Page 69 of Laws of Love
Aiva let the little girl order for herself; she ordered for her and Knox. She paid for the yogurt, and they returned to the table they had left Knox at. There were a couple of men standing at the table speaking to him.
They excused themselves as Aiva and Yasmine took their seats, and before Knox could apologize, she dipped his spoon into his yogurt and put it into his mouth. He glared at her playfully, and Aiva gave him a soft smile.
“After we finish, can we play some games?” Yasmine asked.
“Sure we can,” Aiva responded.
They’d ridden several rides and interacted with several park characters, but they hadn’t played any games yet. Aiva didn’t see why they couldn’t spend the last couple of hours at the park doing so. Taking in the entire park in a day was unrealistic, and to make sure that Yasmine got the most out of it, they were breaking the sections up over the course of a few days.
Once they finished eating their frozen yogurt, they headed off to play games. They chose the ones with shorter lines so they could play more in the time span they had left for the day.
They played several games, and when they came to one where you had to throw a football through the hoops, the attendant almost didn’t allow Knox to play. Aiva figured it was because he’d played professionally. However, she reminded the attendant that he was a receiver, not a quarterback, and there was no harm in letting him play for his daughter.
A few minutes later, Aiva wasn’t so sure that he wasn’t a quarterback. He’d gotten all three balls through the small hoops, and instead of choosing one of the larger prizes, Knox asked if they could have two of the smaller ones. The attendant told him yes, and he allowed Yasmine to choose one.
Knox chose the other. The rose fromBeauty and the Beast, and he handed it to Aiva. She took it with a smile, and he leaned down and softly kissed her lips.
They played more games, and by the time they walked out of the park for the day, it was with five prizes. When they returned to their suite, they had a few hours before going to dinner, and Yasmine suggested they watch a movie. They let her choose, and the three settled in to watchToy Story.
Aiva rolled over, blinking up into the dark. She blindly reached over, grabbed her phone, and checked the time. The screen’s illumination caused her to close her eyes before peeking at it again. It was three in the morning, and something had pulled her from her sleep.
She didn’t have to wait long for the noise to sound again, and she was all too familiar with it from when her siblings were younger.
Getting out of bed, she padded through the bathroom and to Yasmine’s room on the other side. The little girl was crying in her sleep, and Aiva could only wonder what she was dreaming about.
She turned on the lamp sitting on the bedside table before she sat on the side of the bed and gently rubbed Yasmine’s back. When her youngest brother had bad dreams, she’d rub his back, and he’d end up calming but waking up and asking if she would stay with him until he went back to sleep. Kaley would settle and sleep through it.
Yasmine stirred, turning over before her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at Aiva as she sat up.
“Ms. Aiva,” the child stated softly.
Aiva ran her thumbs over Yasmine’s cheeks, wiping away her tears. “Hey, sweetie. Were you having a bad dream?”
Yasmine nodded, and a minute later, she crawled into Aiva’s lap, where she began rubbing her back again.
“I know I’m supposed to be a big girl, and Mommy says big girls sleep by themselves, but will you sleep with me, please?”
“I sure will.”
Aiva placed her back in bed, got in beside her, and turned the lamp off. Yasmine snuggled up to her, and it was only a few minutes later, that Aiva heard the child’s even breathing. Aiva allowed herself to drift back to sleep.
Knox exited the bedroom in his lounge pants after washing his face and brushing his teeth. His first stop, as always, was to look in on Yasmine before he ordered breakfast. He peaked into the room, and his eyebrows furrowed. His daughter was still sleeping soundly, but Aiva had joined her. His daughter’s head tucked under his girlfriend’s chin as they slept.
He pulled the door back, leaving a small opening, and went over to the menu by the phone. He looked it over before placing an order for room service. It was a little after eight, and they would return to the park that day at noon. Afterward, they were going to see a show on ice before dinner.
Knox was sitting on the couch ten minutes later when Aiva emerged from the bedroom. He’d heard her get up a few minutes after he’d looked in.
“Good morning,” he greeted, holding his hand out to her.
“Good morning,” she responded, taking it, and he pulled her onto his lap, pressing a kiss to her lips. “How did you sleep?”
“I should ask you that,” Knox countered. “Did something happen last night?”
“Yas had a bad dream, so I stayed with her last night.”
“I’m sorry. You could have woken me up.”
“Why are you apologizing? And I was already there, so there was no need. Unless…you would have preferred I let you handle it.”
