles up at me.
“No such thing.” I return his smile, brushing the tip of my nose against his. He blushes lightly, eyes fluttering closed at the touch. “Will you tell me more about your drag?”
“Of course,” Steve agrees easily. “But we should probably get back to the living room before the girls get impatient.”
At that moment, the microwave beeps, causing both of us to jump and laugh.
“Perfect timing.”
We grab the popcorn, bowl, and chocolates to add, then join the girls. They’ve got some random kids’ movie on, and one of them turned off the overhead light so it’s dark aside from the glow of the screen. Since they’re still sitting smack-dab in the middle of the couch, Steve takes one side, and I take the other. As we all settle in, the girls comment every once in a while, but mostly, they’re focused on watching the movie.
Soon, Lilly is sagged against me, head heavy on my shoulder. I adjust a bit, letting her snuggle closer and stretching my arm across the back of the couch. The piece of furniture is short enough that I can just barely reach Steve’s neck. When he feels my hand next to him, he turns his head, catching my eye over the girls’ heads. We share a secret smile that sends affection fizzing down my spine before turning back to the TV.
And that’s how we spend the next half an hour. Girls dozing between us, my fingers sifting through the auburn curls at the nape of his neck, locking eyes as we sneak frequent glances at one another. With each passing minute, I know that this is something I want to do over and over again. That this man, with his inner beauty and willingness to be silly, is something special.
When I get a text from Amy saying she’s here, I give Steve’s curls one last gentle tug, and then we quietly rouse the girls. I help them get their belongings as Steve buzzes my sister up. She greets him with a hug and compliments all three of them on their new looks.
“The girls did a great job,” Steve says, sending them a sincere smile. “It was fun getting to hang out with them tonight.”
Amy grins my way, and I know we’ll be discussing this more at some point. But right now, grilling me about my potential boyfriend will have to wait since it’s late and the girls have school tomorrow.
“Well, what do you say to Steve, ladies?” she prompts.
